Almost exactly one month after firing Chaim Bloom, the Red Sox are deep into their search for his replacement. And according to multiple industry sources, that search has reached the point where the club is conducting its first round of interviews.
The Red Sox have begun interviewing candidates and have already had a formal sit-down with assistant general manager Eddie Romero, who is considered the top internal candidate to take over for Bloom, according to a league source. It’s unconfirmed if any other prospective candidates have sat down with Boston’s top decision-makers. Romero, in the eyes of one source with Boston connections, may be well-positioned due to his familiarity with the organization (he was hired in Feb. 2006) and a close relationship with manager Alex Cora, who is involved in the search. Also working in Romero’s favor is a dwindling pool of other potential candidates.
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Multiple candidates thought to be attractive to the Red Sox — including some rumored to be at the top of Boston’s list — have either declined the club’s interview requests or taken themselves out of the running informally, according to industry sources. At this point, the specific identities of those people remain unclear. But as MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported earlier Friday, there are common, widespread reservations about the gig throughout the game. One baseball source described the position as “hard to fill.” A former National League GM said simply: “It’s not viewed as an attractive gig.”
McAdam provided context in his MLB notebook Friday morning.
“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,” McAdam wrote. “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.”
As McAdam also reported, former Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill is of interest to the Red Sox; it’s unclear if he has interviewed or not. Boston has had internal discussions about interviewing Dodgers executive Josh Byrnes, a former Theo Epstein lieutenant, according to multiple sources. Other names mentioned by industry types include Phillies GM Sam Fuld, Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes, former Astros GM James Click (now a VP of baseball strategy for Toronto), former Rangers GM Jon Daniels (now a senior adviser for the Rays) and former Red Sox pitcher Craig Breslow (now a Cubs assistant GM), though those are the types of candidates believed to be declining Boston’s overtures. Diamondbacks assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye, who used to work in Boston, is another potential fit with their top executive, Mike Hazen, staying put.
The Red Sox do not seem likely to lure a top executive (like Cleveland’s Chris Antonetti or Minnesota’s Derek Falvey) away from another organization. The contract status of Marlins GM Kim Ng remains murky; she would be a potential candidate if she does not return to Miami.
The Red Sox don’t plan to reveal the identities of any of the candidates with whom they are meeting with. Publicly, the club has taken both Epstein and Cora out of the running as potential Bloom replacements.
