Cardinals’ Chaim Bloom looks vindicated after dysfunctional Red Sox fire Alex Cora

When Chaim Bloom was let go by the Boston Red Sox, the immediate narrative being spun was that Bloom fumbled a historic organization and failed to achieve the goals set before him. But looking back on his tenure, especially in light of how things have played out since he departed Boston, puts a bright light on how dysfunctional owner John Henry has allowed the Red Sox to become.

The Red Sox just fired manager Alex Cora and five members of his staff on Saturday in a move that shocked the baseball world. Boston is off to a really poor start to their season, sitting at 10-17 and at the bottom of the American League East. While things needed to change, firing a World Series-winning manager and a large chunk of his staff in April seems like an emotional and reactionary move.

Pretty par for the course for Henry's leadership, considering what Bloom experienced in Boston.

Since becoming the St. Louis Cardinals' president of baseball operations, Bloom has commented on his time in Boston, consistently expressing gratitude for his opportunity and never speaking ill of what happened to him while he was there. But when asked to describe what he learned from that experience, he's been clear that the need for alignment is critical, and he addressed that once again last week on the Dealin' the Cards podcast.

"One of the things, trying to execute on that project [leading the Boston Red Sox] in a place like that, I really learned the importance of alignment, the importance of the whole organization being on the same page," Bloom said when asked about what he learned from his experience in Boston. "And you know, easy to say, that's not some headline like "Hey, it's really important for an organization to be aligned to have success", we all know that. But also just the responsability you have in this seat, not just to want it but to insist on it and to be forceful if you have to, and just making sure everything is pointed in the right direction, making sure it's crystal clear to people what we need to do and why, and insisting on that. Be very focused, very forceful, very disciplined with that. That is definitely something that I take out of that experience."

The full interview with Bloom can be found on the Dealin' the Cards channel or wherever you get your audio podcasts, as he went into great detail during an hour-long conversation about how he's implementing this vision with the Cardinals.

Chaim Bloom's time in Boston was hindered by the organization's dysfunction that ownership perpetuates

All of the challenges Bloom faced during his time leading the Red Sox have been well documented. From being tasked with trading away a franchise icon by ownership (Mookie Betts) while attaching a terrible contract (David Price) to the deal to save money during his first few months on the job, to continously being asked to shed operating costs while simulatenously rebuilding a barren farm system AND competiting with the Yankees, Blue Jays, Rays, and Orioles at the same time...it was an impossible task.

Especially when the owner, Henry, did not stay true to the plan. He was quickly influenced by the outside noise and pressure, causing whiplash in expectations of Bloom that ultimately led to his dismissal. Oh, and Bloom had to deal with holdovers from the previous regime who did not follow his lead, including members of the front office and his manager, Cora, who frequently clashed with Bloom and what he was asked to do as the new lead of baseball operations.

No wonder Bloom keeps talking about the need for alignment!

Now we look over at the Craig Breslow-led Red Sox, and the problems have only compounded, even after their revamped farm system (thanks in large part to the work Bloom did) has littered their roster with young talent and pieces used to go and acquire talent like Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and more.

Whatever message Boston wants to try and spin from this, one thing they won't be saying, but rings oh so true, is that their current mess further proves Bloom was just a scapegoat for their own dysfunction.

Now Bloom finds himself in a situation that should fit his leadership and vision like a glove. Instead of leading in a market like Tampa Bay where resources will always be extremely limited, or trying to steady a ship in Boston where ownership always seems to get in the way, he now finds himself in St. Louis, an organization marked by deep tradition, that has the resources to invest at a high-level when things are rebuilt, and has ownership that is about as patient as any in professional sports.

It's up to Bloom to execute on this vision, but if he's ever going to fully realize it, St. Louis seems to be the perfect place for him to do so.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox find themselves with an absolute mess on their hands, and one has to wonder how things would have gone differently if they stayed the course with Bloom.

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