Report: Craig Breslow has advanced to next stage in Red Sox search for head of baseball operations

Red Sox

Here’s who is believed to be still in the running for the Red Sox’ top baseball job.

The Red Sox’ search for their next head of baseball operations has entered its next phase.

Last week, The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported that the Red Sox would begin notifying candidates if they had advanced in the hiring process. That process has begun, and the pool of candidates is beginning to shallow.

Chicago Cubs assistant general manager and former Red Sox reliever Craig Breslow has reportedly made it to the second round of the search. According to Speier, Breslow is currently seen as the frontrunner to win the job, and as of Tuesday he is the only candidate confirmed to have advanced.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Breslow is the only candidate still standing. Speier reported that the Red Sox are still considering at least one internal employee to replace Chaim Bloom. As far as we know, assistant general managers Eddie Romero and Michael Groopman, as well as vice president of player development and scouting Paul Toboni, have interviewed for the position, although there could be more internal names that have not been made known to the public.

Not everyone received good news this week, though. Multiple reports confirmed that the Red Sox notified Minnesota Twins general manager Thad Levine that he is no longer in consideration for the position. Levine interviewed with the Red Sox and was almost hired to be the general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies a few years back.

The Red Sox have also reportedly sat down with former Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington and ex-Giants manager Gape Kapler, among others. It’s unclear as to whether or not those names are still in consideration for this position.