The Boston Red Sox are out to an 18-14 start through the first 32 games of the season. They've won five consecutive games and are seeking a sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays tonight (6:10 p.m. ET). A win would put the Red Sox in third place in the American League East.
This performance is a far cry from what we saw early in the season when the Sox were swept by both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Tampa Bay Rays, and an even further cry from what most Red Sox fans expected coming into the season.
Throughout the offseason, most of the conversation was about if Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom belonged in the role and if Red Sox ownership was still invested in the product on the field.
The team passed on nearly all marquee free agents, signing only Masataka Yoshida (five years, $90 million out of Japan). The team also passed on nearly all rotation upgrades, signing only the aging Corey Kluber.
The questions were fair but as the bullpen has improved after the signing of Kenley Jansen, as young players like Jarren Duran (.400 avg, two homers, 12 RBI) and Josh Wincowski (2-0, 1.61 ERA out of the bullpen) have improved, and the team has gotten contributions from depth pieces like Yu Chang, Adam Duvall, Kutter Crawford, is it time to ask a new question?:
Should people be apologizing to Bloom and recognize that his plan just might be working? Don't forget that Yoshida looks great as well, hitting .303 with five home runs and 21 RBIs.
'The Brady Farkas Show' on WDEV Radio asked a similar question of ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney on Thursday afternoon. "Is it time to change our tune about Chaim Bloom?"
Olney said no, not yet. You can hear his full answer below but here's a partial transcript.
"It's interesting because writers that I really respect are basically saying 'it's time to start giving Bloom credit.' I'd say this: I've been around New England and big markets long enough to say, 'lets wait until we see if they actually make the playoffs...."
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