MLB Rumors: Grading the top 3 items on the Boston Red Sox's offseason wish list

On Thursday, the Boston Red Sox shockingly fired chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. Here are three things that are prominently on their offseason wish list, headlined by replacing Bloom.

The Boston Red Sox were primed to have an interesting offseason. Then they shockingly fired Chaim Bloom, their chief baseball officer on Thursday, and it’s put the spotlight directly on the organization with 17 games remaining.

It wasn’t surprising that the Red Sox fired Bloom. The timing of it was just really, really strange. Some baseball people believe that the Red Sox wanted to have ample time finding his replacement so they didn’t start the offseason behind the eight ball. Others believe that ownership had enough of Bloom’s indecisiveness when it came to trade and free-agent conversations.

But how much of the Red Sox’s struggles were tied to Bloom? After all, his first act with the team was trading Mookie Betts, a move that was largely driven by ownership. Their payroll, years after it ranked in the top-3 in baseball, ranked 11th in baseball this season – a further indication that ownership was cutting costs on the field.

Nonetheless, the Red Sox felt as if moving on from Bloom was the right move. And it headlines the questions that surround the team heading into the offseason.