BOSTON – Welcome to Boston, Chaim Bloom. Now is the time to help determine the future of the stars. Bets on Mookie And J.D. Martinez.
The thirsty Boston media wanted answers Monday, from the start of Bloom’s introductory news conference as head of baseball operations.
But Bloom doesn’t make these decisions hastily. He will spend a few days learning the ins and outs of the organization.
Martinez has an opt-out clause in his contract that he must exercise within five days of the end of the World Series if he wishes to become a free agent. It remains to be seen if there will be a strong market in free agency for a DH-only player who just turned 32, and that will be the determining factor in Martinez’s decision.
The situation with Betts is more complex. He is entering the walk year on his contract and has firmly stated that he plans to hit free agency rather than sign an extension with the Red Sox.
Bloom made no definitive comments Monday on the status of Betts and Martinez as he joins the Red Sox, but he noted the team would emphasize long-term sustainability in any decisions it makes . This seems to suggest that a Betts trade shouldn’t be ruled out as a possibility.
“I would say that generally speaking, our top priority will be long-term sustainability and competitiveness,” Bloom said. “And that could take many forms, but that’s really going to be the top priority when we think about moves. As far as these two guys go, I just get here and there’s a lot I don’t know, and I J I’m looking forward to building relationships with them and learning a little more about them from everyone here.”
With $79 million committed to three starting pitchers, it could be difficult to stay below the threshold with Martinez and Betts, who will get a sizable raise in the arbitration process from the $20 million he has won in 2019.
“As we said, we think (Betts is) one of the great players in baseball and we would like, in a perfect world, to find a way for him to continue to be a player for us throughout his life. career.” Red Sox President Tom Werner said. “But he had the right to test free will. We’ve had conversations with him in the past, and Chaim and his group will lead the conversations going forward.”
Red Sox owner John Henry said, “I would say we’ve talked about the fact that there are a lot of tough decisions to make this offseason. And that’s not uncommon in the offseason. But there are has important decisions – not all of which are in our hands, obviously. (Martinez) is not our decision to make, but it will have an impact on us. There was a more general discussion – we talked of Mookie, JD, other issues. But we didn’t focus on ‘What should we do?’ Because you’re going to look at a number of factors, including where Mookie wants to play long term. »
When asked specifically about Betts, Bloom again wouldn’t go into detail, but he did confirm that the 2018 American League Most Valuable Player Award winner was discussed during his interview with the Red Sox.
“Regarding Mookie, without going into too much detail, we discussed a wide variety of things during the interview process,” Bloom said. “I’m still trying to learn, and there’s a lot I don’t know about potential options for the direction of the roster. So it would be premature for me to say anything else that we’ll look into in depth all our options.”
Obviously, the decision the club makes regarding Betts will have a big impact on how manager Alex Cora builds his roster moving forward.
“He’s a guy that’s a complete player,” Cora said, “and also a complete person. Obviously, he’s a game-changer. But at the same time, he’s a franchise player. We know that. But at the same time, obviously, those conversations are going to happen, not only with the organization and the front office and ownership, but also with the player.
“For my part, I am the manager. If they ask me about Mookie, obviously I’m going to give my best view of the situation, what I think of the player, and after that, let’s see what happens.
