By Matt McCarthy, 985TheSportsHub.com
A frontrunner has reportedly emerged as the Red Sox search for their next general manager.
36-year-old Chaim Bloom (pronounced: High-Em), one of the top assistants in the Tampa Bay Rays front office, appears to have the inside track for the job, according to multiple reports.
Jared Carrabis of Barstool Sports tweeted out Bloom’s bio Thursday night, starting speculation that the Red Sox were interested.
???????????? pic.twitter.com/4W5Mxact9V
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) October 24, 2019
Chad Jennings and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic followed up Carrabis’ tweet with reporting on the matter, with Jennings tweeting that Boston’s search for their next general manager is “coming to an end.”
Red Sox GM search has been quiet, but seems to be coming to an end. @Ken_Rosenthal and I are reporting that Rays vice president of baseball ops Chaim Bloom is among those who interviewed for the job.
— Chad Jennings (@chadjennings22) October 25, 2019
Jeff Passan of ESPN and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com confirmed Bloom’s connection to the Red Sox, with Passan describing Bloom as a “serious candidate” and Feinsand calling him the “overwhelming frontrunner”
When I looked at potential candidates who could replace Dave Dombrowski last month, here's what I wrote about Chaim Bloom, who appears to be the overwhelming frontrunner for the Red Sox GM job: pic.twitter.com/3ZCkJ0p6eN
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) October 25, 2019
Bloom, the Rays Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations, has spent nearly his entire career in Tampa Bay. He is a graduate of Yale and was a candidate for the Mets GM opening last year, which ultimately went to former agent Brodie Van Wagenen.
This marks a significant shift in the Red Sox philosophy entering the offseason. Principal Owner John Henry told reporters at the end of September that he was searching for an experienced external candidate to take over baseball operations on Jersey Street, but it appears the candidates that would have fit that profile were not interested in the job.
Theo Epstein dispelled rumors weeks ago that he would consider returning to Boston. His right-hand man, Jed Hoyer, was also said to have no interest in the job. Former Red Sox exec Mike Hazen re-signed in Arizona and Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman decided to stay in Los Angeles.
ESPN’s Buster Olney reported in September that many around baseball viewed the Red Sox opening as undesirable given the documented lack of job security for general managers in Boston. Both Ben Cherington and Dave Dombrowski were let go shortly after winning World Series titles.
You can hear Matt McCarthy on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s own Hardcore Baseball podcast and on various 98.5 The Sports Hub programs. Follow him on Twitter @MattMcCarthy985.