Red Sox Notebook: Kennedy insists that call on next manager will be Bloom's

Speculation around baseball is that Red Sox ownership -- John Henry and Tom Werner, specifically -- would be in favor of bringing back Alex Cora to manage the team again. And Cora will be eligible to return after the World Series, when the managerial search will be heating up.

Be that as it may, Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy maintained that the decision to hire the next manager will lie solely with chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom.

"I just want to be very clear that Chaim and his team will run the process and ultimately will make the decision as to who the next manager of the Boston Red Sox will be,'' said Kennedy in an end-of-the-season Zoom call with reporters. "When it comes to the managerial selection for the Boston Red Sox, that rests squarely with our Baseball Operations and ultimately, with Chaim Bloom.''

Kennedy added that, at the end of the process, he and ownership will get a chance to talk to Bloom's candidate.

"It's important than the managerial candidates feel comfortable with our entire organization,'' Kennedy said. "It's important that we all have a chance to meet the person that Chaim and (general manager Brian O'Halloran) select, but our job is to support them in that endeavor.''

He further emphasized that when it comes to personnel and other on-field matters, "The day-to-day baseball operations decisions are made by (Bloom and O'Halloran) and their incredible staff.''

Kennedy deflected any questions about Cora and whether he viewed him an "eligible"' candidate for the opening, saying the process would not be conducted publicly.

"We're just not going to talk about managerial candidates for our job,'' Kennedy said.



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The Sox will presumably have both Eduardo Rodriguez and Chris Sale back at some point in 2021, to go with Nathan Eovaldi, Tanner Houck and probably Martin Perez, on whom the Sox hold a team option.

But when asked if the Sox will still be looking to add pitching, Bloom didn't equivocate.

"I think the answer to that question is yes,'' he said, "but that will always be the answer to that question, because the only way to get to a point where you have even close to enough pitching depth is to always be looking for it. I don't think you should ever let yourself get to a point where you're satisfied and say that you have enough. The hallmark of championship-level pitching depth, which as we've seen around the league was tested more than ever this year, is to never stop looking for it. So we're going to need to make sure that we do that.

"It will be great to have those guys (Sale and Rodriguez) back. And it's really encouraging to see some of the guys who joined our team late in the year, but that's not going to be enough and we need to make sure we're constantly adding to our depth.''

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Bloom was asked about the team retaining free agent-to-be Jackie Bradley Jr.

"We'd love to keep him here but we also recognize that he's earned the right to go out and see what the market is, to pick his next employer and now, for the first time in his career, he has a full say in that,'' said Bloom. "We'll see how it plays out. No idea what the timetable will be on that and of course Jackie's going to have a say in that as well.''

Bloom also reiterated that he anticipates that Rodriguez will be ready for the start of spring training. He missed all of 2020 after first contracting COVID-19 and then myocarditis (inflammation of the heart).

"Right now, we think so,'' said Bloom. "But we have to bear in mind that there's no precedent for this. It looks, the way we've sketched it out, that's a reasonable expectation. But we're going to be going through something that is a bit unlike anything we've gone through with any other player. There's such a limited history with athletes with myocarditis and we have to make sure we're putting Eddie's health first and foremost.

"Beyond that, we obviously need to make sure we're taking care of him for a workload standpoint. We're optimistic right now with the caveat that his is kind of a new path that we're walking."

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Kennedy said the team would be scrapping the 7:30 start times for 2021, which were adopted in part because no fans were in attendance in 2020. It's likely most weeknight home games will start either 7:05 or 7:10 p.m. He added that no decision had been made on ticket prices. "We'll have something on that in the weeks ahead,'' Kennedy said....Bloom said the team could explore contract extensions with some younger players on the roster like Rafael Devers. "I wouldn't at all rule out the possibility of us engaging on long term deals,'' he said. "I think as long as there's mutual interest and a mutual fit, I didn't see why we wouldn't look into it and pursue it.''....The Red Sox will begin a modified Instructional League in Fort Myers with up to 60 players taking part....Bloom said the GM Meetings, usually held in the first week of November and which traditionally kick off the offseason, have been scrapped because of the pandemic...Similarly, no decision has been made on the annual Winter Meeting -- far bigger in scope -- which take place a month later. "But in order for them to happen,'' he said, "I think we have to be in a better place by December. But there hasn't been anything official on that.''