It has been an eventful week for the Boston Red Sox, to say the least. On Thursday, September 14, ownership decided to terminate the contract of Chief Baseball Officer, Chaim Bloom. The past four years have been a rollercoaster for Bloom, the team, and the fans. After being asked to trade the team’s superstar in Mookie Betts, work with a reduced payroll, rebuild the farm system, navigate bad contracts, and produce a competitive roster with a lack of cheap young talent, ownership deemed that Bloom didn’t do a good enough job.
The good news is that the team is in a good spot. The tax is reset, they have a rather healthy payroll, and Bloom brought the Red Sox farm system from a bottom-five to a top-five farm system according to both Baseball America and Fangraphs. The question is, who is the right person to take over the job as the next leader of the Boston Red Sox? Let’s take a look at some options.
Eddie Romero – Red Sox Asst GM, Executive VP Of Baseball Ops
Embed from Getty ImagesThe first option is the most obvious internal candidate. Eddie Romero is a long-time Red Sox employee as he’s been with the team since 2006. After being hired as an assistant in the international scouting department, Romero was promoted to Director of International Scouting in 2012. In 2016, he was again promoted and has since served as Assistant General Manager and Senior/Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations.
During his time as an international scout, Romero played a pivotal role in identifying and signing players like Rafael Devers, Yoan Moncada, Brayan Bello, and Ceddanne Rafaela. When you talk about the concept of starting from the bottom and working your way up, Romero is a perfect example of that. Romero has now worked under Theo Epstein, Ben Cherington, Dave Dombrowski, and Chaim Bloom.
Romero offers the simplest move for ownership. Promoting from within and putting someone who already knows this entire organization and the players within it. Romero has the experience and qualifications for the job and though he might not be at the top of many fan lists, he’s a logical option.
David Frost – Athletics General Manager
Embed from Getty ImagesDavid Frost got his first taste of the MLB as a player in 1999 with the Boston Red Sox. Shortly after that, he transitioned into the front office. In 2000, he was hired as a scout by the Athletics. Frost spent the next four years in that position before being promoted to Assistant General Manager in 2004. After working under Billy Beane for years, a promotion of Beane led to Frost also being promoted to General Manager. Now, with Beane in a limited role with the team, Frost has full control of the baseball operations.
It was reported that Frost is a candidate for the role. It is fair to wonder if Frost would leave an organization he’s been with for over 23 years, just to take a similar role with another team. With that said, the leader of the Boston Red Sox front office is an entirely different animal compared to what he’s currently leading.
Randy Flores – Cardinals Asst GM & Director of Scouting
Could a former MLB player with proper front-office experience be a good option? Well, that’s what Randy Flores brings to the table. After completing an eight-year career in the MLB, including winning the 2006 World Series with the St Louis Cardinals, Flores returned to college to earn an M.Ed Postsecondary Administration at USC, while also working as the baseball team Pitching Coach.
In 2015, Flores was hired as the Director of Scouting by the Cardinals. He has held that role to this day, while also being promoted to the team’s Assistant General Manager position in 2018. He has been credited for his influence on multiple major draft picks, including Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson.
Flores is an intriguing option for the Red Sox. There is always a benefit to bringing in someone who has experience playing the game themselves. With eight years as a player and nine years in the front office, Flores is expected to be a hot name in the coming years to take the reigns as a team’s general manager.
James Harris – Guardians Asst General Manager
James Harris is an under-the-radar option for the Boston Red Sox. Reports are that the Guardians GM Chris Antonetti is a candidate but he is “really happy” in Cleveland. So why not just look at someone who works alongside him? James Harris comes with a vast level of experience, and not just in the MLB. Early in his sports career, Harris worked with the University of Oregon’s football program, before being hired in the Philadelphia Eagles front office. After that, he moved into the MLB, working with the Pirates before being hired away in 2016 to serve as the team’s director of player development. Finally, before the 2022 season, he was promoted to assistant general manager. Harris interviewed for the Astros GM position last offseason.
Brandon Gomes – Dodgers General Manager
Embed from Getty ImagesBrandon Gomes follows suit with Randy Flores as a former player, turned front office. After a five-year major league career with the Tampa Bay Rays, Gomes retired and looked to move into a front-office role. During his time with the Rays, the general manager was the current Dodgers President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman. This led to Friedman hiring Gomes being hired before the 2017 season as a Pitching Performance Coordinator. In 2018, he was promoted to Director of Player Development and then was again promoted to VP of Player Development and Assistant General Manager. Finally, Gomes was promoted another time in 2022 and has since served as the team’s General Manager. He’s the #2 under Andrew Friedman.
Now with seven seasons with one of the most well-run organizations in baseball, the Massachusetts native is lined up to earn a role that gives him full control of a team. Gomes is a sought-after name in baseball, as he’s been clear about his preference for running a balanced organization. The Dodgers are a top payroll team each year, but they also bring an extreme focus to drafting and player development. A key to producing a consistent contender at the major league level. Gomes has experience in a team-building structure that should be highly attractive to Red Sox ownership right now.
James Click – Blue Jays VP of Baseball Strategy
Embed from Getty ImagesJames Click would be one of the few options for the Red Sox who brings previous experience in leading a front office. Click started his MLB front-office career in 2005 as an intern with the Tampa Bay Rays. Over the next decade, his role would grow before eventually being promoted to Vice President of Baseball Operations in 2017. In January 2020, Click accepted the General Manager position with the Houston Astros. In 2022, Click led an Astros roster that would win the World Series. After the season, he was due for a new contract but rejected a one-year extension offer from ownership. Both sides decided to move on. Before the 2023 season, he was hired by the Blue Jays.
Click is a logical option for the Red Sox for multiple reasons. Previous GM experience with a World Series on his record certainly produces an attractive resume. On top of that, Click has previously worked with the current Red Sox Manager, Alex Cora. Is Click interested in the job? We don’t know but he’s a qualified and logical option to replace his once co-worker, Chaim Bloom.
Sam Fuld – Phillies General Manager
Embed from Getty ImagesWe have one more former player turned front office member that comes as an option for the Red Sox. Sam Fuld first entered the MLB in 2007, where he played for eight years before retiring in 2015. The New Hampshire native then turned towards the front office side of baseball. In 2017, he was hired by the Phillies as a Player Information Coordinator. Since then, he has interviewed multiple times for manager positions, including being a finalist for the Red Sox job in 2020. Ultimately, he decided to stay in the Phillies front office.
In July 2020, he was promoted to General Manager and has since worked under the leadership of Dave Dombrowski. If Fuld is a legit option for the Red Sox, it would come with some irony to hire someone working under Dombrowski. As most everyone knows, Dombrowski was the Red Sox GM who led the way to the 2018 World Series before being fired at the end of the 2019 season. Nevertheless, Fuld is clearly an attractive option and will likely eventually lead a team with full control. Whether that’s in Philadelphia or somewhere else remains to be seen.
Mike Hazen – Diamondbacks Executive VP & General Manager
Embed from Getty ImagesMike Hazen comes in as another option for Red Sox ownership and he would certainly be a blast from the past. Hazen started his front-office career in 2001 with the Guardians. In 2005 though, he would move to the Red Sox front office, where he’d spend the next decade. After starting as the Director of Player Development, he rose to Assistant GM in 2012 and then GM in 2015 under Dave Dombrowski. One year later, Hazen took the Diamondbacks job where he was given full control of baseball operations. A return of Hazen would be a logical path for ownership. Both sides are familiar with each other, and Hazen has the experience and qualifications for the job.
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