The Boston Red Sox have fired lead baseball executive Chaim Bloom, as the team is closing in on a potential last-place finish in the AL East. While Bloom's fate was far from written in stone, it's been a rather surprising development in the last few days as rumors began to spread about his potential demise.

Multiple reports by the Boston Globe and even ESPN suggested Bloom was on thin ice entering this series against the New York Yankees, of which the Sox have lost the firs two games.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Boston's decision on Thursday afternoon.

Bloom has done plenty to improve Boston's farm system, including drafting Marcelo Mayer in 2021. However, the major-league product has suffered, as the Sox are on the brink of finishing last in the AL East for the third time in the last four seasons. In the end, that was Bloom's undoing.

Red Sox fire Chaim Bloom, but did they wait too long?

The Red Sox made the right call with Bloom, especially considering they're likely to miss the playoffs again this season. Fans have grown frustrated with the MLB product, and farm system rankings can only take Boston so far.

However, had Boston made this decision even just a few days ago, they could've had a chance at hiring former Brewers general manager David Stearns, who is now expected to head to the New York Mets and owner Steve Cohen.

Jon Heyman initially reported the interest between Stearns and the Red Sox, but he was always rumored to be a Met-in-the-making, in part because the Sox never really made it known that they would part ways with Bloom. Barring an unexpected twist in fate, Stearns is headed to Queens, and Boston is left without a clear successor to Bloom.

In what's been a season full of disappointments at Fenway Park, this is at the top of the list.