The Red Sox fired Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer, before game one of Tueday’s doubleheader against the Yankees. The Boston players celebrated with a 5-0 victory. The firing took people in the organization by surprise:

The firing surprised multiple officials in the organization, who believed that despite the lack of big league success, the Red Sox’s future — with a much-improved farm system and significant room to spend — is on the upswing. In a statement, owner John Henry said Bloom “set the stage for the future,” but that wasn’t enough to save his job.

“While parting ways is not taken lightly, today signals a new direction for our club,” Henry said. “Our organization has significant expectations on the field and while Chaim’s efforts in revitalizing our baseball infrastructure have helped set the stage for the future, we will today begin a search for new leadership. Everyone who knows Chaim has a deep appreciation and respect for the kind of person he is. His time with us will always be marked by his professionalism, integrity and an unwavering respect for our club and its legacy.”

ESPN.com

The John Henry built in winning as part of their financial plan. They will only take short steps backwards; they need to rebuild quickly and have a winner to keep fans in the seats. The first time Theo Epstein left was over this. He wanted to take the World Series win in 2004 and use it as a reset to build a long-term, strong club, that would dominate for years. The Braves-Dodgers model, if you will. Instead, the Red Sox have up and down years from finishing last to winning three more World Series. It looks to me like Chaim didn’t climb back fast enough.