The Boston Red Sox fired chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom on Thursday.
The Red Sox entered Thursday tied with the New York Yankees for last place in the American League East.
Bloom, 40, was hired in October 2019 after 15 seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Boston went 92-70 and advanced to the American League Championship Series in 2021 but finished last in the division in 2020 and 2022.
“While parting ways is not taken lightly, today signals a new direction for our club,” principal owner John Henry said in a news release. “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 Red Sox also announced that general manager Brian O’Halloran has been offered a new senior leadership position within the baseball operations department.
In the interim, day-to-day operations will continue under O’Halloran with the help of assistant general managers Eddie Romero, Raquel Ferreira and Michael Groopman.
Bloom arrived in Boston with a mandate to curb a skyrocketing payroll and revive the depleted farm system.
One of his first moves — and the one he is likely to be remembered for — was trading 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Feb. 10, 2020. Betts has been an All-Star in three of his four seasons with the Dodgers.
Along with Betts, David Price went to Los Angeles for outfielder Alex Verdugo and then-prospects Jeter Downs and Connor Wong.
–Field Level Media