The Red Sox are nearing a deal to hire Taylor Smith for an unspecified analytics-based role in the club’s front office, according to MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam and Chris Cotillo. Smith could be joining the ranks as an assistant general manager, which would presumably also come with some type of VP title like Boston’s other four assistant GMs under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.
Smith had been working with the Rays as Tampa Bay’s director of predictive modeling. He has been with the organization since graduating from the University of Georgia in 2018, and Smith was initially hired as an analyst in Tampa’s research and development team. He’ll now head to a larger role in Boston, becoming the latest in a seemingly endless line of Rays staffers hired by other teams to try and learn from Tampa Bay’s consistent success in player development.
As McAdam wrote in another piece earlier this week, assistant GM Mike Groopman had been considered the “de facto overseer” of Boston’s analytics operations, but Groopman was being shifted into another role “with more of a focus on player acquisition.” It would seem that Smith will now be filling the gap left behind by Groopman’s role change, and it remains to be seen some more shuffling could be on the way.
Paul Toboni, another assistant GM, has been rumored to be the top in-house name to become Breslow’s official top lieutenant as Boston’s general manager, so if Toboni is promoted, the Red Sox would still have four AGMs (Smith, Groopman, Raquel Ferreira, Eddie Romero) in place. McAdam suggests that promoting Toboni might also be a way of keeping him within the organization, and away from GM vacancies with the Giants and Mets. There are some links between Toboni and other those jobs, as McAdam writes that Toboni is from the Bay Area, and he previously worked with Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns in the Brewers’ front office.
Rays in the Bay
Good luck Boston. Nothing good comes from hiring Rays analytics unless the team is willing to spend the money like the Dodgers. This usually means teams are looking for cheaper production so owners don’t have to pay up. I know that feeling every season.
Fever Pitch Guy
Rays – So true! With the Red Sox publicly stating they don’t plan to contend until at least 2026, they are relying on Rays employees to keep them within shouting distance of a Wildcard.
Samuel
Rays in the Bay;
Actually, the run on hiring personnel out of the Rays organization has become crazy. Get in there at a low level and one can jump up in their careers. It’s just nuts.
MLBTR might want to do an article detailing all the hires the past 18 or so months. I understand copycats in pro sports, but this is truly something. Have to go back to where more than half the Head Coaches in the NFL were hired because they had some sort of tie to Bill Walsh’s West Coast Offense…..no matter how small.
runningred
Didn’t Chaim Bloom, who traded Mookie Best for nothing, come from Rays?
rememberthecoop
I wonder if Theo is involved at all. I know he has a small stake in the larger umbrella Boston Sports. But I haven’t heard that he’s involved in mlb at all. He’s familiar with Breslow from their time in Chicago
Randy Red Sox
Henry continues to try and follow the Ray’s model of low payroll teams
FatChance65
…and ZERO championships to show for it.
Dorothy_Mantooth
The Red Sox front office seems quite top heavy with executive leadership & VP personnel. Do any other MLB teams have 4 assistant GMs in their organization? They keep adding to the front office and ignoring the additions needed on the field for this team to be competitive. After the “full throttle” comments from last year, I’m not sure I believe the recent statements that the team will be aggressive in adding players this offseason. Only time will tell, but the Sox need to add/acquire a #1 starting pitcher, add to the bullpen and balance out their lineup this year (more RHH) if they want their fans’ support (and money) in 2025. A lot of fans are growing tired of the “we’re building from within” message from the last 5 years. Adding talent to the front office is fine, but adding talent to the roster should be priority #1 to every executive and the owner as well.