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The last week in MLB was about a pair of teams in the National League hiring new managers, and a club in the American League hires an individual for their front office.
Philadelphia Phillies Hire Joe Girardi as Manager
The Philadelphia Phillies have hired Joe Girardi to become their manager.
Girardi is the 55th manager in franchise history, and he’ll receive a three-year contract with a club option for 2023, per a team announcement.
#Phillies have hired Joe Girardi as the 55th manager in franchise history. Girardi received a three-year contract with a club option for 2023.
Welcome to Philadelphia, Joe! pic.twitter.com/dLgfVWeu4b
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 24, 2019
Girardi meshed with Phillies owner John Middleton, general manager Matt Klentak, and other people while interviewing for the Phillies vacant manager position.
He’ll also have the freedom to make his own lineup card and other moves, which is rare for managers, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
Girardi was said to have really hit it off w/Phillies owner John Middleton, GM Matt Klentak and others in interviews there. Word is he also liked freedom he’ll have in making out lineup cards and other moves, which isn’t the case everywhere #PhiladelphiaFreedom @ToddZolecki 1st
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 24, 2019
Girardi previously managed the Miami Marlins in 2006 and won the National League Manager of the Year Award during that campaign.
He was the Yankees’ manager from 2008-17 and helped guide them to a World Series title in 2009.
In his managerial career, he has a record of 988-794.
The team does need to address some areas in the offseason, such as improving their starting rotation and bullpen.
The hiring of Girardi will be good for the franchise as he’s someone who works well with veteran players, and the Phillies have several veteran players on their roster.
Chicago Cubs Name David Ross as Manager
The Chicago Cubs have selected David Ross to be their manager, per a team announcement.
The #Cubs today named David Ross the 55th manager in franchise history, agreeing to terms on a three-year contract through the 2022 season with a club option for 2023. pic.twitter.com/gbIrUm5m2C
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 24, 2019
Ross becomes the 55th manager in their franchise, agreeing to terms on a three-year contract through the 2022 season with a club option for 2023.
Ross is a former catcher, who played 15 seasons in MLB.
He’s a two-time World Series champion, winning the title in 2013 with the Boston Red Son and again with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.
Ross is known for being a strong communicator, and it’s a characteristic that a manager needs to have when dealing with a clubhouse.
Ross has no experience being a manager, but playing the catcher position and being part of teams that had success in the regular season and postseason will be a tremendous asset for him.
One of the biggest challenges Ross faces is separating the friendships he has with some of the players on the Cubs’ roster.
Boston Red Sox Hire Chaim Bloom as Chief Baseball Officer
The Boston Red Sox have reportedly hired Chaim Bloom to run their baseball operations, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Chaim Bloom to #RedSox as GM is finalized.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) October 25, 2019
The title for Bloom will be the team’s chief baseball officer, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Chaim Bloom's title with the Red Sox will be Chief Baseball Officer, per source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) October 25, 2019
Brian O’Halloran, one of the three assistant general managers in Boston, will be named the general manager of the club.
Also, Eddie Romero and Zack Scott will keep their assistant general manager titles with the Red Sox, per Feinsand.
Brian O'Halloran, one of the three Assistant GMs in Boston, will be named General Manager of the club under new Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom, according to a source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) October 25, 2019
Eddie Romero and Zack Scott will maintain their Assistant GM titles with the Red Sox, per source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) October 25, 2019
Bloom had been serving as the vice president of baseball operations for the Tampa Bay Rays since the end of the 2014 season when Andrew Friedman left to take a job with the Los Angeles Dodgers as their president of baseball operations.
Bloom is known for being a smart front-office executive as he graduated from Yale.
He was the only external candidate the Red Sox chose to interview, per Feinsand.
Interesting nugget: Chaim Bloom was the lone external candidate interviewed by the Red Sox during their search, according to a source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) October 25, 2019
Bloom will be expected to trim the payroll for the Red Sox and build up their farm system.
These are two areas he excelled at with the Rays.
The Rays typically have one of the lowest payrolls in MLB and have a robust farm system.
The hiring of Bloom was a smart move by the Red Sox as they have a young, creative mind running their baseball operations.
Author Profile
- Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.
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