What Sam Kennedy Points To When Recalling ‘Legacy’ Of Chaim Bloom

Red Sox president Sam Kennedy confirmed one reason the organization parted ways with chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom on Thursday was because of lack of recent success for Boston’s ballclub.

The Red Sox are in danger of finishing last in the American League East for the 2023 campaign. If that happens, it would mark the third time in four seasons.

However, Kennedy also acknowledged the role Bloom played in revitalizing a farm system that was among the league’s worst when he was hired by the Red Sox in 2019. While speaking to reporters Thursday, Kennedy said Bloom building the minor league system will be one of the legacies he leaves.

“I think that speaks to just what a fantastic job Chaim and his team have done in respect to building our baseball infrastructure,” Kennedy told reporters before the Red Sox hosted the New York Yankees on Thursday afternoon, as seen on NESN.

“You mentioned the minor league improvement in the minor league system from a bottom five to a top five, I know there’s different reports that have us at different levels, but that will absolutely be a legacy of Chaim Bloom,” Kennedy said. “It will also be his legacy in Tampa, where he was for a decade and a half. (He’s) one of the most well-respected baseball executives you’ll ever find.

“So he has a great legacy and I think he’ll have an incredibly bright future ahead. We wish him well.”

FanGraphs recently ranked Boston’s farm system third in baseball. The Red Sox have four prospects in MLB.com’s Top 100 rankings including Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Kyle Teel. Rafaela made his MLB debut last month. Mayer, Anthony and Teel were all drafted during Bloom’s tenure.

“Chaim, like I said, he’s got a great baseball mind. He’s incredibly smart, hardworking, honest, ethical,” Kennedy told reporters. “I think he did some incredible things in our organization, especially in terms of our baseball infrastructure and we really appreciate his efforts.”

Kennedy said the search for new baseball operations leadership will begin immediately, and he expects it to be an exhaustive search. However, the process won’t include Theo Epstein.