A risky player was fired by the Boston Red Sox for non-challenging behavior.

The last time Mookie Betts was hired as the chief of baseball operations by the Boston Red Sox, his future was uncertain. Exchange him? Should you resign him? Would you rather lose him to free agency? Whether it was a good or bad choice, it was the first and most significant one made by Chaim Bloom during his four years as chief baseball officer.

The Red Sox are currently searching for Bloom’s replacement because a departure comparable to that of Betts is not expected. Chris Sale’s deal is expiring in less than a year, Rafael Devers has an extension inked, and the youthful Red Sox core still has several years left to lead the team.

However, this does not negate the fact that the next baseball operations chief will have some important choices to make this summer. The new team manager will have to make tough decisions about critical players, both on and off the present squad, ranging from how much money to invest to who to move away.

These ten players could have different outcomes for the Red Sox depending on who occupies the big chair at the top of baseball operations.

Want to genuinely usher in a new chapter in Red Sox history? How about going directly from the person who dealt Betts to the person who signed Ohtani? There are, of course, explanations for not. To begin with, Ohtani won’t be pitching in the upcoming season, and the Red Sox obviously need arms. Furthermore, investing in a generational talent that will likely stay that way for next however many years carries a clear risk. But Ohtani is Ohtani, and doesn’t the new baseball operations chief need to at least take that into consideration if the Red Sox wish to demonstrate that they are the Red Sox once more?