Andrew Friedman isn’t walking through that door to become the next Red Sox president of baseball operations. Theo Epstein, Mike Hazen and Derek Falvey aren’t either.
Principal owner John Henry prefers to hire an experienced external candidate to lead baseball operations but the candidate pool has dwindled.
Forty-three days have passed since the firing of Dave Dombrowski. The Red Sox have been tight-lipped about the search since ownership met with the media Sept. 27.
There hasn’t been a single report about a candidate interviewing for the position. Nobody but the Red Sox themselves know if any progress has been made. The organization is no longer commenting about the search.
At this point, the potential candidate pool remains only speculation. Let’s speculate ...
Rays vice president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom arguably is the best experienced candidate remaining. But Tampa Bay must give the Red Sox permission to speak with him.
The Rays initially hired the 36-year-old Bloom as an intern in February 2005. The Yale graduate has done a magnificent job keeping the low-budget Rays competitive since Friedman left for the Dodgers in October 2014.
Henry explained Sept. 27 why he prefers an experienced candidate instead of one of the club’s internal options, such as Eddie Romero or Brian O’Halloran.
“It’s possible (for an internal candidate), but this is a tough job,” Henry said. “This is a tough offseason, too. We talked about the challenges of the CBT, but this is a challenging offseason. To put one of (internal candidates) in charge, that’s sort of a tough way to start your career as a general manager. We are starting the search looking outward.”
The Red Sox’s goal, although not a mandate, is to stay below the $208 million CBT (Competitive Balance Tax threshold) in 2020. Next year’s payroll already is a projected $218 million.
The Red Sox need to be extremely creative to improve their roster (must add fifth starter, reliever, first baseman or second baseman) and still stay below $208 million. It likely will require slashing about $30 million in payroll. If the Red Sox part ways with either J.D. Martinez or Mookie Betts, they will need to add a cheaper replacement as well.
Who better than Bloom to take over as GM if the Red Sox operate on a tight budget (or with small-market principles) this offseason?
Epstein said in September “that neither he, general manager Jed Hoyer nor executive Jason McLeod was linked to the Red Sox position,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Both Hoyer and McLeod seem like obvious candidates considering they worked under Epstein in Boston as well. But if the Red Sox wanted one of them, wouldn’t it be a done deal by now?
McLeod also switched roles for the Cubs last month from senior VP of amateur scouting and player development to senior VP of player personnel.
Diamondbacks assistant GMs Jared Porter and Amiel Sawdaye are two names to keep in mind.
Porter, who was raised in Duxbury, Mass., worked under Epstein in both Chicago and Boston before joining Hazen in Arizona. He was part of a Cubs front office that built the 2016 World Series champs.
Hazen brought Sawdaye with him from Boston to Arizona. He headed the amateur and international scouting departments when Boston boasted baseball’s top-ranked farm system under Ben Cherington.
Astros assistant GM Brandon Taubman should be a candidate. A graduate of Cornell with a degree in applied economics, he has a vast analytics background. He also been involved in international, amateur and professional scouting and "has been an essential figure in helping the Astros become perennial contenders at the Major League level, while maintaining a top-ranked farm system,” according to his Astros biography.
The Red Sox want someone who places great importance on analytics and who will rebuild the farm system. Taubman fits the description but he lacks the experience as a head of baseball operations.
Josh Byrnes, Red Sox assistant GM from 2003-2005, has the experience. He worked as Diamondbacks GM from October 2005 to July 2010 and Padres GM from October 2011 to June 2014. He wasn’t successful at either stop, though. He now works under Friedman as Dodgers senior VP of baseball operations.
How about Astros manager A.J. Hinch, Red Sox manager Alex Cora and ex-Boston GM Ben Cherington? These are three outside-the-box candidates who ownership should consider.
“In July 2006 Baseball America named (Hinch) one of baseball’s ’10 to watch’ in the next 10 years for his promise as a Farm Director and future General Manager,” per Baseball-Reference.
Both Hinch and Cora are analytics-driven managers who have been front-and-center for three of the most dominant teams in recent baseball history (2017 Astros, 2018 Red Sox, 2019 Astros). They have the confidence, intelligence and personalities, but their front office experience obviously is lacking.
Cherington, Blue Jays vice president of baseball operations, reportedly is not a candidate. He lost his job because of back-to-back last-place finishes in 2014 and 2015. But the young core of those teams helped the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series. It’s unlikely he would want to return considering the ugly end to his tenure here.
As more time passes, Romero and O’Halloran, who both are serving as interim GMs, presumably have a better chance. Romero appears to be the most likely internal candidate.