The focus is almost always on roster moves, but every organization in baseball goes through changes in its front office during the offseason.
It's inevitable given the competitive nature of the industry and the personal ambitions of those talented enough to land such coveted jobs in the first place.
But for the Red Sox, there have been a discomforting number of significant departures in the two weeks since their season ended.
General manager Mike Hazen left for the Arizona Diamondbacks on Oct. 18. Vice president of amateur and international scouting Amiel Sawdaye followed Hazen to Arizona this week.
Senior analyst Tom Tippett announced he was leaving the organization at the end of his contract. The same was true of director of sports medicine services Dan Dyrek and Pacific Rim scout Jon Deeble. Mental skills coach Bob Tewksbury was let go earlier this week.
Advertisement
ALEX SPEIER: Making sense of shuffling in the Red Sox front office
In all, the group had 65 years of experience with the Sox and contributed considerably to an era of unprecedented success at Fenway Park.
But on Tuesday, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said he believes the gaps can be ably filled from within. No significant external hires are expected.
"There are going to be quite a few adjustments in baseball operations and quite a few promotions,'' Dombrowski said on Tuesday.
The first came when vice president of international scouting Eddie Romero was named senior vice president and assistant general manager. He will report directly to Dombrowski.
However the Red Sox will not name a general manager. Romero and Sawdaye interviewed for the position but were not selected.
"Was very impressed with both of them,'' Dombrowski said. "However, I didn't think from their exposure to the major leagues at this point were quite ready to be general managers. Thought it would be better for them to step into that next area of being an assistant."
Advertisement
Like Sawdaye, Romero has a scouting background. Now he will branch out and join Brian O'Halloran, also a senior vice president and assistant general manager, as Dombrowski's top in-house aides.
"Eddie will be involved with me in every step of the operation. We'll also expose him to some things that Brian is doing," Dombrowski said.
RELATED: Mental skills coach Bob Tewksbury's contract not renewed
Romero also will replace Hazen on the team's executive management committee.
"I'm obviously ecstatic about the opportunity," said Romero, whose father, Ed, was an infielder with the Sox from 1986-89. "It's a tremendous opportunity for me to learn and grow and to get an exposure to some areas I haven't had much experience in before."
Romero, 37, is in his 11th season with the organization. He was a prosecutor in the State Attorney's office in Jacksonville, Fla., before joining the Sox as a scouting assistant in 2006.
Yoan Moncada, Rafael Devers, Anderson Espinoza, and Luis Alexander Basabe are among the international prospects Romero had a major role in signing.
Senior vice president of baseball operations Frank Wren and senior vice president of player personnel Allard Baird, who are major league talent evaluators, will assist Dombrowski in trade talks. Previously, that fell to Hazen. Both are former general managers.
Baird and Wren will often remain on the road but will spend more time in Boston than was the case previously.
Advertisement
Director of player personnel Jared Banner, director of player development Ben Crockett, director of pro scouting Gus Quattlebaum, and director of major league operations Zack Scott will shoulder additional responsibilities.
Dombrowski indicated that amateur scouting director Mike Rikard is signed to a long-term deal. He also confirmed a Globe report that Laz Gutierrez will assume Tewksbury's responsibilities.
Dombrowski said he was very high on Gutierrez, who has been in the organization in various roles since 2006.
The Sox will abide by MLB rules and wait until after the World Series to announce specific promotions.
More departures are coming. Dombrowski believes it's a certainty bench coach Torey Lovullo will be hired to manage another team. Arizona is a logical landing spot given his long association with Hazen but the Diamondbacks have yet to formally request permission to speak with Lovullo.
When ownership hired Dombrowski 14 months ago, change was inevitable given the loyalty many staffers had for former general manager Ben Cherington.
That was temporarily staved off by the promotion of Hazen to general manager. Now the Sox are evolving rapidly, the ethos of Theo Epstein, Cherington, and Hazen being replaced by methods Dombrowski values.
Dombrowski is not concerned with all the losses.
"Not at all," he said. "We've lost some good people. But it's also a situation where we have a lot of good people. When you have a good organization and you're winning, it's something I've had happen to me in the past.
Advertisement
"What's great about it is it allows people to grow."
. . .
The entire coaching staff agreed to terms for next season . . . Moncada has not played in the Arizona Fall League since Friday because of a left thumb injury. Moncada has an .829 OPS in six games but also has struck out 10 times in 24 at-bats and made four errors at third base . . . Lefthander Drew Pomeranz, who had forearm issues at the end of the season, was cleared medically and will not require surgery.
Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.