ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ For Rays fans, the news could be viewed as a compliment. Or a kick in the gut. In this case, the two ideas are not mutually exclusive.
Word is, the Red Sox have decided to hire Rays exec Chaim Bloom to run their baseball operations department. I suppose when you have the largest payroll in the game and you finish behind the smallest payroll, you might want to explore some of that magic yourself.
And, in some ways, this was inevitable. Tampa Bay's front office is the envy of the league, and it was only a matter of time before Bloom was snatched up. But it would have been a lot nicer if he had gotten a job with the Giants or Mets last year. Heck, why not the Chunichi Dragons? Just somewhere far, far away from the Rays and the American League East.
Here's the problem:
It isn't what the Rays are losing, although that is substantial. It is what the Red Sox are gaining.
The Rays are already facing a greater challenge to differentiate themselves from the pack. Some of Tampa Bay's innovative ideas from 10 years ago are now standard practice in a lot of MLB front offices, which means the Rays have less and less room to operate within the margins.
And that task is now exponentially harder.
Bloom doesn't just know Tampa Bay's secret sauce, he's added some of the ingredients over the years. First, while working under Andrew Friedman and, later, working alongside Erik Neander and Matt Silverman. And now he'll bring some of those cutting edge concepts to a team with a revolving door on its vault.
Look at it this way:
Since Friedman left Tampa Bay for Los Angeles in 2015, the Dodgers have 1) the best record in baseball, 2) have won the division title every season, 3) have won two pennants, 4) cut their payroll by 20% during his tenure.
Scared yet?
Granted, the Red Sox have their own challenges. Mookie Betts needs to be signed long-term and J.D. Martinez can opt out of his contract next month. The pitching staff is bloated with unattractive contracts handed to David Price, Chris Sale and Nathan Eovaldi, and is also losing Rick Porcello.
Being the man in charge of Boston has its drawbacks, too. The spotlight is enormous and the pressure is substantial.
Unfortunately for the Rays, that makes Bloom the right man for the job. He is not as polished or charismatic as outgoing Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski, but Bloom is utterly secure in his own skin. His time in Tampa Bay has taught him the value of sticking to the process, and not being swayed by outside noise. That temptation to ingratiate yourself to fans and ownership with popular _ but illogical _ moves is the greatest threat to a GM in charge of a large payroll.
As for the Rays front office, they will survive. During the postseason series with Houston, Bloom himself explained the uniqueness of Tampa Bay's operation. The Rays don't just hire good people, they also give them the authority to make decisions. Even if that means making mistakes. If a mid-level exec is in charge of developing all the information on a potential move, Bloom said they should also be prepared to make the call themselves.
With that in mind, the Rays should be able to absorb Bloom's departure. They have, after all, been anticipating it for a while.
Based on the talent on the roster, in the farm system and in the executive offices, there's ample evidence that Tampa Bay will still be a threat to win 90 or more games for the foreseeable future. The problem is whether that will be enough in the AL East with a resurgent Yankees team and a Red Sox franchise that's about to get a serious boost in IQ.
Once upon a time, Rays fans were apoplectic when Carl Crawford signed a free-agent deal with the Red Sox. It was unthinkable. It was sacrilege. It was a violation of the natural order. The Rays would "never be quite the same" the New York Times wrote the morning after Crawford left.
This?
This is worse. Much, much worse.
