The Red Sox had 20 candidates of potential hires, but Bloom was the only one they interviewedGETTY IMAGES
The Red Sox yesterday formally introduced Chaim Bloom as their Chief Baseball Officer, with his baseball acumen and "ability to connect with people" being what "stood out most" to Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy, according to Julian McWilliams of the BOSTON GLOBE. Bloom, who most recently served as Rays Senior VP/Baseball Operations, has a "track record of being able to find wins within the margins" of a team that is "known for having a low payroll." The Red Sox "had 20 candidates of potential hires, but Bloom was the only one they interviewed." Bloom said the Red Sox will try to "build as strong of an organization as possible in all aspects so that we can have sustained long-term success and compete for championships year in and year out." Sustainability was "thrown around a ton during the presser." Bloom's title of chief baseball officer is a "new one" for the organization. Exec VP & Assistant GM Brian O'Halloran was promoted to GM. Kennedy said, "We tried to keep up with the change of nature of the structure of the baseball operations department. That was part of our examination of the landscape. At the end of the day, we value the collaboration and brain power" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/29).
A NEW DAY: The AP's Jimmy Golen noted Red Sox Owner John Henry "disputed that there has been a lot of turnover in the front office." He said, "I've been an owner for 21 years, and [in] that time I've had three and now four general managers." But Golen noted during that time, "no other team has parted ways with a baseball boss within a year or two of a title, and Boston has now done it three times." Bloom is a 36-year-old Yale graduate who with the Rays "worked his way up" from intern to Senior VP/Baseball Operations. After working with "one of the majors' smallest payrolls in Tampa Bay, Bloom now has a much bigger budget in Boston -- perhaps" $150M more (AP, 10/28). MLB Network's Robert Flores noted Bloom with the Rays was an "architect of one of the most forward-thinking and talented rosters in recent memory." Flores added the Red Sox "do want to trim some payroll." MLB Network's Al Leiter wondered if Bloom "sold the idea" to the Red Sox that they could spend less money like the Rays ("MLB Tonight," MLB Network, 10/28).
LET'S WORK TOGETHER: In Boston, Justin Leger noted Bloom was "peppered with several questions regarding the direction of the organization," but he "opted not to get into specifics" (NBCSPORTSBOSTON.com, 10/28). Also in Boston, Tom Keegan writes Henry "gave a great answer" when he was "asked for specifics of why Bloom is a better fit than fired Dave Dombrowski at this stage of the Red Sox development." Henry said, "I wouldn't contrast the two. I would just say we were extremely desirous of bringing in someone who would augment and add as opposed to just bringing in someone who might have been an autocrat, for instance, a one-man show." Dombrowski had "become an autocrat, made some very expensive mistakes, and the owners and Kennedy grew uncomfortable with that setup." There is "nothing wrong with that." Henry, Red Sox Chair Tom Werner and Kennedy "appear confident they have what they need in Bloom" (BOSTON HERALD, 10/29). Werner said of the Red Sox' front office, "Looking under the hood, we were very encouraged. We have an extremely strong analytics department. So if there was any thought on how to improve, it was probably more on how to communicate that information rather than the reliability of the information" (BOSTON HERALD, 10/29). In Boston, Sean McAdam wrote it was "no coincidence that 'collaborate' was the word perhaps most often uttered" yesterday (BOSTONSPORTSJOURNAL.com, 10/28).
FIND YOUR FIT: In Boston, Peter Abraham writes Bloom is in the "tricky position of being the one who has to fit in" with the Red Sox. Bloom is "in charge, but it's clear" the Red Sox "expect him to work smoothly" with manager Alex Cora, O'Halloran and the rest of the baseball department (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/29). In Providence, Kevin McNamara writes the "geeks are now in charge at Fenway Park." Fans can "say goodbye to the free-spending, fat and happy Boston Red Sox" and "say hello to the new baseball operations mantra of collaboration, creativity and group think" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 10/29). MLB Network's Peter Gammons said Bloom is going to take a "long-term view" with the roster. Gammons: "He's absolutely the right guy at the right time" ("MLB Tonight," MLB Network, 10/28).
