What to look for in a great general manager
When it comes to the next chief Red Sox decision-maker, one name has been bubbled to the surface almost from the time the Chaim Bloom era came to an end: Mike Hazen.
The fit seems to make sense, with the Abington native having worked with the Red Sox from 2006-16, serving as the team's general manager for his final two years before taking over as the GM of the Diamondbacks following the 2016 season.
But, according to Arizona CEO and president Derrick Hall, the Diamondbacks have no intention of seeing Hazen - who has one more years on his current contract - leave his current post.
"They haven’t contacted me," Hall told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic of the Red Sox' interest. "And I hope they don’t. He’s under contract, and we like him."
Hall added, "He and I are always having conversations about his future. He’s got a full year, then a club option on top of that, so there’s still plenty of time on the contract. I can’t envision us going a different direction with what he’s built and his (leadership) team."
Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo (who is also under contract through next season) have the Diamondbacks on the cusp of their first postseason berth since 2017. Arizona - which had winning records in each of Hazen's first three seasons - sit at 80-72 (a full game up in the Wild Card race), having won four straight.
While Hazen's contract certainly complicates things, interesting name that might be free to explore opportunities such as the Red Sox is Marlins GM Kim Ng.
As was reported by the Miami Herald, Ng's contract is up at the conclusion of this season. Ng, who has been at the helm of Miami for the past three seasons, has re-built a Marlins club that has surprised many by sitting 1/2 game out of the final Wild Card spot. The 54-year-old previously spent time in the Yankees and Dodgers organizations.
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