Chaim Bloom has a lot of work to do as the new general manager of the Boston Red Sox.
But the man who used to hold Bloom's job believes he's up to the task.
Theo Epstein, who won two World Series titles as Red Sox GM from 2002 to 2011, gave Bloom his stamp of approval after Boston chose the former Tampa Bay Rays executive as its next GM.
"Chaim is really sharp and has a deserved reputation in the game,’’ Epstein told The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy on Friday. “He is a great guy to boot. I’m excited for him and the Red Sox."
Epstein and Bloom were never colleagues, but the two share a similar career path. Both graduated from Yale, preach the importance of analytics and took prominent MLB jobs at a young age: Bloom was named the Rays' vice president of baseball operations at age 31, while Epstein took the Sox GM job at 28.
Other MLB execs also speak highly of Bloom, particularly about his character. Washington Nationals assistant GM Mike DeBartolo described Bloom to Shaughnessy as "well respected, super smart, and really personable" and "really down to earth for somebody who’s so smart."
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Former New York Mets general manager Jim Duquette, meanwhile, labeled Bloom an "unbelievable hire" who he believes will fit in Boston better than recently-fired president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.
"(Bloom) is very realistic about his own self and he’s a collaborate guy, which I think the (Red Sox) organization wants," Duquette told Shaughnessy. "He’s a good baseball guy. He’s very humble. He will get along very well with everyone -- almost the opposite of what was just there."
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