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Boston Red Sox hire observant Jew to run operations

Chaim Bloom will be the baseball team’s Chief Baseball Officer. In this role, Bloom will be responsible for all matters of baseball operations.

By Joseph Wolkin, World Israel News

Chaim Bloom grew up in an observant household in the midst of Philadelphia. Throughout his childhood, he attended Jewish schools.

Now, the Yale University graduate is one of the top executives for the Boston Red Sox. The organization officially hired Bloom on Monday as its Chief Baseball Officer, taking him from the Tampa Bay Rays, where he was lauded as one of baseball’s most sought after higher-ups.

Bloom is a religious Jew who keeps kosher and observes Shabbat. During his tenure in Tampa Bay, he would leave the ballpark early on Friday evenings for Shabbat dinner with his wife Aliza and sons Isaiah and Judah. He also missed playoff games due to his observance.

“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,” John Henry, principal owner of the Red Sox, said in a statement. “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.”

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While Tampa Bay is known for having a historically low payroll, Bloom became an industry leader by creating a player handbook. Ever since, he’s been known to develop premier players, specifically pitchers.

Bloom worked his way to the top of the Rays’ front office after a 2005 internship. He quickly became a leader for the organization’s minor league baseball system, jumping to director of baseball operations in 2011.

Shortly thereafter, Bloom was named vice president of baseball operations for the Rays. In 2016, he became second-in-command in Tampa, serving as the team’s senior vice president of baseball operations ever since.

Bloom previously met with several other MLB teams, interviewing for general manager positions in 2015, 2016 and 2018. Last year, he was almost named general manager for the New York Mets, but ultimately did not get the job.