Boston Red Sox

Sam Kennedy reaffirms Red Sox’ commitment to Chaim Bloom: ‘We do not anticipate any changes there’

"We’re confident in this group."

FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2020, file photo, Boston Red Sox team CEO Sam Kennedy, left, and Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom participate during a news conference at Fenway Park in Boston. The Boston Red Sox were stripped of their second-round pick in this year’s amateur draft by Major League Baseball for breaking video rules in 2018 and former manager Alex Cora was suspended through the 2020 postseason for his conduct as bench coach with the Houston Astros the previous year. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced his decision Wednesday, April 22, 2020, concluding Red Sox replay system operator J.T. Watkins used in-game video to revise sign sequences provided to players.
Sam Kennedy gave Chaim Bloom a vote of confidence on Monday morning. Elise Amendola / AP

By Conor Ryan

2 minutes to read

Chaim Bloom’s tenure as the Red Sox’ chief baseball officer has been … unpredictable, to say the least.

Even though Boston fell two wins short of the 2021 World Series, the Sox have been unable to string together much in terms of sustained success during Bloom’s time at the helm of baseball operations.

After posting last-place finishes in the AL East in 2020 and 2022, the Sox are projected to finish with a similar result in 2023.

But when asked about Bloom’s job security ahead of what could be a turbulent season, Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy backed Bloom during a media scrum Monday morning in Fort Myers.

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“Chaim is our chief baseball officer and we do not anticipate any changes there,” Kennedy said, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. 

Even though the Sox have zig-zagged across the AL East standings since Bloom assumed his current post in October 2019, the 39-year-old executive was expected to implement a long-term plan to both reset Boston’s fiscal landscape and restock its prospect pool.

Going into the 2023 season, the Red Sox currently rank 14th overall in MLB with $167.5 million in committed salary. As for Boston’s farm system, Keith Law of The Athletic ranked the Sox No. 23 overall earlier this month, even though blue-chip players like Marcelo Mayer, Triston Casas, Miguel Bleis, and Ceddanne Rafaela offer plenty of promise. 

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Pulling the plug on Bloom’s extensive overhaul just four seasons into his time with Boston might seem rather abrupt. But if Boston once again bottoms out and numerous offseason signings yield lackluster results, perhaps the sentiment from Boston’s top brass could change.

But as of now, Kennedy and Co. aren’t looking to make any move.

“I think the most important thing is for our baseball operation to have the resources that they need to be successful,” Kennedy added. “We all know that there’s a lot of pressure on us every single year. We had a down year in 2022. There’s no hiding from that. We really felt in 2021, we were on the right path. We had a magical season. We fell short of the ultimate goal.

“But we’re confident in this group. We’re confident in Chaim, we’re confident in (general manager Brian O’Halloran). John Henry said last night (in an email interview with Boston Sports Journal’s Sean McAdam) that baseball is about an entire organization. And that’s true.

“There’s so many individuals in our baseball operation that contribute and it’s a team effort. Our job in management and ownership in the front office is to get baseball ops those resources to be competitive and I think we’ve done that.”

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Conor Ryan

Sports Writer

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

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