Red Sox's Alex Cora Reportedly Was Not Supportive Of Chaim Bloom Prior To Firing
For years fans and media alike have speculated that former Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and manager Alex Cora did not see eye-to-eye.
A recent report has added fuel to the fire but should come as no surprise.
"Bloom, acting on ownership’s apparent preference, chose to bring back Cora after the manager’s one-year suspension for his involvement in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal," The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal wrote Wednesday. "On the surface, the two seemed to co-exist professionally. But friends of Bloom, who spoke on condition of anonymity in exchange for their candor, believe Cora was not as supportive of Bloom as he could have been."
While this report sheds Cora in somewhat of a bad light, he had every right to be upset. Cora was in charge of competing at the big-league level while Bloom's focus was on development and the future. The former understood that winning was the only way to keep their jobs. The former was so focused on the big picture that he was run out of town before he could get there.
Cora got middling teams into the American League Wild Card discussion two seasons in a row at the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline and was given no help both times due to Bloom's hesitancy to go for it.
Bloom needed to replenish the farm system. But, he also could have done more to appease his teammate, Cora, and his clubhouse. There was a human element to running an organization that Bloom appears to be missing. Both deadline blunders led to players openly discussing their displeasure to the media.
Ideally, the next general manager -- or whatever made-up title the head of the front office assumes next -- can do a better job of balancing the present and the future. That leader can thank Bloom for being in a stronger position to do so than his predecessor came into.
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