BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox fired chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom on Thursday, just before the end of his fourth season with the club.
Bloom's tenure included a pair of last place finishes and will almost certainly end with the 2023 team missing the playoffs. However, the team's payroll was dramatically slashed by ownership at the start of his tenure, which led to Bloom trading star outfielder Mookie Betts in order to help ownership save money.
Boston should have no shortage of suitors looking to fill this role for a team littered with young talent in the majors and minors, although one candidate that stands out is Alex Cora, the team's current manager.
Locked on Red Sox host Gabby Hurlbut discussed Cora's candidacy for the role on a recent episode, as well as the job he has done as skipper for the Red Sox across five seasons.
"I think Alex Cora's skills are best utilized in the dugout," Hurlbut said. "He's a good manager...he did his best with what he had. Does he make mistakes sometimes? Yes, but he's human."
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Hurlbut went on to acknowledge this is a move the Red Sox will likely consider due to Cora's success in player development, and likened it to a recent move made by another Boston franchise, the Celtics, who promoted Brad Stevens from head coach into a front office role a few years back. The move paid dividends in the form of a 108-56 regular season record the past two years and an NBA Finals appearance.
Cora himself has expressed interest in a front office role in the past, and MassLive reporter Chris Cotillo believes team president Sam Kennedy would consider it, although the team may prefer someone with front office experience for the job.
What direction Boston goes from here, and how willing ownership is to open up their pockets, will determine if this team can compete with the extremely crowded AL East, where the Orioles, Rays, Blue Jays, and of course Yankees are all brimming with young talent.