Craig Breslow: CBO of the Red Sox

[notin]

18 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

I felt the same way about visiting Fenway this year. I opted for the New England Aquarium instead. At least at the Aquarium, I know the same turtle will be there year after year and am not just rooting for laundry. https://www.neaq.org/animal/green-sea-turtle/ 

I know that turtle.  Terrible hitter.  I mean really, really bad…

[drewski6]

25 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Oh man, it's going to be DISPUTED?!?!? I don't like that. 

Only because they never give postseason awards to pitchers.  I have always thought there should be a cy young like award for pitchers.

Not world series because thats just 2 starts.  But I think there should be 1 postseason MVP, 1 world series MVP and 1 postseason pitcher MVP (like a cy young).  BUt an ace can make 6-7 starts in a postseason run and I think its enough to have an award. Since pitchers very rarely win the postseason mvp.

Call it the doc halladay award.

[notin]

2 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

Only because they never give postseason awards to pitchers.  I have always thought there should be a cy young like award for pitchers.

Not world series because thats just 2 starts.  But I think there should be 1 postseason MVP, 1 world series MVP and 1 postseason pitcher MVP (like a cy young).  BUt an ace can make 6-7 starts in a postseason run and I think its enough to have an award. Since pitchers very rarely win the postseason mvp.

Call it the doc halladay award.

Actually 34% of LCS MVP awards (32 out of 94) and 42% of WS MVP awards (29 out of 69) have gone to pitchers.

As far as any one position goes, that seems fairly dominant…

[notin]

14 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

2013 was widely viewed as a bridge year, when it began.

And now it’s viewed as a World Series Championship year…

[notin]

14 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

2010 was the year Theo Epstein coined the phrase. The Sox only won 89 games that season and came in 3rd place, after winning 93 or more and finishing at least 2nd in seven of the previous eight years.

After 2010, the bridge was sturdy enough to chase Adrian Beltre and his 7.8 WAR off to Texas, but new Sox Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez somehow led a 90-win team to miss the playoffs in the final inning of the final game of the regular season.

This decade saw the '21 Red Sox win 92 and make serious noise in October, but rickety bridges have been in disrepair ever since Franchy Cordero put his foot through a slat over the gorge of the AL East while trying to play outfield at first base.

 

 

 

I always thought he was talking about the minor leagues for that phrase.  But fans leapt on to it as an admission the team wasn’t even going to try.  Even though they signed John Lackey to the largest contract  given to a SP in franchise history at the time.  Fans just seem to cling to anything that the organization will not be trying and instead doing whatever possible to ruin their enjoyment.  They spent more money on MLB players during the Bridge Year than they did when going “full throttle,” but yet the Bridge Year persists as a non-effort.  
 

Just another Florian Wirtz situation, I guess…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

5 minutes ago, notin said:

I always thought he was talking about the minor leagues for that phrase.  But fans leapt on to it as an admission the team wasn’t even going to try.  Even though they signed John Lackey to the largest contract  given to a SP in franchise history at the time.  Fans just seem to cling to anything that the organization will not be trying and instead doing whatever possible to ruin their enjoyment.

I think you nailed it the odd connection that explains why fans felt that way that offseason.

I remember how utterly whelmed I was with the Lackey signing. As a fan, I cared less about the money, but cared even less for the man or the pitcher.

[drewski6]

46 minutes ago, notin said:

Actually 34% of LCS MVP awards (32 out of 94) and 42% of WS MVP awards (29 out of 69) have gone to pitchers.

As far as any one position goes, that seems fairly dominant…

3 pitchers , last 20 years, 0 in last 5 years.

I cannot, no matter what I do, get a pitcher to win either WS MVP or playoff MVP in the show (video game), and thats like 50 world series victories over the last 3 years. Not once.

[drewski6]

1 hour ago, notin said:

I know that turtle.  Terrible hitter.  I mean really, really bad…

Turtles play cricket, not baseball.  Remember Rafy (the moody turtle not Devers) hitting KC (Jones not Campbell) into next week?

[Hugh2]

How much better does the Bello, and Rafaela extensions look now?

Breslow needs his John Henry cigar moment. 

[Bellhorn04]

2 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

How much better does the Bello, and Rafaela extensions look now?

Breslow needs his John Henry cigar moment. 

I think one John Henry cigar moment was plenty. 😄 

[Hugh2]

4 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

I think one John Henry cigar moment was plenty. 😄 

Fair.........but I'm talking about a Craig Breslow cigar moment.  ehh ehh? something different. 

[Bellhorn04]

3 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Fair.........but I'm talking about a Craig Breslow cigar moment.  ehh ehh? something different. 

Cigar moments are for when you win the ring.

 

 

[Hugh2]

1 minute ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Cigar moments are for when you win the ring.

 

 

I mean.....I suppose it depends on ones personal thoughts on cigar smoking.  Some guys enjoy a stoogie and a scotch every week. 

Point is Breslow made some decisions that were questioned at the time and are starting to look much better. 

[Bellhorn04]

2 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

I mean.....I suppose it depends on ones personal thoughts on cigar smoking.  Some guys enjoy a stoogie and a scotch every week. 

Point is Breslow made some decisions that were questioned at the time and are starting to look much better. 

Yes, with regard to Bello and Rafaela, they are actually exceeding expectations right now, and those extensions do look very good...right now.

[notin]

49 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Yes, with regard to Bello and Rafaela, they are actually exceeding expectations right now, and those extensions do look very good...right now.

Those extensions will still look good even with some regression. Some…

[notin]

On 7/11/2025 at 9:45 AM, drewski6 said:

3 pitchers , last 20 years, 0 in last 5 years.

I cannot, no matter what I do, get a pitcher to win either WS MVP or playoff MVP in the show (video game), and thats like 50 world series victories over the last 3 years. Not once.

Well, if it can’t be done in MLB: The Show, I can see the crisis.  You should have opened with that.  :)

But if there is any validity, is there a pitcher you can (off the top of your head) recall that was blatantly snubbed?

[Hitch]

7 hours ago, Hugh2 said:

How much better does the Bello, and Rafaela extensions look now?

Breslow needs his John Henry cigar moment. 

Breslow for all the (some fair, lots not) criticism, has made a lot of very good decisions so far. 

[Soxlover]

9 hours ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Yes, with regard to Bello and Rafaela, they are actually exceeding expectations right now, and those extensions do look very good...right now.

MVP may still think we wasted money on those two deals.

[dgalehouse]

On 7/11/2025 at 10:09 AM, notin said:

And now it’s viewed as a World Series Championship year…

2013 had a special significance. It started with the terrorist bombing at the marathon. Then the Boston Strong slogan and the dugout display. The Red Sox became a team on a mission , led by David Ortiz , with the goal of bringing a championship to the city. Many a player exceeded expectations and came up big when needed. It culminated in a World Series Championship year. 

[Soxlover]

6 minutes ago, dgalehouse said:

2013 had a special significance. It started with the terrorist bombing at the marathon. Then the Boston Strong slogan and the dugout display. The Red Sox became a team on a mission , led by David Ortiz , with the goal of bringing a championship to the city. Many a player exceeded expectations and came up big when needed. It culminated in a World Series Championship year. 

That was a factor, IMO. It brought the team together in a focused way, 

[dgalehouse]

18 minutes ago, Soxlover said:

That was a factor, IMO. It brought the team together in a focused way, 

Motivation, drive, purpose , determination and will are also a part of sports. Sometimes, as much as ability. Incidentally, Craig Breslow was a part of that 2013 championship team. 

[moonslav59]

59 minutes ago, dgalehouse said:

Motivation, drive, purpose , determination and will are also a part of sports. Sometimes, as much as ability. Incidentally, Craig Breslow was a part of that 2013 championship team. 

Indeed, and he seems to be carrying over those same qualities you mentioned as a GM, too.

[moonslav59]

I liked Brez before the 10 game streak. I have to admit, I like him even more, now, but he's done a lot beyond just a few bold and impactful moves. I'm pumped up over the focus on farm pitching, as well as 26 man and 40 man roster pitching improvements.

Okay, the Sale trade backfired spectacularly and horrifically. I won't relitigate on why it had some logic behind the plan.

The Buehler and Hendriks deals have sucked, and $31M is $31M not spent elsewhere, but so many other moves have gone very well and insanely well.

Brez has rarely traded away pitching for non pitching and even the Priester deal brought us back a decent pitching prospect. The E R-C deal brought us a catcher who has helped so many other pitchers improve, who cares?

I love this last draft. Love the extensions given. Loving more, too.

[Duran Is The Man]

34 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I liked Brez before the 10 game streak. I have to admit, I like him even more, now, but he's done a lot beyond just a few bold and impactful moves. I'm pumped up over the focus on farm pitching, as well as 26 man and 40 man roster pitching improvements.

Okay, the Sale trade backfired spectacularly and horrifically. I won't relitigate on why it had some logic behind the plan.

The Buehler and Hendriks deals have sucked, and $31M is $31M not spent elsewhere, but so many other moves have gone very well and insanely well.

Brez has rarely traded away pitching for non pitching and even the Priester deal brought us back a decent pitching prospect. The E R-C deal brought us a catcher who has helped so many other pitchers improve, who cares?

I love this last draft. Love the extensions given. Loving more, too.

i certainly like the fact that he added Bregman, Chapman and Crochet. now, what he needs to do is get Chapman back for at least one more year, Bregman for multiple and add a #2 starter.

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, Duran Is The Man said:

i certainly like the fact that he added Bregman, Chapman and Crochet. now, what he needs to do is get Chapman back for at least one more year, Bregman for multiple and add a #2 starter.

His work is not done, for sure. He also extended Crochet. I think we never extended anyone under Bloom but Kikebust and the Martin Perez re-worked option year.

The Wilson addition was sweet, too. I hated the fact that he was all they added to the pen with Chapman. Toro did better than Garrett Cooper and started out better than Dom Smith's time with us.

The 2024 Gio signing kicked in well for 2025, too.

[drewski6]

On 7/15/2025 at 9:26 AM, notin said:

Well, if it can’t be done in MLB: The Show, I can see the crisis.  You should have opened with that.  :)

But if there is any validity, is there a pitcher you can (off the top of your head) recall that was blatantly snubbed?

Eovaldi made 8/17 starts for Texas in playoffs. Or something. That doesnt deserve an award?

The idea came to me because of the video game, but the real reason why Im suggesting it is: "why not"

I dont want a WS pitching MVP trophy because not enough innings there.  But due to rotations shortening an ace can get quite a bit of work in during a soup to nuts playoff run, and my reasoning falls back to "why not?"

I know that "why not?" is not earth-shattering logic but honestly: "why not?" Why not have a playoff trophy for just pitchers. A cy young of the postseason.  We can have an MVP for every series but not one pitchers only trophy for the entire playoffs?

[notin]

5 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

Eovaldi made 8/17 starts for Texas in playoffs. Or something. That doesnt deserve an award?

The idea came to me because of the video game, but the real reason why Im suggesting it is: "why not"

I dont want a WS pitching MVP trophy because not enough innings there.  But due to rotations shortening an ace can get quite a bit of work in during a soup to nuts playoff run, and my reasoning falls back to "why not?"

I know that "why not?" is not earth-shattering logic but honestly: "why not?" Why not have a playoff trophy for just pitchers. A cy young of the postseason.  We can have an MVP for every series but not one pitchers only trophy for the entire playoffs?

If a team can the World Series and play only 11 postseason games, what are you rewarding? Maybe 10-15 IP for a starter or 5-6 good IP for a reliever?

[drewski6]

1 hour ago, notin said:

If a team can the World Series and play only 11 postseason games, what are you rewarding? Maybe 10-15 IP for a starter or 5-6 good IP for a reliever?

If 15 IP is 3 wins out of 11 games or 5-6 includes 2-3 big time clutch closeouts, why not? And it wont be like that every year.  Thing about 11 postseason games vs more, it also makes the resumes on the positional player side less eye-popping as well.

[notin]

1 hour ago, drewski6 said:

If 15 IP is 3 wins out of 11 games or 5-6 includes 2-3 big time clutch closeouts, why not? And it wont be like that every year.  Thing about 11 postseason games vs more, it also makes the resumes on the positional player side less eye-popping as well.

In the Sox last 11 games:

Rafaela 39 PA 1.410 OPS 5 HR 15 RBI

Crochet: 14 IP 1.29ERA (1.22FIP) 16K

 Both we’re really good, but didnt one sample just seem smaller?

[drewski6]

1 hour ago, notin said:

In the Sox last 11 games:

Rafaela 39 PA 1.410 OPS 5 HR 15 RBI

Crochet: 14 IP 1.29ERA (1.22FIP) 16K

 Both we’re really good, but didnt one sample just seem smaller?

Sure, and this is my point.  Its hard for a pitcher to put up a body of work that looks as sexy as a red-hot position player over an 11-20 game sample (depending on postseason games played).  I assume if you heard that they were doing one pitcher-only postseason trophy, it wouldnt ruin your day.

We have an MVP for ALCS, NLCS, WS, AL Playoffs, NL Playoffs and maybe others too - as you just showed, when its a small sample size, its hard for a pitcher to outshine a red hot bat.  So why not add a trophy for pitchers only for the playoffs.  Im sick of Vida Blue not getting any playoff hardware in my Show Franchise.  Every year its 25 IP, a WS ring, an ERA under 2, 3-5 wins and he cant get anything (I turned on legends this time).