Top Red Sox GM Candidate Suddenly Out of the Running

It's no secret the Boston Red Sox have had a difficult time with their baseball operations search this offseason. Numerous front office prospects have either straight-up declined the opportunity to interview or quickly dropped out of consideration, leaving a condensed pool of candidates.

One person who was firmly in the running was Minnesota Twins GM Thad Levine. However, that no longer is the case.

MassLive's Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam report the Red Sox "eliminated" Levine from their baseball ops search. The team declined to extend a second interview to him, which has taken him out of the hunt.

It's quite the role reversal to see Boston on the declining side, rather than the other way around. Especially so in regards to Levine, who was "believed to be one of the front-runners early in the process," according to Cotillo and McAdam.

While we don't know everyone involved in the interview process, Levine was one of a few outside candidates being considered, along with Chicago Cubs assistant GM Neil Breslow and former Pittsburgh Pirates GM Neal Huntington. Meanwhile, internal options include assistant GM Eddie Romero, vice president of scouting/player development Paul Toboni and assistant GM Michael Groopman.

A newcomer emerged in recent days as well, with former Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler also reportedly snagging an interview.

With both the president of baseball operations and GM roles to fill, the Red Sox's options may be dwindling. Letting someone go from the search, though, expresses strong confidence in the several names that are still in the mix.

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