Red Sox: 3 2021 offseason mistakes Chaim Bloom can learn from

3) Red Sox gambled with too many underperformers

First base was a black hole for Boston for most of the year, with playing time shared between Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero. Eric Hosmer is the man for the job now, and while he isn’t a top-tier option for the position, it is better than what they had before.

First base is just one example of where the Red Sox didn’t add enough. Bringing back Jackie Bradley Jr. in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers backfired harshly. He didn’t even make it through the year, while Hunter Renfroe has been a productive member of the Milwaukee lineup all year.

It goes deeper than the bats. The starting rotation took far too many risks on guys either nearing the end of their career, like Rich Hill, or ones with a lot to prove. Michael Wacha has, amazingly, worked out well for the Red Sox. Aside from missing time, he has been fantastic for them. The problem is they already had injury concerns heading into the year. None was more obvious than Chris Sale.

Practically every gamble the Red Sox made went in favor of the house. Their biggest free agent addition of all, Trevor Story, has been streaky in the worst ways.

Not all of this is under the control of Bloom. No one can predict injuries. What was clear is how many of the guys they did bring to town had question marks. Story had a rough final season with the Colorado Rockies, and a move to Boston didn’t help him whatsoever.

It will be interesting to see how Bloom manages things in the offseason. With some big free agents coming off the books, others opting out, and a couple of veterans remaining, the Red Sox could be headed to one extreme or the other. Whichever direction they go, they’ll take the failings of this year with them.