I don't think Bloom was dealt a great hand when he got here, and he has done some good things. But at the end of the day I think you are right about the Peter Principle.
His bad hand:
- He took over a farm system that was an absolute embarassmant.
- I think Covid and the restructring of MiLB had a negative impact on his ability to rebuild.
- Management wanted to slash payroll by trading stars (Betts) or letting them walk (Bogaerts)
That's a lot. Almost enough for me to say "Peter Principle" isn;t fait. ut not quite. Where he compounded the problem was poor trading. He got pennies on the dollar for Mookie Betts and others. He seemed genuinely interested in retaining Bogaerts while not offering a competitive contract. He traded away some lesser assets (e.g., Benintendi, Reddick) without getting value in return. For this year he built the worst defensive team the Red Sox have had in decades, with below average players at almost every spot on the field for much of the year.
On the other hand, the farm system seems finally to be rebuilt and players drafted under Bloom are getting close to the majors.