Mets POBO candidate David Stearns can learn a lesson from Chaim Bloom if hired

Chaim Bloom was the hotshot young MLB executive fans were hoping to see join the New York Mets organization. He built the Tampa Bay Rays into a serious contender. Some of the lingering effects of his tenure there continue on.

Bloom has made an even bigger name for himself with the Boston Red Sox, an organization he joined in October of 2019. Boston had just finished an 84-78 season following their 2018 World Series victory. They missed the playoffs in 2019 and Bloom was ready to make some wholesale changes.

One of the most notable differences between 2019 and 2020 was the absence of Mookie Betts. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in February of 2020. Red Sox fans still haven’t come to terms with the trade which sent a fan-favorite westward and didn’t bring enough back in return. It’s a lesson Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns can refer to if he lands the gig in Queens.

NY Mets POBO candidate David Stearns has the blueprint to avoid the mistakes of Chaim Bloom in Boston

The Red Sox did manage to make it to the ALCS in Bloom’s second year calling the shots, finishing the regular season with a 92-70 record and wild card berth. This did little to earn back the faith of the fans. He was already up against the ropes because of the Betts trade. When the team finished last again in 2022, Bloom’s reputation took a hit further.

Stearns could certainly follow the same path as Bloom and trade away a beloved Mets star nearing free agency. Pete Alonso is the one most discussed as a trade chip. Trading him away would leave the same bitter taste in the mouths of fans as it did in Boston when Betts shipped out.

Some debate could exist in favor of the Betts trade. If ownership was unwilling to match the offer he eventually signed with the Dodgers, it might’ve been the correct call. The Red Sox would have had to choose between Betts and other players. However, the Red Sox have continually made some puzzling moves. Many haven’t worked out in their favor.

The roster purge in Boston continued this past offseason when Xander Bogaerts was allowed to walk away and sign with the San Diego Padres. Several other lesser pieces wasted away on the 2022 roster without getting dealt at the deadline as well. Bloom hasn’t completely buried his ball club with decisions he has helped make. Alex Verdugo is a very good ballplayer, just not in the same realm as a perennial MVP candidate like Betts.

It’s the fan experience where Bloom has suffered the most. For Mets fans whose expectations have already lessened for the 2024 season thanks in large part to Max Scherzer letting an A and B conversation leak out, a fear of more subtraction from the roster is reasonable. Many have bought into the prospect additions, however, those were understandable at the trade deadline. Trading a player like Alonso and maybe even Jeff McNeil would be the wrong way for Stearns or any other POBO to begin their tenure in Queens.

One might come to the conclusion that there is no way an addition to the Mets front office would even contemplate making such a drastic change so suddenly. Who wants to be the bad guy that quickly? Bloom apparently was willing to. Would Stearns?

We do have Steve Cohen and his constant consciousness of what being a Mets fan is all about in the way to prevent anything too drastic from occurring without some sort of logic behind it. Cohen has the pulse of the fans, but could he be convinced by a new hire to make an unpopular decision?

Stearns would want to put his stamp on the Mets. Let’s hope he prefers the slow burn instead of an early twist.