What's Next For Boston Red Sox After Firing Chaim Bloom?

BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox fired Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom on Thursday in a move that was speculated as an offseason possibility but stunning in its timing with just two weeks left in the regular season where the team competed for a playoff spot late into August before fading badly.

Bloom's long-term vision of building the farm system for a more sustainable — and economical — major league roster was cut short after four years in which the Red Sox reached the American League Championship Series in 2021 but also finished in last place in 2020, 2022 and entered Thursday afternoon's game against the New York Yankees tied with their ancient rival for last place once again.

While President & CEO Sam Kennedy said at a news conference that he did not want to speculate on any external candidates or internal candidates to be the next leaders of baseball operations – including current manager Alex Cora – he did shoot down the notion of the return of former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, who helped build two World Series championships in Boston and one with the Chicago Cubs before moving into the Major League Baseball office.

"I can rule out Theo Epstein as a candidate," Kennedy said. "I know there's speculation. There's professional history. There's an even longer personal history. But I can rule Theo Epstein out."

The Red Sox issued a statement on Thursday saying that Principal Owner John Henry, Chairman Tom Werner and Kennedy informed Bloom of the decision on Thursday.

"While parting ways is not taken lightly today signals a new direction for our club," Henry said. "Our organization has significant expectations on the field and while Chaim's efforts in revitalizing our baseball infrastructure have helped set the stage for the future, we will today begin a search for new leadership."

Bloom appeared to be following the lead of ownership in trading away superstar outfield Mookie Betts prior to the 2020 season as he was heading toward free agency and, likely, a contract demand of more than $350 million. The Red Sox mostly made short-term and so-called value signings under Bloom as they looked to preserve roster flexibility for younger players moving up the system while saving money.

Perennially one of the highest-spending teams in baseball, the Red Sox ranked 11th in payroll this season.

While some of those players – including first baseman Tristan Casas and pitcher Brayan Bello – did make an impact on this year’s roster, injuries, a lack of depth and poor defense ultimately added up to another mediocre season. Bloom was also widely criticized for not making a deal at the trade deadline on July 31 when the Red Sox were still within three games of an AL Wild Card berth and he justified the inaction, in part, by calling the team "underdogs" to make the postseason.

"We're aiming for World Series championships," Kennedy said. "That's it. That's the aim. That's the goal."

Bloom spent 15 years with the spendthrifty Tampa Bay Rays before coming to Boston following the firing of Dave Dombrowski in 2019.

"Everyone who knows Chaim has a deep appreciation and respect for the person he is. His time with us will always be marked by his professionalism, integrity and an unwavering respect for our club and its legacy," Henry said.

The team said general manager Brian O’Halloran has been offered another senior leadership job in the organization.

The day-to-day operations of the team will be guided in the short term by O'Halloran, Assistant General Managers Eddie Romero, Raquel Ferreria and Michael Groopman.

"At the end of the day, we need leadership," Kennedy said. "These are big operations. So we need leadership that can help continue to build the organization from the bottom up, continue to promote and expand processes, procedures, medical, and analytics, and keep up with this ever-changing game.

"And leadership that is focused on winning at the big-league level. It's something we've all been trying to do over the last several years and that will be a mandate going forward."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)