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! The Red Sox made waves 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 has rocked Boston.

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 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.

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.

Scott, however, mentioned that this method was typically reserved for entry-level jobs, not higher positions. So that makes the idea of a five-AI-only a little bit of a stretch.

Now, Boston Red Sox’s chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has responded to it, mentioning on Wednesday that AI is used in the early screening process. However, he highlighted that the real conversations do take place as well.

AI and analytics will always have a role to play since it’s the modern world. But when hiring people, that element—the human element—still matters. For Boston though, this drama couldn’t have come at a much worse time, when Breslow and the front office already have fans’ fury targeted at them.

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

Boston fans are upset because this is not the first time their franchise cornerstone, a homegrown star, is simply shipped off. Not to mention, the lead-up to Rafael Devers leaving Boston. It wasn’t, let’s just say, ideal.

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, Breslow even took a dig at Devers. During his Zoom conference, he mentioned that Boston had been winning games regardless!

And now, fans have gotten so frustrated that Breslow’s home address was published online. According to TMZ, the Newton Police also confirmed that Red Sox officials reached out to them.

“Boston Red Sox exec Craig Breslow has been on the receiving end of a ton of backlash after trading away star player Rafael Devers … to the point where his home address was published online — and now cops are aware of the situation,” TMZ reported.

However, no threats are being investigated right now. The police doesn’t see it as a coordinated campaign yet. It just seems like a bunch of furious fans trying to get back at what the front office for how they handled the Devers situation. Because truth be told, he wasn’t just another player—he was Boston’s offense.

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