Why Red Sox Quickly Ruled Out Theo Epstein Return To Boston

The Boston Red Sox haven’t hired a replacement for former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, but wasted no time dismissing the possibility of bringing back Theo Epstein.

Just hours after Bloom’s dismissal was announced, Red Sox president Sam Kennedy told reporters that Epstein wouldn’t be a replacement option, beating speculation to the punch. Epstein previously served as Boston’s general manager from 2002-2011, ending the organization’s 86-year World Series title drought in 2004 and winning again in 2007 — the last front office head honcho to win multiple titles with the Red Sox.

Kennedy decided to clear the air and explain why Epstein, who currently works as a consultant for Major League Baseball, won’t be stepping back into Boston’s front office anytime soon.

“I know Theo as well as anybody in baseball and it’s very clear where he’s headed and he’s likely headed to some type of ownership, management position within the game of baseball,” Kennedy told WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” Thursday. “I just knew that he is not interested in a general manager or a president of baseball operations role. So I could rule that out immediately and I thought that was important and there has been some confusion.”

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Epstein hasn’t worked a front office role since stepping down from the Chicago Cubs in 2020, a year before assisting MLB with on-field manners.

“Theo is very close to the Red Sox organization as he is to many organizations,” Kennedy explained. “He’s got amazing relationships in the game, but I just wanted to make it clear that he was not gonna be a candidate for either of these full-time roles that we’re embarking on a search for right now.”

Considering how well Epstein proved to be when evaluating talent, drafting Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester and Jonathan Papelbon, it’s understandable why many would advocate for a reunion. Most notably, Epstein took a flyer on-then free agent David Ortiz, signing the most clutch hitter in Red Sox history back in 2003.

“Obviously we’re not happy with the results. They’re not acceptable for our standards from our ownership group,” Kennedy said of Boston’s back-to-back playoff misses. “So I can assure you we’re gonna be aggressive this offseason as we are every offseason, trying to get back to where we belong and (I’m) really excited to get this search process underway and earnest and start to build toward the hot stove season for sure.”

The Red Sox have nine games left before the end of the 2023 season, but are booked for a busy offseason ahead.