This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Red Sox have been purposely methodical in their search for a new leader of baseball operations, but a most enticing free agent emerged on Monday when Kim Ng parted ways with the Miami Marlins, citing philosophical differences.

Not only is Ng a free agent -- something that can’t be said of the many potential candidates who are currently employed by other teams -- but she is also a pioneer.

Three years ago, the Marlins made Ng the first woman general manager in MLB history.

Three years later, it is safe to call Ng’s time in Miami, though briefer than anticipated, a success.

In what proved to be her final season, Ng constructed a roster that led an upstart Marlins squad to a postseason berth.

Though Miami got swept by the Phillies in the best-of-three Wild Card Series, the club’s trip to October felt ahead of schedule.

Perhaps Ng accelerated that timetable with shrewd acquisitions in her years leading the club that included closer Tanner Scott, NL Wild Card Series Game 1 starter Jesús Luzardo, All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez, Jake Burger and Josh Bell. She also hired first-time manager and likely NL Manager of the Year finalist Skip Schumaker last November.

According to sources, one of the reasons Ng departed the Marlins by declining her mutual option after her club option had already been picked up is that ownership was planning on bringing in a president of baseball operations she would have to report to.

If the Red Sox show enough faith in Ng by offering her a president of baseball ops title or something similar (Chaim Bloom was chief baseball officer before Boston parted ways with him), it could be enough to convince one of MLB’s most experienced and respected executives to bring her talents to Fenway Park.

One of Ng’s biggest strengths in Miami was her ability to collaborate well with her field manager.

That would be important in Boston, considering Ng would be inheriting Alex Cora, who has already received assurances from ownership that he will be back to manage the club in ’24.

Ng stacked up many accomplishments in the game long before the Marlins made her general manager.

After breaking in with the White Sox as an intern in 1990, Ng was hired full time by the club the next year, and worked a variety of roles with her first MLB franchise, including assistant director of baseball operations.

Brian Cashman hired Ng to be his assistant general manager in ’98, and the Yankees made the World Series all four years she held that title.

Ng went from one marquee franchise to another when the Dodgers hired her as vice president and assistant general manager prior to the ’02 season.

After nearly a decade in Los Angeles, Ng got invaluable experience in MLB’s central offices as VP of baseball operations.

Running the Red Sox is one of the most pressurized positions in all of sports. Ng, who has already handled the scrutiny of being the first female leader of baseball operations for an MLB team, seems well-suited to handle the challenges any lead baseball executive faces in a place like Boston.

The Red Sox said at the outset they’d have no timetable for hiring Bloom’s successor.

However, the fact that Ng is now available could accelerate the process.