Tampa Bay Rays Bloom began working for the
Tampa Bay Rays in February 2005 as an intern, was hired by the Rays full-time to work in Minor League Operations in October 2005. He was named Director of Baseball Operations in 2011, expanding his job to include contract negotiations, salary arbitration, budgeting, and overseeing major league support staff and international scouting. His responsibilities expanded to include his overseeing domestic and international player development, a newly created baseball performance science department, trade negotiations, pro, amateur, and international scouting philosophy, personnel additions and changes throughout baseball operations, and short- and long-term strategic planning. Despite a low Tampa Bay payroll, Bloom consistently fielded competitive teams. The franchise had been one of the most innovative under his management; he integrated analytics into all aspects of the game. He was an early user of breakthrough strategies, now more widely used, such as a much heavier emphasis on
shifts and the use of
openers (starting games with
relief pitchers). Bloom is also known for his prowess in developing
starting pitchers. He wrote the "Rays Way" player development handbook in 2008; and during his tenure with the Rays sportswriter
Tom Verducci opined that "no franchise understands better how to identify, develop and maintain quality pitchers." In 2015, Bloom interviewed for the general manager position with the
Milwaukee Brewers and
Philadelphia Phillies; in 2016 with the
Minnesota Twins, and 2018 with the
San Francisco Giants and
New York Mets; Bloom was a finalist for the Mets' position. In 2019, he interviewed for the
Boston Red Sox' head of baseball operations position.
Boston Red Sox On October 25, 2019, the Red Sox hired the 36-year-old Bloom as Chief Baseball Officer, succeeding
Dave Dombrowski as head of their baseball operations, with
Brian O'Halloran to be named general manager and reporting to him. The Red Sox made an official announcement on October 28, an off-day of the
2019 World Series. In 2019, Bloom's Tampa Bay team had the lowest payroll on opening day at $49 million, while Dombrowski's Boston had the highest at $187 million. Bloom's Rays were 96–66 and made the playoffs, while the Dombrowski-led Red Sox were 84–78 and did not make the playoffs. Since the Red Sox were trying to reduce salary and get under the luxury tax threshold for the 2020 season and in the future, Bloom was hired because of his experience at managing a low payroll on the Rays. Bloom's first season with Boston was the start-delayed and shortened season; the Red Sox had a record of 24–36 and finished in last place in the
American League East. Bloom subsequently hired
Alex Cora to return as the team's manager after fulfilling his suspension, announced in November 2020. While the
2021 Red Sox reached the
American League Championship Series, the Red Sox play declined and their standing in the AL East diminished. They also saw popular and productive players
Mookie Betts and
Xander Bogaerts leave the team during Bloom's tenure; he was fired by the team on September 14, 2023. The Red Sox had a record of 267–262 during his time as Chief Baseball Officer. On September 30, 2024, the Cardinals announced that Bloom would succeed Mozeliak as the team's president of baseball operations following the 2025 season. The Cardinals and Bloom signed a five-year deal. ==Personal life==