The Boston Red Sox have internally discussed Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen as a possible candidate to become their next head of baseball operations, ESPN reports. The Red Sox are in need of a new lead decision-maker after recently parting ways with Chaim Bloom, who served as the club's chief baseball officer for almost four seasons.
As Olney notes, Hazen, 47, is under contract with Arizona through the 2024 season, and his deal includes a club option for 2025. That's a substantial consideration, but it doesn't necessarily make a Hazen-Red Sox pairing impossible.
Here at CBS Sports, we recently named six potential candidates for Boston's top job, and Hazen was at the top of the list. Our R.J. Anderson wrote:
"It doesn't get more obvious than Hazen. He's a familiar quantity to owner John Henry and the other high-ranking members of Boston's front office, having spent more than a decade with the Red Sox before taking over the Diamondbacks in fall 2016. Hazen was technically the Red Sox's GM when he departed, but he wasn't the top decision maker -- that was Dave Dombrowski, then the president of baseball operations. Hazen is about to record his fourth winning season in seven seasons out west. He's built a fantastic core, and it's anyone's guess if he would leave that behind to return to his old haunt."
As well, Hazen was born and raised in Massachusetts.
This season, Hazen's Diamondbacks are in the thick of the race for wild-card spot in the National League, which means they could make the playoffs for second time under Hazen. As for the Red Sox, they came into Sunday's slate with a record of 74-75 and in last place in the American League East.
