The Red Sox are sick of battling for last place and their top baseball executive paid the price.

Boston fired chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom on Thursday with 17 games left in his fourth season at the helm.

Red Sox owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner and president & CEO Sam Kennedy informed Bloom of their decision to go in another direction, per a team release.

“While parting ways is not taken lightly, today signals a new direction for our club,” Henry said in the release. “Our organization has significant expectations on the field and while Chaim’s efforts in revitalizing our baseball infrastructure have helped set the stage for the future, we will today begin a search for new leadership.

“Everyone who knows Chaim has a deep appreciation and respect for the kind of person he is. His time with us will always be marked by his professionalism, integrity, and an unwavering respect for our club and its legacy.”

The team said general manager Brian O’Halloran “has been offered a new senior leadership position within the baseball operations department.”

O’Halloran will run the department in the interim, along with assistant general managers Eddie Romero, Raquel Ferreira and Michael Groopman.

The search for Bloom’s replacement will begin immediately, according to the team.

Manager Alex Cora said he got a call from ownership in the morning telling him about the move but was surprised.

He said he was planning next year’s team with Bloom on Wednesday.

“We actually had a great conversation about the future of the organization and what he envisioned,” Cora said between the two games of the split doubleheader. “There were a few things that he felt we needed to do better as a coaching staff. We were talking about the kids and what we wanted to accomplish the last few weeks.”

While Bloom led the Red Sox to the ALCS in 2021, the team finished in last place in the shortened 2020 season (24-36) and also in 2022 (78-84).

Red Sox infielder Justin Turner was caught off guard by the move.

“That was certainly a surprise to everyone this morning,” he said. “I did not see that coming. I have not experienced that in my career.”

This season, The Red Sox, who split a doubleheader with the Yankees on Thursday, are tied for last with the Bombers (74-73).

Both teams are 7¹/₂ games behind the Seattle Mariners for the final AL wild-card spot.

The Red Sox were in the thick of the wild-card race earlier in the summer, but have fizzled in recent weeks and seem likely to miss the playoffs for the fifth time in six years since winning the 2018 World Series.

Bloom amassed a 267-262 record during his time as the team’s GM following 15 years with the Rays.

“It’s hard to say it’s not related to results because that’s what this is all about,” Kennedy said. “We’re aiming for World Series championships. That’s it. That’s the aim, that’s the goal. We’re here to win World Series championships. While we’re here, we’re not going to waste this opportunity. That’s what the Boston Red Sox are all about.”

His high moments came in the 2021 postseason when Boston defeated the Yankees in the one-game wild card series before eventually losing to the Astros in six games in the ALCS.

For some Red Sox fans, the defining moment — and possibly low point — of Bloom’s tenure is when the team traded MVP Mookie Betts to the Dodgers in 2020.

Betts has since helped the Dodgers to a World Series title and is the NL MVP co-favorite with Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr., while the Red Sox received solid but unspectacular regulars in Alex Verdugo and Connor Wong.

Big-market like the Red Sox are supposed to retain elite stars, although the call to trade Betts does not happen without input or direction from Henry.

The Mets actually considered Bloom for their GM vacancy in 2018 but opted for former agent Brodie Van Wagenen. Van Wagenen lasted just two seasons with the team.

— with AP