Chaim Bloom was fired by the Red Sox on Thursday afternoon, bringing an abrupt end to a tenure that was chaotic from the start.
The club made the announcement an hour before the first game of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees, with whom they are tied for last place in the American League East.
“While parting ways is not taken lightly, today signals a new direction for our club,” said Principal Owner John Henry. “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.”
Bloom’s time in Boston felt doomed from the start. Within the first three months of his Oct. 28, 2019 hiring, the team “mutually agreed to part ways” with Alex Cora over his involvement in the Houston Astros scandal, Bloom traded Mookie Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the global pandemic began.
Though Bloom enjoyed a successful 2021 season that stretched all the way to Game 6 of the American League Championship Sereies, the Red Sox finished last in the division in 2020, 2022, and are currently tied with the Yankees for last place.
However, Bloom was tasked with rebuilding a depleted farm system, and was successful in that regard. The Red Sox were No. 30 (last) in organizational rankings in 2019, and currently rank fifth by Baseball America.
A search for new baseball operations leadership “will begin immediately,” the club announced. They’ve also offered general manager Brian O’Halloran a new senior leadership position within that department.