Chaim

Bloom

John Mozeliak will get one more year to run the ship with the Cardinals as the team transitions to Bloom. Next year, Bloom will oversee a reset of the Cardinals’ player development system and president Bill DeWitt Jr. said the team “will be making significant new investments in staffing, programs, and infrastructure, beginning immediately and continuing for years to come.” Bloom drew plenty of criticism over his time in Boston for trading Mookie Betts at the outset of his tenure; however, it’s believed by many that he was pressured to do that by the front office and he also rebuilt the Red Sox farm system into one of the best in the league. It remains to be seen what kind of budget he will be given in St. Louis, but his track record in developing minor league talent is well proven.

Bloom joins John Mozeliak’s front office in St. Louis after most recently serving as the chief baseball officer for the Red Sox before being fired earlier this offseason after four seasons at the helm. Despite a trip to the ALCS, Bloom drew plenty of criticism over his time in Boston for trading Mookie Betts at the outset of his tenure, and also for his perceived penny-pinching in the free agent market over his years in Boston. However, he also rebuilt the Red Sox farm system into one of the best in the league and this current offseason has showcased that the frugal nature of Boston’s spending in recent seasons may not have been at Bloom’s directive. While, it’s unclear what his specific responsibilities will be, the Cardinals have been interested in adding Bloom since the beginning of the offseason and he remains a well-regarded baseball mind who should help the Cardinals in whatever role they have for him.

The decision was reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN and quickly announced by the team. Bloom was thrown right into the fray when he was hired by Boston in 2019. His predecessor, Dave Dombrowski, didn’t sign superstar outfielder Mookie Betts to a long-term extension so Bloom was quickly tasked with finding a trade partner. Bloom was also on the hook for managing some contracts that look bad in hindsight, such as Dombrowski’s extension for Chris Sale. In Bloom’s four years at the helm, the Red Sox made the ALCS once but finished in third or fourth place in the AL East every other season. However, he did restock a barren farm system and rebuild it into one of the best in baseball, which feels like exactly what he was really hired to do. The organization will now look to somebody else to get them back to the World Series.

“I am very comfortable saying Chaim and Alex will be back. And I am very comfortable saying there is a strong belief in the direction of the franchise from our ownership group,” Kennedy said. The Red Sox are in last place in the American League East, but it doesn’t sound like Cora’s or Bloom’s jobs were in jeopardy at all. Cora is under contract through 2024 and Bloom is under contract through at least 2023, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Remy was originally diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008 and has had to fight it off several times since. He’s stepping away from the broadcast booth for now, but he said in a statement that he hopes to return soon.

Jeff Passan of ESPN.com confirms the report. To be clear, James is now a partner in Fenway Sports Group along with Maverick Carter, James’ longtime business partner and friend, making them the first Black partners in the firm’s history. Some of the other subsidies of FSG include Liverpool Football Club (of which James was already an investor), NESN, Fenway Sports Management, and Fenway Racing. Pending MLB approval, FSG is also expected to receive a $750 million investment from RedBird Capital Partners. This should help FSG’s goal of adding other major sports franchises to the fold. As for James, being involved in baseball in any capacity can only be a good thing.

Pirates bench coach Don Kelly, Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza, and Marlins bench coach/offensive coordinator James Rowson have also been interviewed, but it sounds like the Red Sox recently narrowed the list to two. Heyman writes that Fuld has a “strong tie” to Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom while adding that Cora has “the support of ownership” after leading the club to a World Series championship in 2018. Fuld spent the 2020 season as the Phillies’ player information coordinator. Cora spent the 2020 season serving a one-year suspension for his involvement in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal from 2017.

That meeting took place at Cora’s home in Puerto Rico, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, which signifies that Cora may be the frontrunner to reclaim the job he held from October 2017 to January 2020. Speier notes that the Red Sox have also held “first-round” interviews Phillies player information coordinator Sam Fuld, Pirates bench coach Don Kelly, Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza, and Marlins bench coach/offensive coordinator James Rowson. Cora is the only one of the five known candidates with experience as a major league manager.

Skip Schumaker and George Lombard also interviewed and hadn’t previously been reported to have been eliminated from consideration, but it appears they now have. Cora still seems like the favorite to get his old job back now that he’s done serving his suspension.

Twins bench coach Mike Bell and Cubs third base coach Will Venable have also been told they won’t get the job, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. Alex Cora, Carlos Mendonza, Don Kelly, Skip Schumaker and George Lombard are among the candidates still under consideration.