After three seasons of the Los Angeles Dodgers front office not including a general manager once Farhan Zaidi left to become the San Francisco Giants’ president of baseball operations, Brandon Gomes was promoted in January 2022 to fill the void.
Gomes had been part of the Dodgers organization since November 2016, with his initial focus on assisting the development of Minor League pitchers. He quickly began to generate praise — and external interest — while rising through the ranks.
The New York Mets had interest in Gomes, but reportedly were declined permission to hold an interview with him shortly before he was promoted to Dodgers general manager.
Now after just two seasons in that role, Gomes was among the candidates the Boston Red Sox had interest in as their new chief baseball officer. However, Gomes declined to interview with the Red Sox, according to Chad Jennings of The Athletic:
In the past two weeks, the Boston Red Sox’s search for a new head of baseball operations has run into multiple roadblocks as notable candidates including Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes and Phillies general manager Sam Fuld have declined to interview for the job.
The Red Sox are in search of a new lead baseball executive due to firing Chaim Bloom one month ago. That decision came as Bloom was weeks from completing his fourth season with the team.
“While parting ways is not taken lightly, today signals a new direction for our club,” Red Sox principal owner John Henry said in a statement last month.
“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.”
There are believed to be more executives who have rejected overtures from the Red Sox in addition to Gomes and Philadelphia Phillies general manager Sam Fuld.
Interestingly, neither Gomes nor Fuld are the lead voice in their respective organizations. The Dodgers have Andrew Friedman as president of baseball operations, and Dave Dombrowski holds the same title with the Phillies.
Although Gomes has effectively chosen to remain with the Dodgers — at least for the time being — senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes was previously mentioned as a possible target for the Red Sox as well.
Brandon Gomes career history
Gomes first joined the Dodgers in November 2016 as pitching coordinator of performance. He was promoted to director of player development in December 2017, filling a void that was created when the Phillies hired Gabe Kapler as manager.
Gomes then was elevated to vice president and assistant general manager in March 2019, which he remained until becoming Dodgers GM.
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