CARLSBAD, Calif. — The Boston Red Sox invited hitting coach Tim Hyers to return for the 2022 season. He instead decided to leave on his own to pursue other opportunities. He recently accepted the hitting coach position with the Texas Rangers.

“It certainly took us by surprise,” chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said at the GM Meetings about Hyers’ departure. “But talking to him about it, I think everybody has points in their career where they might feel like they want something different. I didn’t sense that there was any ill-will behind it. It was just he was ready for a different challenge.

“I think in this business we often think that usually when someone’s employment ends, it is the team that ends it. But it doesn’t have to be that way. People can decide they want something different for professional reasons, for personal reasons. I loved getting to know him these past two years. Wish him well and I’m glad he found something he feels good about.”

The Red Sox still are searching “actively” to find someone to work with Peter Fatse, Bloom said.

Boston plans to promote Fatse, who served as assistant hitting coach the past two seasons, to hitting coach. The Red Sox initially planned to make Hyers and Fatse co-hitting coaches.

Boston will either hire a co-hitting coach or assistant hitting coach.

Bloom and Manager Alex Cora also are searching for Tom Goodwin’s replacement. The Red Sox fired Goodwin who coached first base and was in charge of outfield defense and base running.

“We’re also working on that,” Bloom said. “I think the hitting coach structure is taking up more of our time now but we’re working on all of it.”

Bloom said the process still is ongoing to hire a manager for Triple-A Worcester. The Red Sox let Billy McMillon go after the season.

“I don’t think we’re close to a resolution,” Bloom said. “We’ve had a lot of conversation. We’ve done homework on both internal and external options. I think on all these different staffing things there could be some interconnectedness between them. So they’re all moving down the tracks but we’re not super close to a resolution.”

• The Red Sox had representation at free agent Justin Verlander’s workout in Florida on Monday, Bloom confirmed.

Verlander missed the 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery Sept. 30, 2020. But the Astros still extended the two-time Cy Young award winner an $18.4 million qualifying offer.

The righty and other qualified free agents have until Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. to accept or reject the offer. If the Red Sox were to sign Verlander, they would forfeit their second-highest available selection in the 2022 MLB Draft and have their international signing bonus pool for the next international signing period reduced by $500,000.

Verlander and Max Scherzer, two of the most accomplished starting pitchers on the free-agent market, both are in their late 30s. Verlander will turn 39 on Feb. 20. Scherzer will turn 38 during the 2022 season (July 27).

“Age might affect the term (number of years) you consider, but if the present ability is there then why wouldn’t you be interested?” Bloom said. “We’ve seen it time and again. There’s a lot of guys who are up there in years that can still perform at a really high level.”

About 15 teams attended the workout. Verlander threw 25 pitches according to one scout and his velocity was in his normal range, touching 96.

“He looked good physically, the velocity was good,” one scout said. “He looks like he’s going to pitch into his 40s.”

AWARDS: Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (American League) and Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper (National League) were winners of the  2021 Hank Aaron Award.

The award, which was established in 1999, is given annually to the best offensive performer in each league.

• Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi was voted Major League Baseball’s Executive of the Year on Monday after San Francisco topped teams with 107 wins during the regular season.

Zaidi, 44, finished his third season with the Giants, who set a franchise record for victories, then lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in an NL Division Series.

Zaidi, an MIT graduate with a Ph.D. in economics from Cal, worked for the Oakland Athletics from 2011-14, was Dodgers general manager from 2014-18, then was hired by the Giants.

In voting conducted by major league clubs before the postseason, Tampa Bay Rays President of Baseball Operatons Erik Neander was second and Milwaukee President of Baseball Operations David Stearns was third.

Oakland’s Billy Beane won the initial award in 2018, followed by Neander in 2019 and Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman last year.

The award was announced on the opening night of the annual general managers meetings, which resumed after a one-year absence caused the pandemic.

CUBS: The Chicago Cubs hired Greg Brown as their hitting coach, the team announced.

Brown is Chicago’s seventh hitting coach in 11 seasons. He replaces Anthony Iapoce, who departed after the Cubs hit .237 this year and finished with a 71-91 record.

Brown, 41, spent the past two seasons as the minor league hitting coordinator for Tampa Bay. Before joining the Rays, he spent nine seasons as the head coach at Nova Southeastern University. He was an area scout for the Houston Astros from 2009-10.

Brown was a catcher during his playing career, appearing in 142 minor league games over four seasons in the Marlins’ organization.

METS: Mets President Sandy Alderson says the biggest impediment in the club’s dragging search for a general manager isn’t his presence nor owner Steve Cohen, but the spotlight created by the New York market.

“I think it’s mostly about New York, and not about, you know, Steve or the organization or what have you,” he said. “It’s a big stage and some people would just prefer to be elsewhere.”

Alderson said the team is considering several candidates for its vacancy, but he does not have any interviews lined up during baseball’s general manager meetings this week in Southern California. He hopes to have some clarity by the end of the week but did not want to set a deadline for when New York will end its ongoing search.

“I don’t want to give you a timeline,” he said. “We’ve already blown through what most people would say is a reasonable timeline.”

New York fired acting general manager Zack Scott on Nov. 1, two months after he was arrested on charges of drunken driving. Scott was promoted to the role in January when Jared Porter was fired after fewer than 40 days on the job following revelations he sent sexually explicit text messages and images to a female reporter in 2016 while working for the Chicago Cubs.

Porter and Scott were hired last offseason after Alderson and Cohen failed in their search for a president of baseball operations. Alderson said the club has hit a similar roadblock this offseason.

Alderson said several candidates were unable to get permission from their current club to interview for the job, while others have declined because they are too comfortable personally or professionally where they are.

Largely, though, he thinks New York itself is keeping people away.

“There are a lot of factors that come into play, but I would say it’s, you know, it’s not unforgiving, but it’s a demanding place,” he said. “Which I enjoy, by the way.”

Alderson said he has interviewed many candidates and Cohen has interviewed some. He believes the organization will make just one hire, for a general manager. He did not rule out the possibility that a president of baseball operations could be hired above that GM in future offseasons.

Alderson said he was a little surprised by how many candidates had turned them down.

He also denied that concerns about autonomy have led to some of those nos. Alderson, who has 40 years of baseball experience, will oversee whoever is hired, and his son, Bryn, is an assistant general manager.

He called concerns about Bryn’s position “a red herring” and said he isn’t even telling his son who is under consideration. Alderson also said he believed his working relationship with Scott this season was strong and demonstrated the freedom an incoming GM would have.