Two rumored top candidates for the Red Sox’s top baseball operations job have bowed out of the process.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes and Phillies general manager Sam Fuld have both declined to interview with the Red Sox to replace fired chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, according to Chad Jennings of The Athletic. Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey has, too, according to Jennings, as well as former Rangers boss Jon Daniels, as reported by WEEI’s Rob Bradford over the weekend. On Friday, MassLive reported that multiple candidates thought to be attractive to the Red Sox — including some rumored to be at the top of Boston’s list — had either declined the club’s interview requests or taken themselves out of the running informally. It’s believed that former Marlins boss and current MLB executive Michael Hill, whom the Red Sox had strong interest in, has also declined overtures from the club and will remain in the league office.
$200 INSTANT BONUS
DRAFTKINGS MASS
BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BET
FANDUEL MASS
BET $50, GET $250 BONUS
CAESARS MASS
$1,000 FIRST-BET BONUS
BETMGM MASS
MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234
MA Gambling Helpline.
Falvey is the No. 1 decision-maker in Minnesota, so his lack of interest is no surprise, and it makes sense that established executives like Hill and Daniels (now an adviser for the Rays) are comfortable in their current spots due to family or other reasons. The fact that Fuld and Gomes, who are both second-in-command executives in their respective organizations, comes as a bit of a surprise. Both New England natives were considered top potential candidates to replace Bloom and would have been assuming a top job for the first time in their careers. Instead, they chose to continue working under Andrew Friedman and Dave Dombrowski, respectively. On Friday, MassLive’s Sean McAdam shed some light on why candidates might be eschewing the chance to run the Red Sox.
“Some of those prospective hires have been put off by the level of turnover that’s taken place in the Baseball Operations department over the last dozen years or so. The new hire will be the fifth person in charge of the department since 2011.
“And increasingly, sources add, there’s concern about the surrounding infrastructure. The new hire will not only be inheriting manager Alex Cora, whose job has been guaranteed by ownership for at least 2024, but also, a front office that includes several executives who’ve been part of the organization for more than two decades, along with various other department heads who come with the job.”
The rejections don’t mean the Red Sox have a totally depleted candidate pool in what team president/CEO Sam Kennedy said would be a “robust” search. As MassLive reported Friday, assistant GM Eddie Romero has already interviewed and seems to have a real chance to win the job. Twins GM Thad Levine (Falvey’s No. 2) is on the interview list and spent Monday in Boston, according to Jennings. Bradford reported that former Pirates GM Neal Huntington is also in the mix for the job and former Astros boss James Click has been linked to Boston as well. On Monday, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman floated Cubs assistant GM (and former Red Sox reliever Craig Breslow) as a potential candidate. Kim Ng, who left her post as Marlins GM on Monday, seems like a logical fit as well.
The Red Sox have not publicly commented on potential candidates for the job other than to rule out former GM Theo Epstein and current manager Alex Cora for the position.
