One day after the conclusion of the latest Red Sox losing season, team president Sam Kennedy took an opportunity to puff out the organization’s chest a bit. Midway through an hour-long press conference mostly focused on Boston’s search for Chaim Bloom’s replacement, Kennedy bristled at the mere suggestion that potential candidates might be scared off by perceived dysfunction in the organization.
“This is the Boston Red Sox,” Kennedy said, somewhat emphatically. “If you want to run a baseball organization, this is where you want to be. You want to be in Boston. Why? Because it matters here more than anywhere else. If you’re not up for that challenge, thanks but no thanks.”
During a search that lasted nearly six weeks and ended Tuesday when Craig Breslow accepted Boston’s chief baseball officer gig, the Red Sox didn’t get to say “no thanks” very often. Instead, about a dozen prospective candidates did. It was no surprise that executives who have top jobs elsewhere like Minnesota’s Derek Falvey and Arizona’s Mike Hazen said no. It was understandable for former Marlins GM Kim Ng to take a step back after an ugly breakup in Miami and Red Sox assistant GM Raquel Ferreira to remove herself from the search, citing family reasons. The other rejections, though, should be worrisome to those who hold offices on Jersey Street.
In no world should the Red Sox be getting turned down by a young, up-and-coming executive who grew up in New England and has never had the chance to sit in the big chair. That happened twice, though, with Phillies GM Sam Fuld and Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes both declining to interview. Well-regarded former Sox scouting director Amiel Sawdaye chose to sign an extension as Mike Hazen’s top lieutenant in Arizona instead of flirting with a return to Boston. Even re-treads like Michael Hill and Jon Daniels, who are said to want to get back in the game, said no to sitting down with Red Sox brass. Former Astros World Series-winning GM James Click did take an interview… only to take himself out of the running, likely because he was wary of encountering the same challenges that let to his shocking ouster in Houston a year ago.
The story of this saga should be that the Red Sox are turning to an exciting, outside-the-box candidate in Breslow who, due to a mix of intellect and the unique perspective of a player who won a title in Boston, has all the potential in the world. Instead, what will be remembered about the search for Bloom’s replacement will be how many people said no. And that should be a massive wake-up call for a Red Sox organization that has gotten too comfortable resting on its laurels in recent years.
Just three weeks ago, Kennedy assertively claimed that anyone who wanted to run a baseball organization would want to come to Boston. He then asked 10 people who fit that category and they said no. What was left was an underwhelming cast of candidates and what seemed like an easy decision — considering the competition — to tab Breslow as Bloom’s successor.
With Click eliminating himself, seven known interviewees were in the mix for the job. They were, in no way, shape or form, the top seven candidates any organization would line up to interview for a chief baseball officer role if those running the show got to pick. Capable folks with diverse skillsets, sure. But far from an All-Star cast of the best in the game.
Considering how much both Kennedy and manager Alex Cora emphasized the importance of organizational change after Bloom’s firing, it was never a clean fit to promote an internal candidate, even if assistant GM Eddie Romero is very qualified, was legitimately considered and would have likely made a good choice. The two other internal executives who interviewed, Mike Groopman and Paul Toboni, may be GMs someday but never had a real shot of beating out Romero. The four external candidates other than Click represented an odd grouping, too. Neal Huntington hadn’t gotten a sniff anywhere after being fired by the Pirates in Oct. 2019. Gabe Kapler is bright and has proven himself in a variety of roles throughout the game but never had a real chance. Twins GM Thad Levine seemed like the most logical outside candidate after years as Falvey’s No. 2 but the Red Sox decided to go bolder. The house money was on the Sox going out and getting a proven, veteran executive who had run the show before and won, much like they did with Dave Dombrowski in 2015. Instead, they’re hiring another first-time GM and this one has only a few years of front office experience under his belt. In recent days, a handful of industry people have described it as a massive leap for Breslow from his role with the Cubs (a No. 3-type who largely worked remotely) to this one.
Breslow deserves a chance to do his thing and try to turn the Red Sox around, and Bloom left him a pretty good core of young players to do it with. But Breslow is tasked with turning around the reputation of the organization, too. The issues that scared off potential candidates are real. Cora is seen throughout the game as having too much power. Ownership is fickle, inconsistent, sometimes absent and rarely accountable. The core of front office lieutenants holds a loud voice and never seems to change. There’s a well-established shelf life that’s shorter than pretty much anywhere else. Winning, sometimes, isn’t even good enough.
Breslow will know all of that as he walks in the door on Day 1. Kennedy and owners John Henry and Tom Werner, on the other hand, have seemed oblivious to some of the issues in recent years. Maybe that’ll change after a search that developed in a way no one with the Red Sox could have anticipated… or wanted.
