A laundry list of candidates has been mentioned to replace Chaim Bloom as the Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox next season. While that list is extensive, three names make more sense than the others.
Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer: Leading Candidates
Brandon Gomes
The first candidate has ties to Massachusetts. Before becoming an up-and-coming baseball executive with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Brandon Gomes was a relief pitcher for the Red Sox AL East rival, Tampa Bay Rays. In four seasons as a big league pitcher (2011-2015), Gomes was 11-12, with a 4.20 ERA. Since 2017, Gomes has been climbing the ranks of baseball executive with the Dodgers. He has been part of teams to three World Series since 2017, winning in the Covid-19 shortened season of 2020. Gomes is currently the Dodgers General Manager, a position he has held since 2022. Being a New Englander is something you are born with, no matter where you may go on to live. For Gomes, being a part of his childhood team and helping them succeed may be reason enough for him to move back home.
Eddie Romero
Yes, he has a different baseball background than many baseball executives have. He has a law degree, which makes him a more versatile front-office professional. Romero has done a pretty solid job in his current position as Executive Vice President/Assistant General Manager. He has been with the Red Sox Organization since 2006. The argument that he has “paid his dues” is valid. How he got the opportunity to be a baseball executive in the first place, as some may wonder, is pretty simple; his father, Ed Romero Sr., was an infielder for the Red Sox in the 1980s. Regardless of how he started as a front-office professional, many would cite his successful eighteen years with the Red Sox as reason enough for him to be the next Chief Baseball Officer.
Mike Hazen
Much like the Gomes above, Mike Hazen is also a Massachusetts native. He is currently the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Would Hazen want to give up the warm Arizona weather and the highest front-office position of a team that just sent the Dodgers out of the playoffs? It depends on how badly Hazen yearns to return to his home state of Massachusetts and take on the challenge of rebuilding the Red Sox into a contender. Historically speaking, to see individuals return to their home state to help or assist in leading a team they idolized as children is not unprecedented. Whether Hazen becomes the latest person to do so remains to be seen.
Takeaway
The Red Sox need to replace their Chief Baseball Officer. Three candidates stand out among the rest of the laundry list of names mentioned. Two candidates are from Massachusetts, and it would not be surprising to see them return to Bay State and their favorite childhood team, Gomes and Hazen. However, Romero’s dedication and success in 18 years with the Red Sox cannot be disregarded, either. In the not-so-distant future, the likelihood of one of these three individuals becoming Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox is more significant than any candidate mentioned, based on their ties to the area and performances within or outside the Red Sox organization itself.
Main Photo Credits: Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
