Alex Cora: Chaim Bloom met with Red Sox players over trade deadline needs

"This is the team that we have, and there’s some good news coming up."

Alex Cora will try to guide the Red Sox to a playoff push in 2023. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

August 2, 2023

3 minutes to read

In the days leading up to the MLB trade deadline, Rafael Devers and other veterans in the Red Sox clubhouse were vocal about what they thought Chaim Bloom and Boston’s front office needed to add to the roster.

Those musings about the Red Sox’ hopes of becoming a buyer on Aug. 1 were not just doled out to the media, but to Bloom himself.

Appearing on WEEI’s “Gresh & Fauria” on Wednesday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora acknowledged that Bloom directly had talks with a number of players as they voiced their opinions about what course Bloom should chart at the deadline.

“There were conversations between Chaim and some players, talking about what they thought was needed,” Cora said. “At this time, everybody is a GM, right? I read quotes that we need an arm, I read quotes that we need offensive players. That’s part of it. … At the end of the day, this is where we’re at.

“This is the team that we have, and there’s some good news coming up. Chris [Sale] throwing yesterday, Trevor [Story] is playing a day game after a night game today, we’re excited about that. They’ve got to do their job in the end, that’s the most important thing.”

Ultimately, Bloom and the Red Sox opted to largely stand pat at the deadline.

Their lone move on Tuesday saw them trade for infielder Luis Urias, who is currently slotted down in Triple-A ball.

Boston is just 1.5 games behind the Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card race, but Bloom believes that Boston still has an uphill climb against some of the top powerhouses in baseball.

“We really like what we’re building, you’ve seen it,” Bloom said Tuesday night. “Like I said, it’s not something that we’re asking people to close their eyes and dream on — you’re seeing it more and more each night on the field, the core we’re building, what we’re building towards.

“Understanding that we’re underdogs this year, right now, [with] where we are in the playoff odds, we just tried to stay true to that.”

While Alex Verdugo was relieved to remain in Boston after being linked to trade rumors over the last few days, Devers acknowledged that players can’t dwell on moves made (or not made) by the front office.

“Those are things you can’t control,” Devers told reporters, as reported by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “Obviously, we’re happy with the 26 guys we have here. The most I can do is just try to say what everybody knows but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.

“I can’t speak to Chaim’s mentality or approach. What I can speak to is what we’re doing right here in the clubhouse with the coaches. We know we want to win and that’s what we’ve been doing the last few weeks.”

After Boston opted to toe the line between buyers and sellers last season, the 2022 Red Sox limped down the stretch with a 24-30 record in August and September.

But Cora believes the script will be flipped this season in Boston, especially with players like Trevor Story, Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock, and Tanner Houck nearing returns from the IL.

“It’s a different vibe than last year,” Cora said. “Not because of the clubhouse or whatever, I think last year when we hit this time, we were hurt. We were banged up, and people went down after that and we weren’t playing good baseball. Now it’s the opposite. We’re playing good baseball, people are going to come back, we’re healthy and we feel like we’re in a good spot.”