BOSTON — Team president Sam Kennedy insists that whoever the Red Sox hire as their next GM will be given a mandate to run the entire baseball operations department.
“All aspects of the department,” Kennedy said Sept. 14 after the Red Sox fired Chaim Bloom as chief baseball officer.
Kennedy confirmed Monday that Alex Cora will return as manager in 2024 and will have input during the GM search. And so will the new boss truly run “all aspects of the department” if they are not allowed to pick their own manager?
“Absolutely. The person or people or individuals that we (hire) will have the authority to run the department,” Kennedy said during Boston’s end of the year press conference Monday at Fenway Park.
But is it really all aspects if the new GM doesn’t pick the manager?
“Look, I think you’re going to have people that understand, that come in and see what we’ve built here, what we’re building here and the relationships will be built as we go forward,” Kennedy replied. “And again, we’ll address the long, longterm. We’re focused right now, the two of us (Kennedy and Cora), on what’s in front of us and then the rest of the organization over the next eight to 12 weeks. Beyond that is a conversation for another day.”
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The GM search process is underway. Formal interviews likely will begin later this week or early next week. Kennedy said the Red Sox will consider both internal and external candidates.
“You’d love to have clarity as soon as possible but we’re not going to let any deadline or timeline put constraints on the process,” Kennedy said when asked if the Red Sox would like a new boss in place for the GM Meetings Nov. 6-9.
How appealing is this position for experienced candidates if they are unable to pick their own manager? How appealing is it for anyone who values job security? After all, each of the past three people who headed the baseball operations department have been fired after four seasons.
“Yeah, look, at the end of the day, I understand that, and it’s a fair question,” Kennedy said. “This is the Boston Red Sox. 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. So if you’re not up for that challenge, thanks but no thanks.”
The Red Sox plan to answer any questions a candidate might have about the significant turnover at GM since Theo Epstein left in 2011.
“We’d spent a lot of time going through year-by-year personnel move by personnel move, whatever it takes to explain with candor and honesty about every single thing that’s happened here since 2002,” Kennedy said. “If candidates want to go back, we’ll do that. What I can tell you is we have all the ingredients necessary to be a World Series championship caliber club. And that’s something that I think anyone would look forward to being a part of.”
Kennedy said it’s important for the new GM to make decisions and have complete baseball operations authority.
“You have to have the person in position or people in position of leadership have the ability to make decisions,” Kennedy said. “And so that will be within their purview to do it. I just know that there’s no better spot than Boston in baseball. None.”
Kennedy said he thinks Cora returning as manager in 2024 is “a very attractive part of Boston” for candidates. He also was asked if the Red Sox plan to discuss a contract extension with Cora.
“Those will be discussions for the appropriate time and they’ll take place as we go forward as an organization,” Kennedy said. “But the priority right now is to get the new baseball operations leadership structure settled and determined and then we’ll tackle other issues beyond that.”
Cora indicated he’s open to staying beyond 2024.
“Like Sam said, those conversations, we’ll keep it between us, but I still believe I can manage and can impact a big league team more than next year. Let’s put it that way,” Cora said.
