The Boston Red Sox fired chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom on Thursday as the struggling Major League Baseball club look to avoid a third last-place divisional finish in four seasons.
Since the 40-year-old American was hired as a Red Sox executive after the 2019 season following 15 years with Tampa Bay, Boston has twice finished last in the American League East division and shares that spot this season with the New York Yankees at 73-72.
“While parting ways is not taken lightly, today signals a new direction for our club,” Red Sox principal owner John Henry said in a statement.
“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.”
Bloom oversaw Boston’s run to the 2021 AL championship series, where the Red Sox lost to Houston.
Among Bloom’s first moves under a mandate from ownership to cut payroll costs was the decision to trade 2018 American League Most Valuable Player Mookie Betts, who helped Boston win the 2018 World Series and, after being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in February 2020, helped his new club win the 2020 crown.
Red Sox general manager Brian O’Halloran was “offered a new senior leadership position within the baseball operations department”, according to a team statement.
O’Halloran will guide day to day operations.
