Meet Chaim Bloom, the new Chief of Baseball in Boston

(Photo: Marty Fenn/CLUTCHPOINTS)

Less than two months after moving on from president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, the Red Sox have reportedly hired Chaim Bloom to be the Chief Baseball Officer for the seesaw Sox. Bloom’s baseball career began as a writer for Baseball Prospectus. He also interned for the San Diego Padres before joining the Tampa Bay Rays in 2005. He’s glided through a network of departments while with the Rays, eventually landing the role of Vice President of Baseball Operations, to replace a well-regarded Andrew Friedman, the general manager who left in 2014. Two years later, he was promoted to Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations, while drawing interest from several teams over the last few years at the general manager position.

In his tenure with the Rays, Bloom’s reputation became directly associated with success, originality, and efficient use of resources. It is no surprise to the baseball fan that the Rays find ways to compete every year in methods other teams don’t utilize, and Bloom is a top influencer in this process. The revolution of the shift, the invention of the opener, and other unique tactics that we are all too familiar with is a product of the heavy emphasis on an analytic approach to the game of baseball; it’s no mystery that the Rays Way is legitimate. Wonder who was the primary facilitator of writing the handbook? Yeah really — the actual handbook. Yours truly, Chaim Bloom.

Being Jewish and a graduate of Yale is no surprise to Red Sox fans — I’d say the last guy who ran the baseball operations here did his fair share. It’s safe to say Bloom is in the line of several who want to be the next Epstein, and there’s no evidence that he can’t live up to it.
"Chaim is really sharp and has a deserved reputation in the game," [Theo] Epstein said to The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy. "He is a great guy to boot. I’m excited for him and the Red Sox."

It’s well-known at this point that the Red Sox want and need a shift in culture. After Dealin’ Dave delivered the championship he was here for, the ownership moved on because they believed that the residue of the championship situation leaves work to be done. It’s no exaggeration to say that Bloom steps in during a hot mess. Contracts. Superstars. Young talent to develop. There’s a lot going on and Bloom will have to use every bit of his problem-solving skills to tackle the challenge that is restoring order in Boston. The track record shows that creating success through adversity and developing a pitching staff are Bloom’s strong suits. What’ll be most different is the environment in which he will have to produce. From an organization that struggles to convince fans that the team should stay in the city to the nation’s shopping mall of championships, Bloom steps into unfamiliar territory. It’s one where every year at this time, everybody will be expecting October baseball rather than seeking a direction towards it. Get your winter game on, it’s about to get wild.

Joining Bloom at the helm will be the long-time executive for the Red Sox Brian O’Halloran, whose role shifts to general manager, reporting directly to Bloom (or Chief Chaim if you promise to remember the correct pronunciation of his first name). The Red Sox have (perhaps unrelatedly) announced a press conference on Monday at 1:30. 👀

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