If you ask some Boston fans, the Red Sox wasted a golden opportunity at the MLB trade deadline while their rivals got better.
If you ask Chaim Bloom, his team acquired the best hitter on the market.
During a recent appearance on Barstool Sports' "Section 10" podcast, Boston's chief baseball officer offered some high praise of Kyle Schwarber, whom the Red Sox landed in a trade with the Washington Nationals last week.
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Tomase: Can Schwarber give Boston a boost at first base?
"A lot of good players change hands. ... I don't know that there's a bat that changed hands the last couple weeks that I would take ahead of Kyle Schwarber," Bloom said.
By that logic, Bloom would take Schwarber over Anthony Rizzo (traded to the New York Yankees), Joey Gallo (Yankees), Nelson Cruz (Tampa Bay Rays), Javier Baez (New York Mets), Kris Bryant (San Francisco Giants) and MLB hits leader Adam Frazier (San Diego Padres), to name a few.
In Bloom's defense, Schwarber is a potent bat when healthy. He racked up 38 home runs and 92 RBIs in 2019 and mashed 25 homers in his first 72 games this season (including 16 in June alone). He's also a clutch bat who smacked five home runs in his first nine postseason games with the Chicago Cubs in 2015.
Boston Red Sox
Schwarber hasn't played since July 2 as he recovers from a hamstring injury, though. Meanwhile, Rizzo and Gallo have a combined four home runs and nine RBIs in their first seven games for the Yankees, who have gone 6-1 in that span.
Schwarber very well could be a game-changer for the Red Sox down the stretch, especially if he can play first base and replace the struggling Bobby Dalbec.
"We saw a lot of value in it even if he can't (play first base), and if he can, then it's an incredible fit," Bloom added of the Red Sox' decision to trade for Schwarber.
But as long as Schwarber is sidelined and Rizzo and Gallo continue to produce for New York -- which now trails Boston by just four games in the American League East -- then it's hard to believe that the Red Sox landed the top bat at last week's trade deadline.