Chaim Bloom Wouldn’t Have Traded Jarred Kelenic

There was always a lot of baseless narratives surrounding the New York Mets not hiring Chaim Bloom. We’ve heard that he was going to seek a rebuild instead of trying to win a World Series. We also saw assertions he was definitely going to trade Jacob deGrom.

Of course, no one knew this as fact. Yet, because those were the purposeful leaks in support of Brodie Van Wagenen, the myths have persisted. The other evidence presented was how Bloom traded Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. That persisted despite trading Betts being a condition precedent for any incoming general manager.

So, Bloom did what he was told to do. The end result of that was a dreadful 2020 season wherein the Red Sox finished the season in dead last in the AL East. Of course, there were mitigating circumstances. First and foremost, it was a pandemic shortened season. Mostly, Chris Sale missed the season due to Tommy John, and Eduardo Rodriguez suffered COVID induced myocarditis. You’re not winning with 2/5 of your rotation missing like that, especially in a 60 game season.

What happened from there was Bloom went to work. He brought in players like Enrique Hernandez and Hunter Renfroe. In his first full season at the helm, Bloom built a 92 win Red Sox team. That team beat the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Game, and they just defeated the defending pennant winners, the 100 win Tampa Bay Rays, to advance to the ALCS.

Meanwhile, the Mets hired Brodie Van Wagenen, who needlessly ravaged the Mets farm system. He did it for the glory of missing the postseason twice. He did it because he had no idea what he was doing. Now, the Mets have to live with the outright dumb and amateur decisions. That includes Zack Wheeler pitching with the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Mets being saddled with Robinson Cano‘s contract, after he had his second PED suspension, while Jarred Kelenic had a big September for the Seattle Mariners. Of course, Cano’s contract is back on the books and Kelenic had a breakout just as Michael Conforto hits free agency.

Knowing what we know of Bloom, we really don’t know if he trades deGrom. After all, while he traded Betts, he didn’t look to move other Red Sox superstars, like J.D. Martinez, in the name of rebuilding or saving money. What we do know is Bloom did acquire a very good player in Alex Verdugo, who has been a key contributor to a Red Sox team now in the ALCS.

We also know from his history, he wouldn’t have traded Kelenic. The reason is he is not stupid. In fact, he’s brilliant. It’s how he built the core of that Rays team who won 100 games and is coming off a pennant, and it is how he built a Red Sox team which beat his old team in the ALDS. So sure, continue on with the false narratives about how Bloom would’ve traded deGrom while the Mets are trying to figure out how to fix what’s broken, and the Red Sox are winning.

4 Replies to “Chaim Bloom Wouldn’t Have Traded Jarred Kelenic”

  1. Mike.BTB says:

    I second this. Jeff hired his buddy. I can’t add much more.

  2. Longtimefan1 says:

    In Brodie’s only full season, we were 10 games over .500.

    In 2020 we were 8 under.

    That’s 2 over .500 total before he was fired.

    He shouldn’t have traded Kelenic, but I’m over it. In his first year in the majors, Kelenic isn’t the 5-tool player he was pegged to be.

    Averages 27.2 feet per second, a tad over big league average of 27.0. That’s 54.2 percentile. Zero bolts. And an average of 4.45 home to first and that’s from the left side. 6 steals, and caught 4 times.

    His average exit velo is 87.5.

    Batted 181. Lots of K’s.

    14 homers in 93 games.

    Nothing special about his defense

    Basically he’s a corner outfielder with power. Those aren’t too hard to find. In my opinion, he’s too bulked which has cost him a bunch of his tools. Those tools paired with strong drive is what made him a special prospect.

    Does he improve his defense, foot speed, batting average, contact rates in the coming years? That’s wait and see. He’s young and had an improved September.

    The most ridiculous thing is what Alderson did when he returned. Traded Rosario, Gimenez, Greene, Wolf, Pete Crow Armstrong for one season of 77 wins and a 341 mil deal 10-year extension. That’s a ton of athleticism and talent traded for a losing season and exclusive negotiating rights.

    1. metsdaddy says:

      Please tell me you’re joking because this is an embarrassing take

  3. Longtimefan1 says:

    Facts.

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