Mazz: Quick Thoughts On Chaim Bloom Being Fired

Chaim Bloom has been fired by the Boston Red Sox, and Tony Massarotti had a couple of initial thoughts before going on the air this afternoon.

Hey, it's Tony Massarotti, 98.5 The Sports Hub. The Red Sox just fired Chaim Bloom. So we thought we'd give you a couple of quick thoughts here off the top as to what this means for the organization.

First of all, nobody should be surprised by this. It was evident that Cora and Bloom were not seeing eye to eye with regard to the philosophy and direction of the organization. One of them had to go, if not both. And so the fact that it's bloom really indicates how firmly cemented Cora is in the organization.

The next GM of the team will be the third that Alex Cora works with, thinking that it's really backwards. Most time the manager gets fired, the GM stays. This has been the opposite. In fact, Corey gets suspended, obviously, and still has kept his job during that period in time, which should tell you plenty.

Secondly, as it relates to the structure of the organization, Brian O'Halloran, who was the first LT under Chaim Bloom, has been offered another job in the organization. This should tell you a couple of things.

First of all, O'Halloran is not a candidate to be general manager. The Red Sox would have left that out. They've offered him another position in the organization.

And secondly, Eddie Romero was not mentioned in this release at all. Eddie Romero was beneath Halloran, but has a good relationship with Cora. I would look for some sort of collaborative leadership group from the Red Sox, including Alex Cora. The point being, just as Mike Sosa ran the Dodgers, or rather the Angels for many, many years, I think essentially Alex Cora is going to be the dominant voice in the Red Sox baseball operation.

And Cora's contract is up at the end of next season. I would vote for some sort of extension with Cora in the coming weeks or months because you can't let him go in as a lame duck, particularly if Romero is the general manager. I think the Red Sox need stability and my guess is they're going to head in that direction.

And then third, the first job for the new group. Pitching, pitching, pitching, starting with the right handed pitcher Yamamoto in Japan. He's the most appealing guy in the market.

The Red Sox have to spend if they're going to get this guy. So that goes back to ownership. But they bring in a new general manager who doesn't spend. Then the impetus and the pressure is really going to get turned up on President Sam Kennedy and on owners John Henry and Tom Werner.

Anyway, those are initial thoughts. I'm headed on the air here to 2:00 with Mike Felger. We'll be talking Red Sox for much of the day. Thanks for listening.

Over the years, the Red Sox have had some memorable rookie seasons that brought home hardware and sparked a season with some magic. It's fair to wonder whether 2023 could follow the same script, with Masataka Yoshida currently leading the charge in the American League.

Despite not being a typical rookie since he's coming over from the Nippon Professional Baseball league, he's excelled in his first taste of MLB action. Across 99 games, he's slashing .307/.364/.481/.845 with 12 HR, 25 2B, and 3 triples. Good for a 124 OPS+ along with 8 stolen bases in as many attempts.

There's also some steam coming from Triston Casas as well, after a ridiculous month of July that put him on the map amongst the best young first baseman in baseball. He's currently batting .248/.351/.475/.826 with 17 long balls, 16 doubles, and 41 RBI. While it's not Yoshida levels of hitting, it's not far too off, especially with Casas resembling your typical rookie of the year candidate.

The Rookie of the Year Award was first established in 1947 and for the first two years it existed, there wasn't a distinction for the American League and National League. It was just given to the best overall rookie in the big leagues. Jackie Robinson was the very first winner after posting a slash line of .297/.383/.427/.810 with 12 HR, 31 2B, 5 3B, and 29 stolen bases.

In 2022, Julio Rodriguez brought home the AL Rookie of the Year Award after a monster season for the Mariners. He also finished 7th in MVP voting after posting a line of .284/.345/.509/.853 with 28 homers and 25 steals. Michael Harris II was the NL recipient with a line of .297/.339/.514/.853 with 19 homers and 20 stolen bases.

Along with Yoshida and Casas, it'll be interesting to see if Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony end up this list one day. Here all 6 of the Red Sox Rookie of the Year winners throughout the franchise's history.

At 27, Walt Dropo brought home the first Rookie of the Year win in Red Sox history, as he led all of baseball with 144 RBI in 136 games played. His final numbers for the 1950 season included a line of .322/.378/.583/.961 with 34 homers and 28 doubles. He beat out future Hall of Famer Whitey Ford for the award.

As a 25-year-old rookie, Don Schwall broke onto the scene by posting a 3.22 ERA in 25 starts. He totaled 178.2 IP, with more walks (110) than strikeouts (91), but was able to limit homers with an 0.4 HR/9. It marked the only time Schwall made the All-Star team and received any MVP votes.

A 21-year-old Carlton Fisk had his baseball career interrupted after joining the Army Reserve, but he came back with vengeance in 1972, winning Rookie of the Year, finishing 4th in MVP voting, and taking home a Gold Glove behind the plate. He ended up slashing .293/.370/.538/.909 with 22 homers, 28 doubles, and 9 triples. Fisk was the first unanimous AL Rookie of the Year and is still the last catcher to lead the AL in triples.

Fred Lynn owns the most memorable Rookie of the Year campaign in Red Sox history. On top of bringing home the Rookie of the Year award, he also won American League MVP, a Gold Glove, and helped lead the team to a World Series appearance against the Reds. It marked the start of 9 straight All-Star appearances.

After a cameo in 1994, Nomar Garciaparra exploded onto the scene by winning Rookie of the Year and finishing 8th in MVP voting in 1997. He ended up socking 30 homers and batting .306/.342/.534/.875, which led to him winning the only Silver Slugger of his career. Jose Cruz and Jason Dickson finished behind him in Rookie of the Year voting, but neither received any first place votes.

Dustin Pedroia was the last Red Sox player to accomplish the feat and it's arguably the most memorable storyline of the 2007 World Series championship. After a slow start in April that talking voices hammered constantly, he finished the season with a final line of  .317/.380/.442/.823 with 8 homers and 39 doubles. Now, whenever a top prospect tends to struggle, Pedroia is the very first name that comes to mind when certain parts of the fanbase are asking for patience.