NEWSLETTER
It makes sense on paper that, if you took a superstar executive from a smaller market club and gave him the substantial resources of a large market club, success is all but assured. In practice, it doesn’t always work out that way.
So it was for Chaim Bloom, who joined the Boston Red Sox as their top baseball man in 2019 after serving in the upper ranks of the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization. Four disappointing seasons later, Bloom is out.
“While parting ways is not taken lightly, today signals a new direction for our club,” said Principal Owner John Henry. “Our organization has significant expectations on the field and while Chaim’s efforts in revitalizing our baseball infrastructure have helped set the stage for the future, we will today begin a search for new leadership. Everyone who knows Chaim has a deep appreciation and respect for the kind of person he is. His time with us will always be marked by his professionalism, integrity, and an unwavering respect for our club and its legacy.”
The news is significant in a number of ways, not the least of which is that there are members of the current Cubs front office who have past Boston connections, and could be given interviews there in the months ahead (I’m thinking primarily of AGM/VP of Pitching Craig Breslow, who seems destined to keep moving up in the baseball world, but who I would dread the Cubs losing). There are always ripples when there is a significant opening in a baseball front office.
Then there is Bloom, who is undoubtedly still regarded as a bright baseball mind, who may wind up moving into a new organization in a different capacity. I expect, even as things didn’t work out in Boston, he’s going to be something of a hot front office prospect that orgs are going to be keen to get in the door as an assistant GM or special advisor.
