Chaim Bloom’s reported reaction to Padres’ Xander Bogaerts offer is hilarious in the saddest way

It’d be nice if Chaim Bloom was a bad guy. It’d be nice if laughing at his expense actually felt as fulfilling as it could be if Theo Epstein or Ben Cherington were still running the show in Boston. It’d be nice if Red Sox ownership was the more front-facing figure in the team’s disastrous last four years (no, one ALCS run doesn’t solve all your problems, and being up 2-1 in that series only to lose 4-2 after Calum Scott threw the first pitch before Game 4 is a separate tragedy).

But man, when the Sox lost Xander Bogaerts, New York Yankees fans couldn’t help but laugh to themselves. Aloud. Completely alone. In the dead of night. This fanbase tried so hard to tell us Aaron Judge would be leaving, then tried to call Yankees incompetent when insiders thought he was going to the Giants, then tried to say New York overpaid him and will have a bad contract on the books when they sealed the deal.

And then they got what they deserved. The Red Sox lost a franchise player because they first botched the early negotiations and then wouldn’t go the extra mile to acquiesce. (The Yankees did the former, but not the latter.)

In the aftermath, Yankees fans were also gifted a gem of an anecdote at the conclusion of the Winter Meetings. Bloom apparently learned of the San Diego Padres’ unmatchable offer at the 11th hour, right before he was about to board a plane — full of Red Sox writers — back to Boston.

This prose is straight out of an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story. Terribly depressing and gut-wrenchingly hilarious all at the same time.

Yankees fans will love Chaim Bloom learning of Xander Bogaerts departure

Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe (subscription required), YOU are a hero. The recount of this moment is the best kind of dessert after the Bogaerts Departure entree.

Bloom staring off into the distance, shocked about being out-bid by five years and $118 million, realizing he has to board a plane packed with media, and spend four-plus hours floating in the sky unable to do anything about what just happened couldn’t be a more fitting way for all of this to end.

We thought we were happy when the Yankees out-bid the Sox for Tommy Kahnle. We thought we were happy when the Rays matched Boston’s offer for Zach Eflin and he chose Tampa because it was closer to home. We thought it was funny the Sox couldn’t get their hands on very attainable players like Andrew Heaney, Mitch Haniger and Tyler Anderson. We thought it was even funnier they overpaid for Masataka Yoshida.

The desperation and despair continue for the Red Sox. The happiness and humor is aplenty for the Yankees.

For however long it lasts, we’ll cherish it forever. We’ll always have this Bloom moment that encapsulated almost a full year of directionless leadership, from ownership down to the front office coffee intern.

Aaron Judge rejecting Padres’ massive offer proves Yankees legacy was on the line

The San Diego Padres presented Aaron Judge his biggest offer in free agency. He chose the New York Yankees. The legacy was on the line.