- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,194,807
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
Twice now in the last week, both publicly and privately, the Red Sox have given assurances that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow will not be fired anytime soon.
It’s doubtful that even Breslow finds much solace in this. The anonymous industry source who first made the proclamation to the Boston Globe could hardly have been expected to say otherwise, and that goes double for Sam Kennedy’s radio appearance Thursday morning.
The minute anyone in Red Sox upper management or ownership even hints that moving on from Breslow is under consideration is the day that Breslow’s tenure with the club is effectively over. Even the slightest acknowledgement that a change was being considered would have been seen as the beginning of the end for the embattled executive.
And so Breslow remains on the job, for now. If that’s still the case on the final weekend of September, it will be a tremendous upset. It’s nearly impossible to imagine Breslow remaining with the Sox past the end of the regular season.
The Red Sox have an MO with these types of decisions: they dismissed Breslow’s two predecessors — Dave Dombrowski in 2019 and Chaim Bloom in 2023 — in the waning weeks of lost seasons. Why would this year be any different in that regard? Just because he’s not being dismissed now does not in any way signal that Breslow is safe.
There’s the matter of practicality, too. If Breslow were to be fired today, how would that improve the fortunes of the 2026 Red Sox? For one thing, there’s no obvious in-house replacement. The Red Sox could turn to any one of a number of assistants in the Baseball Operations department — Eddie Romero, Brian O’Halloran and Mike Groopman – but only O’Halloran has been a GM (under Bloom).
What would any of these potential replacements be able to accomplish that Breslow has not? A trade some seven weeks before the Aug. 3 deadline would be as unlikely as it would be under Breslow — to say nothing of the questionable wisdom of making such a deal. Adding one or two players, even if it could be done, isn’t going to save this season.
Firing Breslow now achieves one thing and one thing only: it’s a scalp for ownership to show a disgruntled fan base. Managers design lineups, make in-game strategy calls and help set the tone in the clubhouse and dugout; if a managerial change didn’t affect the necessary on-field change, how, then, would making a change with the lead baseball executive achieve the goal?
Of course, just because Breslow now appears as though he’ll be on the job at the deadline doesn’t mean he’ll have carte blanche – far from it.
Ownership could well tell Breslow that he won’t be allowed to buy in early August, which would eliminate the possibility that the CBO could make a move that would enhance his own standing while damaging the team’s situation in the future.
Conversely, Breslow could be given the green light to sell off some attractive assets – Aroldis Chapman and Sonny Gray, most obviously — but prohibited from acquiring prospects in return. Remember, when the Red Sox sold Jon Lester and John Lackey in 2014, it was with the understanding that the Sox would get back established big leaguers in exchange (Allen Craig, Joe Kelly, Yoenis Cespedes). At the time, ownership didn’t want to sell the idea of a multi-year rebuild, believing that the fan base was too impatient – to say nothing of the ramifications for the following season’s ticket sales and NESN ratings.
How do we know the same edict might not be instituted later this summer? Given the transactional nature of most deadline deals — Team A acquires help for now; Team B gets help for the future — the Sox could be further limiting their potential haul. Actual old-fashioned baseball trades are increasingly rare occurrences at the deadline.
One thing seems evident after the last week, during which the Red Sox proved that could be just as flat and unsuccessful on the road as they have been at Fenway: despite a relatively modest deficit in the wild card standings, the idea of being patient in the hopes that the season can still be salvaged is no longer a reasonable path.
The roster is insufficient and the return date for two key pieces – Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony – keeps getting pushed back. At this point, it would be considered a bonus if either returned before the All-Star break.
So, what’s left for the remainder of 2026? An opportunity for young starters Payton Tolle and Connelly Early to continue their growth. A chance for Marcelo Mayer and (eventually) Anthony to overcome their poor starts to the season and establish themselves as lineup fixtures.
After that? Not much.
Not much except waiting for Breslow to learn his fate, a decision that already seems to have been decided but not yet revealed.
More Red Sox coverage
- Red Sox lineup has new leadoff hitter Friday with Jarren Duran (.152 in June) dropped in order
- Shohei Ohtani leaves Dodgers win over Pirates with injury
- Red Sox’ Willson Contreras elite in metric Driveline, player development stress; ‘Really important as you get old’
- Why can’t the Red Sox get their stories straight on player injuries?
- David Ortiz’s son hits first pro home run in Red Sox organization
Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Continue reading...
