Chaim Bloom Gets Real On Making Trade With Red Sox — ‘A Little Strange’

The Boston Red Sox picked up Sonny Gray in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday afternoon, giving them another top-tier pitcher to add to their starting rotation. Making this deal a bit more interesting for the Sox is that they had to hammer it out with their old friend, Chaim Bloom.

Bloom was Craig Breslow’s predecessor as Boston’s president of baseball operations, as he spent four seasons with the team before he got fired at the end of the 2023 campaign. Now, Bloom is with St. Louis, and one of his first big moves of the offseason involved swinging a deal with his former squad.

Considering how Bloom’s tenure with the Sox ended, it was fair to wonder if there was bad blood between the two sides that could potentially prevent deals from being made this offseason. Instead, Bloom has maintained that he still is fond of the organization and that his history with the club had no bearing on the Gray trade.

“It was a little strange, obviously, but at the end of the day, that doesn’t really impact things,” Bloom said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “We’re trying to do the best we can for our club no matter who it’s with.

If we accomplish our objectives, then it doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter where I worked last or anything other than what’s best for the St. Louis Cardinals. I know they’re trying to accomplish something themselves, too.”

At the end of the day, baseball is a business, and nobody understands that better than Bloom. He knows his primary objective now is helping improve the Cardinals, and if that involves making a trade with the Red Sox, then so be it.

One big move may have been made, but it feels like Boston is only just getting started when it comes to its offseason work. As a result, the Sox are a team worth monitoring as the offseason unfolds, because more big moves could be on the horizon.