The Boston Red Sox officially introduced Chaim Bloom as their chief baseball officer Monday.
Bloom, 36, previously served as senior vice president of baseball operations with the Tampa Bay Rays. He takes over for Dave Dombrowski, who was fired in September less than one year after Boston won the 2018 World Series.
“We believe Chaim is exactly the right person to lead the Boston Red Sox baseball operation based on a number of attributes we sought in this process,” said Red Sox principal owner John Henry in a release. “We had done exhaustive work narrowing down candidates. That work led us to Chaim, who was the first executive invited to Boston for an interview. He made a strong impression on all of us and validated our initial research that he was the one to lead our baseball operation.”
Bloom, a Philadelphia native and Yale graduate, helped to make the Rays a cost-effective winner. Tampa Bay made the playoffs as a wild-card team and advanced to the American League Division Series, where the Rays took the Houston Astros to a deciding Game 5 before falling.
“Chaim’s rise from intern with the Rays in 2005 to Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations speaks to his leadership, intelligence and work ethic,” Red Sox chairman Tom Werner said. “He possesses the essential qualities to establish a sustainable baseball operation throughout the organization with an emphasis on long-term success at the major league level.”
The Rays finished 12 games ahead of the Red Sox in the 2019 regular-season standings despite having the lowest payroll in baseball on Opening Day at just under $50 million. The Red Sox had the highest payroll at the start of the season at $187 million.
The Red Sox have expressed a desire to move payroll under the luxury tax threshold next season.
Bloom will have his work cut out for him quickly. Slugger J.D. Martinez can opt out of his contract five days after the World Series ends, while 2018 MVP Mookie Betts will become a free agent after the 2020 season.
“It is an incredible honor to have the opportunity to lead the Red Sox baseball operations department,” Bloom said. “The talent and dedication of our staff, and the culture that they represent, are remarkable. I’m excited to work with them to take this organization to new heights, and humbled by the faith that John, Tom and (president and CEO) Sam (Kennedy) have in what we will accomplish together. The bond between the Red Sox and our fans is second to none, and my family and I are eager to make New England our home.”