Red Sox introduce Bloom as chief baseball officer

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."

--Field Level Media