Red Sox Reportedly End Search For Baseball Operations Leader

The Boston Red Sox underwent a tireless offseason search to replace former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, and on Tuesday night, that hunt reached its end.

Boston reportedly hired Craig Breslow, who formerly pitched five seasons with the Red Sox and was named assistant general manager of the Chicago Cubs in 2020, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. Breslow quickly emerged as a clear frontrunner for the position, which remained vacant since the Red Sox parted ways with Bloom in September.

Breslow, 43, worked his way up the ranks over the course of a three-year span with the Cubs. Chicago initially hired Breslow as its Director of Strategic Initiatives for Baseball Operations in 2019.

Now, the former 17-year big league pitcher undergoes the challenge of getting Boston back on track after three last-place finishes in the American League East within the last four seasons. Most recently, an injury-riddled season and inactive trade deadline ultimately dragged Boston's chances at a last-minute run at October contention, finishing at 78-84.

That leaves plenty of work to do upon Breslow's arrival.

There's a dire need for stability in Boston's pitching staff, which went from a traditional No. 1-through-5 on Opening Day to an unreliable usage of bullpen arms as openers. Then there's the critical need for defensive improvement after the Red Sox recorded an AL-leading 102 errors, which finished just second to the San Francisco Giants for the top spot in baseball.

Breslow's obvious strong suit -- pitching -- should come in handy in improving a Red Sox pitching staff that ranked 21st in Major League Baseball with a 4.52 ERA and 23rd in total shutouts tossed (five).

A Connecticut native and Yale graduate, Breslow becomes the third front office head honcho to be hired by the Red Sox since 2015.