Mastrodonato: Chaim Bloom’s acquisition of Kyle Schwarber key to getting Red Sox to the postseason 

Standing behind the batting cage two hours before the Red Sox and Yankees would begin the American League Wild Card Game, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom smiled through his N95 mask.

“I thought about getting to the playoffs a lot,” said the sophomore leader of the Red Sox’ front office.

It might’ve been one year sooner than a lot of people expected and it’s no small feat that Bloom led a franchise that was strapped for financial flexibility through a bridge year and right into the playoffs.

If trading Mookie Betts out of town was the career lowlight for Bloom in Boston, surely Tuesday night was the highlight.

“It’s what we set out to do in the beginning of the year,” Bloom told the Herald. “It’s where you want to be. There are moments when it seemed farther away and moments when it seemed closer.”

“I think at the end of the day what got this group here was being able to pick themselves up and dust themselves off when things didn’t go right and just do what they could the next day and just stay with it, whether it was when the series went on, or as the game went on, as we saw on Sunday. The ability to do that is what brings a lot of success in this game.”

Bloom looked onto the field and saw a team that was considered by many pundits to be light on talent from Opening Day right through the July 31 trade deadline, when the Red Sox received plenty of criticism, from this reporter included, for not being more aggressive.

Their key acquisition, Kyle Schwarber, wasn’t healthy and needed until Aug. 13 before he made his debut.

From July 28 until Aug. 13, the Red Sox fell apart, losing their 2 1/2-game lead in the AL East and falling to five games back.

The plummet was enough to prompt general manager Brian O’Halloran to go on WEEI on Aug. 19 and say that if the Red Sox missed the playoffs, “it’s on the front office.”

The Sox didn’t do enough at the trade deadline to compete for a division title, but that they made the playoffs is enough for them to celebrate.

“We’re responsible for the baseball operations, so whatever happens, it’s on us, that’s how we view the whole thing,” Bloom said. “It wasn’t specific to the trade deadline. That’s our responsibility to the organization, to the community, to our fans.

“I’m just happy we were able to deliver postseason baseball and have Fenway Park be the center of the baseball world again on an October night.”

Schwarber was a big reason why.

From the day he made his debut on Aug. 13 through the final game of the regular season, Schwarber’s .435 on-base percentage ranked third in MLB behind only Juan Soto (.523) and Bryce Harper (.460).

Bloom said that was exactly what he envisioned when he acquired him.

“Yeah, his at-bats, especially when you see him every day, are really something,” Bloom said. “And I think it’s had an effect on the whole lineup. Just watching how he manages the at-bat and beyond that, the person he is, who he is in the clubhouse. We knew that by reputation, but to live it, to see him come in and have such a positive impact on other guys, even before he was active. He lived up to the hype.”

Manager Alex Cora entrusted him to lead off Tuesday’s game.

J.D. Martinez was out with a sprained ankle, offering a reminder that the Red Sox could be just as dangerous with Schwarber as the designated hitter.

Martinez has one year and $19.35 million remaining on his contract, though he can choose to opt out this winter, when it’s largely expected the National League will add the DH in negotiations for the next collective bargaining agreement.

Schwarber is a free agent, but seems to fit the Red Sox well, given he hits left-handed and brings a patient plate approach that not many guys on this team possess.

Asked if the Red Sox would like to re-sign Schwarber, Bloom said, “Right now we’re worried about playing as long as we can. We’ll worry about that when it comes.

“But I mean, we absolutely love having him. He fits perfectly here.”