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Red Sox Acquire C.J. Cron

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FORT MYERS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox signed veteran first baseman C.J. Cron on Sunday to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

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Cron began working with the team Sunday, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the right-handed hitter likely will make his spring training debut on March 11 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cron, 34, was a free agent after playing last season for the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels. He was limited by back issues and batted a combined .248 with 12 home runs and 37 RBIs in 71 games.

A first-round selection (17th overall) by the Angels in the 2011 MLB Draft, Cron has played 10 seasons for the Angels (2014-17, 2023), Tampa Bay Rays (2018), Minnesota Twins (2019), Detroit Tigers (2020) and Rockies (2021-23).

Cron has batted .260 with a .320 on-base percentage, .471 slugging percentage to go along with 187 homers and 604 RBIs in 1,049 games. His best season as a power hitter was in 2022, when he was selected to the All-Star Game and posted 29 homers and a career-high 102 RBIs.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Sign Liam Hendriks

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox and All-Star closer Liam Hendriks have agreed to a two-year deal worth a guaranteed $10 million, multiple outlets reported Monday.

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The deal is pending a physical for the right-hander, who is coming off Tommy John surgery in August and is not expected to pitch much, if at all, in the 2024 season. If he does return, it would be well after the All-Star break, per the reports.

The deal is loaded with incentives, which could put the value at $20 million and includes a mutual option for 2026, per the reports.

Hendriks, 35, pitched just five games for the Chicago White Sox after returning last May from stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hendriks went 2-0 with a 5.40 ERA across five innings. He also had one save before undergoing surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

Hendriks began the 2023 season on the IL. He completed lymphoma treatment on April 3 and announced he was cancer-free 17 days later. He was diagnosed in the fall of 2022.

Hendriks, a three-time All-Star, is 33-34 with a 3.82 ERA and 116 saves in 476 career appearances (44 starts) for five teams, including the Oakland A’s (2016-20) and White Sox (2021-23).

The Red Sox are expected to start the season with Kenley Jansen as their closer, though he has been the subject of trade rumors.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Acquire Sandlin from KC

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Kansas City Royals acquired right-handed reliever John Schreiber from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor league righty David Sandlin on Saturday.

Also, the Royals placed right-hander Kyle Wright on the 60-day injured list.

Schreiber, who turns 30 on March 5, posted a 2-1 record with one save and a 3.86 ERA in 46 games (two starts) last season with Boston. He struck out 53 batters in 46 2/3 innings.

Schreiber owns an 8-6 record with nine saves and a 3.58 ERA in 139 career games (two starts) with the Detroit Tigers (2019-20) and Red Sox (2021-23).

Sandlin, 22, went 4-2 with a 3.41 ERA in 15 games (all starts) split last season with the Class-A Columbia Fireflies and the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits. He had 90 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings.

Wright, who was acquired from the Atlanta Braves for fellow right-hander Jackson Kowar on Nov. 17, is recovering from surgery to repair a torn capsule in his throwing shoulder. He is expected to miss the 2024 season.

Because of injuries in the 2023 season, Wright appeared in just nine games (seven starts), posting a 1-3 record with a 6.97 ERA in 31 innings.

Wright, 28, led the majors in 2022 in wins when he posted a 21-5 record in 30 starts in his first full season. He had a 3.19 ERA and struck out 174 batters in 180 1/3 innings.

In 60 career games (51 starts) since 2018, Wright is 24-16 with a 4.45 ERA in 281 1/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox: Former Skipper Williams, 80

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BOSTON – Longtime baseball man Jimy Williams, who won 910 games as a major league manager and was the 1999 American League Manager of the Year, has died at the age of 80. Two of the teams that Williams skippered, the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, announced his passing. No cause of death or other details were reported.

“We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Blue Jays manager Jimy Williams,” the Blue Jays said in a satement. “His impact on our organization will forever be remembered.”

Williams went 910-790 in 12 seasons managing the Blue Jays (1986-89), Red Sox (1997-2001) and Houston Astros (2002-04). He took the Red Sox to the postseason in 1998 and 1999, going 5-9. He was manager of the year for Boston in 1999.

“Jimy Williams was a true staple and leader of the Red Sox,” Boston said in a news release to media.

Williams won two World Series rings as a coach, in 1995 as third base coach of the Atlanta Braves and 2008 as bench coach of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Williams played in just 14 games as a middle infielder in 1966 and ’67 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He went 3-for-13 in his career, with his first hit coming off Hall of Famer Juan Marichal.

He joined the Blue Jays as a base coach in 1980 after managing in the minor leagues for six years.

–Field Level Media

Sox Dump Sale and Cash for Prospect

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Atlanta Braves acquired All-Star left-hander Chris Sale and cash considerations from the Boston Red Sox on Saturday in exchange for infield prospect Vaughn Grissom.

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Sale waived his no-trade clause to make the move to the National League for the first time, with the Red Sox set to send $17 million to the Braves in order to offset Sale’s 2024 salary.

A seven-time All-Star, Sale is owed $27.5 million in 2024, with a $20 million club option for 2025. If the 2025 option is exercised, $5 million of that is deferred until 2040.

Sale, 34, has dealt with injury issues in recent seasons, making 20 starts last season and 31 combined starts over the past three seasons. Sale did not pitch in 2020 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He had a stress fracture in his ribs in 2022 along with a finger fracture and a broken wrist while reportedly riding a bicycle.

Last season, Sale dealt with a stress fracture in his scapula, going 6-5 with a 4.30 ERA in his 20 starts with 125 strikeouts and 29 walks.

In 13 seasons with the Chicago White Sox (2010-16) and Red Sox, Sale is 120-80 with a 3.10 ERA, 2,189 strikeouts and 416 walks. He was an All-Star in seven consecutive seasons starting in 2012 and finished as high as second in American League Cy Young Award voting in 2017, and third in 2014. He has seven top-six finishes in Cy Young voting.

Sale’s 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings is the best in baseball history.

In five appearances (three starts) during Boston’s World Series-title run in 2018, Sale went 1-0 with a 4.11 ERA. He gave up three runs in four innings of a Game 1 World Series start against the Los Angeles Dodgers then pitched a scoreless final inning of the deciding Game 5 to give the Red Sox the title.

Grissom, 22, made his major league debut with the Braves in 2022 and has a .287 batting average with five home runs in 27 RBIs in 64 games with Atlanta over the past two seasons. Grissom, who was born in Orlando, was an 11th-round draft pick by the Braves in 2019.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Acquire O’Neill

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BOSTON – (Staff, Wire Service and Team News Release) – The Boston Red Sox worked to reshape their outfield when they acquired outfielder Tyler O’Neill in a trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, according to the Red Sox team news release.

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O’Neill, 28, batted .231 with nine home runs and 21 RBIs in 72 games last season as he worked through a lower back strain. O’Neill has struggled to match his production from the 2021 season when he batted .286 and hit 34 home runs with 80 RBIs, while finishing eighth in National League MVP voting.

O’Neill has played all six of his major league seasons with the Cardinals, batting .248 with 78 home runs and 217 RBIs in 477 games.

Boston sent two right handed pitchers to St. Louis in the deal, in Nick Robertson and Carlos Santos.

Nick Robertson, 25, allowed eight runs in 12.0 innings over nine games with the Red Sox after he was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 25, 2023. The right-hander also made nine appearances with the Dodgers during 2023, his Major League debut, posting a 6.10 ERA (7 ER/10.1 IP) with 13 strikeouts. Selected by the Dodgers in the seventh round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft, the Virginia native has recorded a 3.61 ERA (74 ER/184.2 IP), .227 opponent batting average, and 231 strikeouts in 150 career minor league games (three starts).

Carlos Santos, 23, missed the entire 2023 season due to a right elbow injury after attending spring training with Boston as a non-roster invitee. This winter, the Dominican Republic native has made seven appearances (five starts) for Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, going 3-0 with a 2.96 ERA (9 ER/27.1 IP), 23 strikeouts, six walks, and only one home run allowed. Signed as an international free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies in November 2016 and acquired by the Red Sox in July 2021, the right-hander owns a 3.72 ERA (184 ER/445.0 IP) over 101 career minor league appearances (71 starts).

The move to acquire the right-handed-hitting O’Neill comes three days after Boston traded outfielder and left-handed hitter Alex Verdugo to the rival New York Yankees.

Castiglione Honored with Frick Award

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COOPERSTOWN – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Joe Castiglione, who has called Red Sox games on the radio for a record 41 seasons, has been selected as the 2024 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

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Castiglione will be honored during the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation as part of Hall of Fame Weekend, July 19-22, 2024. Castiglione becomes the 48th winner of the Frick Award, as he earned the highest point total in a vote conducted by the Hall of Fame’s 15-member Frick Award Committee.

The final ballot featured broadcasters whose main contributions came as local and national voices and whose careers began after, or extended into, the Wild Card Era. The 10 finalists were: Joe Buck, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Tom Hamilton, Ernie Johnson Sr., Ken Korach, Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper, Dan Shulman and Castiglione.

“Bringing knowledge and passion to the booth every day for more than four decades, Joe Castiglione has given voice to the greatest era of Red Sox success in the broadcast era,” said Josh Rawitch, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “Starting with the team in 1983 in Carl Yastrzemski’s final season, Joe has connected generations of Red Sox fans with a delivery that has become part of the New England fabric. His calls of the team’s four World Series wins in the past 20 seasons provided fans with memories that will echo forever throughout Red Sox nation.”

Born March 2, 1947, in Hamden, Conn., Castiglione earned an undergraduate degree at Colgate University and took his master’s degree at Syracuse University – each about an hour from Cooperstown – before beginning his career at WFMJ-TV in Youngstown, Ohio. After moving to Cleveland to work for WKYC-TV, he began calling Indians games in 1979 before working Brewers games in 1981 and then returning to the Indians’ booth in 1982.

Joining the Red Sox radio team in 1983, Castiglione has shared the microphone with partners including Bob Starr, Dave O’Brien, Jerry Trupiano and Will Flemming while also teaching broadcast journalism at Northeastern University, Franklin Pierce University and Emerson College.

Inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2014, Castiglione is the longest tenured broadcaster in Red Sox history and has called historic moments that have included both of Roger Clemens’ 20-strikeout games and four no-hitters. In 2022, the home Fenway Park radio booth was named in his honor.

The 15-member Frick Award voting electorate, comprised of the 12 living recipients and three broadcast historians/columnists, includes Frick honorees Marty Brennaman, Bob Costas, Ken Harrelson, Pat Hughes, Jaime Jarrín, Tony Kubek, Denny Matthews, Al Michaels, Jon Miller, Eric Nadel, Bob Uecker and Dave Van Horne, and historians/columnists David J. Halberstam (historian), Barry Horn (formerly of the Dallas Morning News) and Curt Smith (historian).

The list of 10 Frick Award finalists was constructed by a subcommittee of the electorate that included Brennaman, Costas, Hughes, Halberstam and Smith. The Ford C. Frick Award is voted upon annually and is named in memory of the sportswriter, radio broadcaster, National League president and baseball commissioner. Frick was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1970.

For a complete list of Frick Award winners, click here.

As established by the Board of Directors, criteria for selection is as follows: “Commitment to excellence, quality of broadcasting abilities, reverence within the game, popularity with fans, and recognition by peers.”  To be considered, an active or retired broadcaster must have a minimum of 10 years of continuous major league broadcast service with a ball club, network, or a combination of the two.

The Frick Award election cycle rotates between a composite ballot featuring local and national voices whose careers began after, or extended into, the Wild Card Era in four consecutive years, followed by a fifth year featuring a ballot of candidates whose broadcasting careers concluded prior to the advent of the Wild Card Era in 1994. The cycle began with the 2023 Frick Award, with composite ballots of local and national voices continuing with the Awards in 2024, 2025 and 2026 before the pre-Wild Card Era ballot is considered for the 2027 Award.

VERDU- GO! – Red Sox Trade Outfielder to Evil Empire

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NASHVILLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New York Yankees added an outfielder from their fiercest rival on Tuesday, acquiring Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for three right-handed pitchers as the MLB Winter Meetings are underway.

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Boston got Greg Weissert and minor-leaguers Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice in the swap.

Verdugo, 27, is arguably better known for how he got to Boston rather than anything he has accomplished on the field. He, catcher Connor Wong and infielder Jeter Downs were acquired in the February 2020 deal that sent superstar Mookie Betts and left-hander David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In four years with the Red Sox, Verdugo hit a composite .281 with a .338 on-base percentage, a .424 slugging percentage, 43 homers and 206 RBIs. He played 142 games in 2023, batting .264/.324/.421 with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs.

Counting the three seasons he spent with the Dodgers, Verdugo has a career .281/.337/.428 batting line with 57 home runs and 255 RBIs in 651 games.

Primarily a corner outfielder, Verdugo also has seen time in center field. He could be a free agent following the upcoming season.

Weissert, 28, made 17 relief appearances for the Yankees this year, netting no decisions and a 4.05 ERA. He broke into the majors with 12 games out of the New York bullpen in 2022, when he finished 3-0 with a 5.56 ERA.

Fitts, 23, spent the 2023 season in Double-A, where he went 11-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 27 starts. He was a sixth-round draft pick in 2021 out of Auburn.

Judice, 22, has yet to make his pro debut after New York selected him in the eighth round of the 2023 draft out of UL-Monroe.

The Red Sox and Yankees have come together for just eight trades since 1969, according to MLB.com.

–Field Level Media

Sox Trade Luis Urias

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Red Sox today announced the following roster moves:

  • Acquired right-handed pitcher Isaiah Campbell from the Seattle Mariners, in exchange for infielder Luis Urías.
  • The club will not tender a 2024 contract to right-handed pitcher Wyatt Mills. As a result, Mills will become a free agent.
  • Boston will tender 2024 contracts to all 29 remaining unsigned players on their Major League roster. Eight players are already under contract for 2024: Rafael Devers, Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, Rob Refsnyder, Chris Sale, Trevor Story, Garrett Whitlock, and Masataka Yoshida.
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The Red Sox’ 40-man roster is now at 37.

Campbell, 26, went 4-1 with one save, a 2.83 ERA (9 ER/28.2 IP), a .210 opponent batting average, and 33 strikeouts in 27 games for the Mariners during 2023, his Major League debut. The right-hander was one of eight rookies last season to make at least 25 appearances and post an ERA below 3.00. He owns a 2.01 ERA (20 ER/89.2 IP) in 61 career minor league games (four starts), including a 2.63 ERA (8 ER/24.0 IP) in 23 games for Double-A Arkansas in 2023. The Portugal native was selected by Seattle in Competitive Balance Round B of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Arkansas, where he earned a degree in criminal justice.

Urías, 26, was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers on August 1, 2023 and played in 32 games for the Red Sox, batting .225 (20-for-89) with 13 runs scored, four doubles, two home runs, and 13 RBI. The right-handed hitter played in 52 Major League games overall during 2023, appearing in 39 at second base and 19 at third base. Originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by the San Diego Padres on December 27, 2013, the Mexico native has batted .234 (331-for-1,412) with 192 runs scored, 48 home runs, and 180 RBI in 445 games with San Diego (2018-19), Milwaukee (2020-23), and Boston (2023).

Red Sox: Breslow is the One

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official New Release) – The Boston Red Sox named Craig Breslow as the club’s Chief Baseball Officer. In this role, he will be responsible for all of the team’s baseball operations.

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A 2013 World Series champion with Boston, Breslow becomes only the fourth former Red Sox player to lead the club’s baseball operations efforts, the first since Haywood Sullivan served as General Manager from 1978-83.

“Each year, one baseball club emerges with a championship,” said Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry. “Our organization continues to have significantly high standards and expectations with a goal of being able to compete annually for that coveted privilege. After the 2018 World Series, we sought to build a future that would avoid the ups and downs normally associated with winning. That plainly hasn’t happened. Despite the results, over the past few years, substantial efforts have been made and considerable organizational progress has occurred behind the scenes, but not at the major league level. We feel strongly that Craig is the right person at the right time to lead our baseball department. Craig’s understanding of the game is remarkable. What convinced us to bring him aboard in this capacity was his highly strategic philosophy and his grasp of what it takes operationally in today’s evolving game to excel at the highest level in player acquisition, development, and execution at the major league level. We are excited to welcome him back.”

“We met a number of extremely qualified candidates and Craig’s vision for how to bring another World Series Championship to Boston was extremely thoughtful, compelling, and inspiring,” said Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner. “He not only has deep experience as a front office executive, but he’s also a former player who knows the market extremely well. And while his baseball expertise remains the dominant factor, his genuine aspiration to create a better world sets him apart as an extraordinary leader. I’m eager to welcome him to the Red Sox and look forward to the impact he will have on our operation.”

“Craig was a standout candidate,” said Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy. “The praise from fellow baseball executives was impressive, but what truly distinguished him were the resounding character references from former teammates, including David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, David Ross, Brock Holt, and Kevin Youkilis. Craig knows what it takes to be successful in Boston and he’s up for the challenge.”

“I couldn’t be more excited to return to the Boston Red Sox, an organization that means so much to my family and to me,” said Breslow. “I am humbled by the opportunity to lead baseball operations and to work alongside so many talented people. I’d like to thank John Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon, and Sam Kennedy for entrusting me with executing the vision we share for this organization. I know firsthand how special winning in Boston is, and I look forward to once again experiencing that passion and success with our fans.”

“I’d also like to thank Tom Ricketts, Crane Kenney, Jed Hoyer, Carter Hawkins, and the Chicago Cubs for giving me my first opportunity in a Major League front office,” added Breslow.

Breslow, 43, spent the past five seasons in the Chicago Cubs organization, most recently as Assistant General Manager/Senior Vice President, Pitching in 2023. His front office career began in 2019 with the Cubs as Director of Strategic Initiatives, evaluating and implementing data-based processes throughout all facets of Baseball Operations while also supporting the pitching infrastructure in the farm system. In 2020 he was named Director of Pitching/Special Assistant to the President and General Manager, then spent the 2021-22 seasons as Assistant General Manager/Vice President, Pitching.

Selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 26th round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Breslow pitched 12 Major League seasons and recorded a 3.45 ERA over 576 appearances for San Diego (2005), Boston (2006, ’12-15), Cleveland (2008, ’17), Minnesota (2008-09, ’17), Oakland (2009-11), Arizona (2012), and Miami (2016). He appeared in 202 games for the Red Sox, notably posting a 1.81 ERA in 61 outings in the 2013 regular season to help Boston capture the American League East title en route to a World Series championship. Breslow allowed zero earned runs in nine of his 10 Postseason outings in 2013, earning the win in Boston’s ALDS-clinching victory over the Rays before securing a hold in the club’s ALCS-clinching win over the Tigers.

Breslow graduated in 2002 from Yale University with a degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry. He was named the “Smartest Man in Baseball” by The Wall Street Journal in 2009, and in 2010 he ranked No. 1 on The Sporting News list of Top 20 Smartest Athletes.

In 2008, Breslow founded the Strike 3 Foundation, which aims to heighten awareness, mobilize support, and raise funding for childhood cancer research. In 2013, he earned the Red Sox’ Tim Wakefield Community Service Award and was named the BoSox Club’s “Man of the Year.” Breslow was nominated for Major League Baseball’s prestigious Roberto Clemente Award three times, including in 2010 with the Oakland A’s and in 2013 and 2014 with the Red Sox.

Born in New Haven, CT, Breslow resides in Newton, MA, with his wife, Kelly; daughter, Livia; and twin boys, Mason and Carter.

OVER THE YEARS AT FENWAY

RED SOX BASEBALL OPERATIONS LEADERSHIP

1933-47: Eddie Collins*

1948-58: Joe Cronin*^

1959-60: Bucky Harris*

1961-62: Dick O’Connell (1)

1963-65: Mike Higgins^ (2)

1965-77: Dick O’Connell* (3)

1978-83: Haywood Sullivan*^

1984-93: Lou Gorman*

1994-2002: Dan Duquette*

2002: Mike Port* (4)

2002-05: Theo Epstein*

2005-06: Ben Cherington/Jed Hoyer* (5)

2006-11: Theo Epstein*

2011-15: Ben Cherington*

2015-19: Dave Dombrowski (6)

2019-23: Chaim Bloom (7)

2023-present: Craig Breslow^ (8)

 

^Played for the Red Sox

 

*Held title of General Manager

 

(1) The General Manager position was eliminated for the 1961-62 seasons; Executive Vice President of Business and Baseball Operations Dick O’Connell assumed the role.

 

(2) Mike Higgins was Executive Vice President in charge of baseball operations while Dick O’Connell maintained oversight of business operations.

 

(3) Dick O’Connell was named General Manager on September 16, 1965 when Mike Higgins resigned.

 

(4) Mike Port was named interim General Manager on February 28, 2002.

 

(5) Theo Epstein left the Red Sox from October 21, 2005-January 19, 2006. Ben Cherington and Jed Hoyer were named co-General Managers on December 12, 2005 and served in that capacity until Epstein’s return.

 

(6) Dave Dombrowski was hired as President of Baseball Operations on August 18, 2015.

 

(7) Chaim Bloom was hired as Chief Baseball Officer on October 28, 2019.

 

(8) Craig Breslow was hired as Chief Baseball Officer on October 25, 2023.