Boston Red Sox Make Big Hire as They Steal Front Office Member From Division Rival

The Boston Red Sox have hired Taylor Smith from the Tampa Bay Rays.

A detail view of Boston Red Sox hat and glove laying in the dugout at Tropicana Field in 2019. / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

After a third-place finish in the American League East this season, the Boston Red Sox failed to make the playoffs for the third straight year.

But just because the team isn't playing doesn't mean that the organization is being stagnant. Just Sunday, it was reported that the Sox have made a big hire in the front office by poaching Taylor Smith from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Per Chris Cotillo of MassLive:

A big hire for the Red Sox: Sources tell me and @Sean_McAdam that they’re hiring Rays director of predictive modeling Taylor Smith to a high-ranking front office role, likely as an assistant GM.

A big hire for the Red Sox: Sources tell me and @Sean_McAdam that they’re hiring Rays director of predictive modeling Taylor Smith to a high-ranking front office role, likely as an assistant GM. https://t.co/m6I5CWkXVG

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) October 20, 2024

From the story:

Smith, a 2018 University of Georgia graduate, is expected take over responsibilities related to analytics that are largely held by assistant general manager Mike Groopman. The Red Sox have been looking to move Groopman to a more centralized role and increase his involvement in player acquisition while hiring from the outside in analytics. If Smith is indeed given an assistant GM role, he’ll be one of five front office members with that title, joining Groopman, Raquel Ferreira, Eddie Romero and Paul Toboni.

Under Craig Breslow, the team has worked to improve its analytics knowledge and usage. This would seem to signify a commitment to that. Breslow was hired last offseason and this offseason represents his first full offseason in his role as Chief Baseball Officer.

It's all in an effort to reverse the fortunes of the organization. Boston hasn't made the playoffs since a surprise run to the ALCS in 2021 and finished last in 2020, 2022 and 2023.

That said, they do have a solid young nucleus of players including Rafael Devers, Jarren Duran, Tristan Casas, Bryan Bello, Tanner Houck and Ceddanne Rafaela.

For the Rays, we can't really quantify the loss of Smith until any games are played on the field, but the Rays have long been one of the most forward-thinking organizations in the sport. Any kind of "brain drain" is certainly notable.

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