As Dave Dombrowski of the Boston Red Sox searches for a new general manager, Mike Hazen is a stronger candidate than most realize, according to a report by Peter Gammons.

Hazen is currently the team's assistant general manager, having remained on the job despite the dismissal of Ben Cherington earlier this month.

He has worked his way up the baseball operations ladder, much like Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and Cherington before him.