Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen ‘stands out’ for Red Sox opening, per reports
Sep 18, 2023, 5:05 PM
Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen speaks to reporters the day before spring training starts at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona, on March 16, 2022. (Arizona Sports Photo/Jake Anderson)
(Arizona Sports Photo/Jake Anderson)
The Boston Red Sox recently fired chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, and MLB insiders are tabbing Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen as one of the top candidates for the job.
ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that Boston has discussed Hazen and notes the GM’s contract goes through 2025, with that last season having a club option. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal in a Q/A said Hazen is “the leading candidate” in his eyes, noting he expects the Red Sox to speak with Hazen.
The link of Hazen to the opening is natural given he worked in Boston for a decade.
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He joined the Red Sox in 2006 as the director of player development, earning various other titles along the way like vice president and eventually senior vice president and assistant GM. Hazen was then hired by the D-backs in 2016 for the position he holds now.
Bloom was the third Red Sox head decision-maker to leave the position in the last eight years. Ben Cherington resigned in 2015 and Dave Dombrowski was fired in 2019.
If you’ve got a feeling of deja vu reading this, your instincts are spot on. Dombrowski’s departure, in fact, was the last time we were here.
Hazen was then reported as a potential candidate to replace Dombrowski before shortly thereafter being given a contract extension by the D-backs. As Olney reported, this could be a similar instance.
The interest from both teams has some merit to it with Hazen’s success, especially recently. The 2023 season has seen Arizona exceed expectations, in the hunt for a National League Wild Card spot when the oddsmakers had the D-backs pegged at hovering around .500.
Hazen’s big offseason trade, sending outfielder Daulton Varsho to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno, has been a smashing success. Gurriel was an All-Star while the D-backs’ record when Moreno starts is great, continuing to confirm his potential to become one of the best catchers in baseball.
