The Boston Red Sox parted ways with chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom last week and immediately began their search for a new head of baseball operations. While the process will carry over into the offseason, one target is already on Boston’s radar.
After hiring one of the top Tampa Bay Rays executives during their last search, the Red Sox are widely expected to go in another direction this offseason. Prominent executives with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies and even candidates currently within the organization are viewed as potential options.
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However, it appears Boston’s first round of targets might include one of the top executives in the sport with ownership pushing for a high-ranking executive with ties to the organization.
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Red Sox are internally discussing Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen as one of the candidates to take over as head of baseball operations.
One issue for Boston will be the competition from Arizona. The Diamondbacks became a playoff contender far sooner than expected, in part thanks to some of the moves made by Hazen. He’s under contract through 2024 with a ’25 team option, with rules requiring the Red Sox to receive permission to interview Hazen.
Hazen, who turns 48 in January, is a Massachusetts native. Born in Weymouth, he joined the Red Sox front office in 2006 as director of player development. A few years later, he was promoted to assistant general manager under Ben Cherington. By 2015, Hazen became the Red Sox general manager and served under Dave Dombrowski.
Still under contract with Arizona, it’s possible Hazen uses the Red Sox for leverage to negotiate a new contract with the Diamondbacks. However, the opportunity to return to the team where his career as an MLB executive blossomed. It would also come with a bump in his title, going from general manager to president of baseball operations.
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If the Diamondbacks extend Hazen or block Boston from interviewing him, Ariozona’s assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye could become one of the Red Sox’s next targets.