Gotta hand it to Chaim Bloom. He's polite. He says the thing things. That's good.
On the question of whether or not Dustin Pedroia is going to play again in 2020, here is what he had to say:
"Every indication I’ve gotten is that he’s feeling good and intending on playing," he told WEEI.
Great. He knows he is supposed to say that. A lot of Red Sox fans really like Pedroia, so being on his good terms is certainly a good thing.
However, let's be honest: Pedroia is not coming back in any meaningful way.
He was a great member of the franchise for a long time. Sure, his 2006 season was not great, but his Rookie of the Year season in 2007 and his MVP season in 2008 are fond memories for fans. He helped the team win the World Series twice: once in 2007 and again in 2013. He deserves credit for his contributions to the franchise over the years.
But it's no longer 2008. Next year will be 2020. Pedroia has played in eight games over the past two seasons. Health is not a strong suit for him anymore. It has not been that way for a long time.
So, in other words, the Red Sox are going to need to prepare for the season as if Pedroia is not going to be their starting second baseman. They'll need to find one outside of the organization, in all likelihood. Let's be honest, Marco Hernandez is not a worthy heir, nor is Tzu-Wei Lin. Plus, a team will sign Brock Holt for decent money, presumably, so he is no longer an option for the Red Sox (sadly).
But yeah, the team has a few months to figure out what they will do at that spot. We'll see what happens though...