Boston Red Sox fans really have seen a lot lately—a star player being shipped out, a front office shakeup, and now… AI job interviews! Boston made waves in the baseball world big time by trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. It takes guts to send off your best hitter, after all. However, this is surprisingly not the only news that rocked the Boston baseball world.

Well, it turns out there is something far more Silicon Valley than Fenway Park is happening, too. According to Yahoo! Sports reporter Joon Lee, the Sox recently used an AI bot to conduct five rounds of interviews for a baseball operations position. Yes, five! No real humans, just recorded responses. Not even a single live chat. Doesn’t it sound like a sci-fi twist on Moneyball?

Lee didn’t hold back on NBC Sports Boston, calling the front office an “organizational dysfunction.” As for the candidates, they apparently had a drastically better experience with the Dodgers and Padres. Lee mentioned that his source mentioned that Boston’s process was super-impersonal. However, there are always two sides to a coin, and former Red Sox insider Zack Scott stepped in to add some context.

Former Red Sox executive Zack Scott chimed in to offer some perspective. He noted that AI-driven video interviews were not new to the organization. “When I was there, our intern hiring process would start with narrowing down 1000 resumes… then we would use HireVue to conduct video interviews (not talking to a human),” he explained. He then mentioned that this method was typically reserved for entry-level jobs, not higher positions. So that makes the idea of a five-AI-only round a little bit of a stretch.

Now, Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has responded on Wednesday, mentioning that AI is used in the early screening process. However, he highlighted that the real conversations do take place. AI and analytics have a role to play since it’s the modern world. But when hiring people, that element—the human element—still matters. This drama couldn’t have come at a much worse time than this, when Craig Breslow and the front office already have fans’ fury targeted on them.

Boston Red Sox fans leak Breslow’s address amid Devers trade backlash

Boston fans are mad because this is not the first time their franchise cornerstone, a homegrown star, is simply shipped off. Now, not to mention, the lead-up to Rafael Devers leaving Boston for San Francisco was looked upon as humiliating by many. Devers was not informed, nor was he given a heads-up before Bregman swiftly came in and took his role. Plus, as if fans had not had enough, Craig Breslow even took a dig at Devers. During his Zoom conference, he mentioned that Boston has been winning games regardless!

And now, fans have gotten so frustrated and mad that Breslow’s home address was published online, according to TMZ. According to TMZ, the Newton Police also confirmed that Red Sox officials reached out to them. They were saying some members had been victims of doxxing. “Newton Police tell TMZ Sports … after Devers was dealt to San Francisco, the department was ‘notified by representatives from the Boston Red Sox Organization that some members of the Red Sox have been victims of doxing on social media due to a recent trade.”

No threats are being investigated right now. And the police made it clear that this doesn’t look like some coordinated campaign. It just seems like furious fans trying to get back at what the front office did with Devers. Because truth be told, he wasn’t just another player—he was Boston’s offense. Plus, Breslow decided to spin the trade move as a roster flexibility and a strong team culture thing. But let’s be real, fans are not buying it.

Things definitely are getting heated up in Boston—aren’t they? What are your thoughts?