Article: Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Craig Breslow: "We Are Taking Meaningful Steps"

[Alex Mayes]

Craig Breslow recently sat down for a podcast interview. Now, it's time to look at some quotes and dive into what they meant.

On Friday, Craig Breslow sat down with Sean McAdam and Chris Cotillo from Masslive.com on their Fenway Rundown podcast and answered several questions over the 20-minute interview. Although he couldn’t get into details on thoughts on specific players, he touched on the current right-handed hitter situation, the bullpen, and the future of the team as a whole. Let’s take a look at some of his quotes.

Quote

“The focus has continued to be on building a roster that can compete for the division and the postseason in 25 while balancing with a look at the longer term.”

I decided to start here, and we’ll jump around the interview a bit so that related quotes will be grouped. This is an excellent insight into how the team operates when looking at players like Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado. It’s been reported multiple times that Bregman is looking for a contract for at least six years. It’s also been discussed how the Red Sox, so far, haven’t been willing to go that long on an offer. If there’s belief in the young core, more on that in a second, then signing Bregman for the 2025 season makes sense, but locking him up long-term just creates more positional log jams very shortly. 

Quote

“We are still very much engaged in trying to bring in a right-handed hitter, one we think can be a difference maker.”

At this point, I wouldn’t call Alex Bregman or Nolan Arenado, a difference-maker right-handed hitter. They would improve the defense in the infield, and metrics say that playing half of their games at Fenway would bring their numbers up, but once again, we’re looking at short-term improvements that don’t impact the team as the young core grows together. If the contention window isn’t wide open in 2025, adding either of these players doesn’t make much sense. The hope is that the team is in talks to trade for a right-handed hitter, but we’d have to imagine that most teams are not looking to move impact players right now as spring training is underway. Still, an addition later in the season would be welcomed.

Quote

“I understand the criticism (of comments early in the offseason), but at the same time, my job is to put the most competitive team on the field as I possibly can, and we are taking meaningful steps towards doing that…ultimately I think the barometer for our success is going to be where we finish in the standings and that is absolutely the way it should be.”

I was relieved to hear Craig say that he understood the growing criticisms because it shows that the team is at least still somewhat plugged into the fanbase and their feelings. I also agree with him that the team has taken a significant step forward this offseason, thanks to the additions of Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler. Even the additions of Patrick Sandoval, Justin Wilson, and Aroldis Chapman helped to push the Red Sox in the right direction throughout the season. Holes still need to be addressed, but the Red Sox should be a better team in 2025 than in 2024. 

Quote

“We are incredibly excited about Kristian’s and other’s future in the organization…at the same time, I don’t think it’s fair to put so much pressure on young, unproven players…To sit here in early February and say that our only path to success this season means these young players have to shoulder significant responsibilities is probably unfair pressure.”

Like most of the fanbase, the front office is excited to see what the top prospects in the system can contribute at the big-league level, but they seem to understand that placing such immense pressure on the young core could easily put them in a position where they feel as though they can’t succeed. That’s not to say these players don’t believe in themselves; they absolutely do, and I firmly believe that they would step into whatever role they were asked to with ease and be successful, but having other players in place to ease the young group into the majors could be a great path forward. It would give them veterans to lean on and learn from while allowing them to grow into themselves as baseball players.

Quote

“Our hope is over time we can field a bullpen from homegrown pitchers, but right now we’re not there yet, and so if the opportunity exists to bring in someone who enhances that back end, particularly someone who can provide leverage innings, we’re going to be open to that pursuit.”

It’s nice to hear that the Red Sox are still looking for bullpen upgrades, but with pitchers and catchers reporting next week, the options on the free-agent market are thin. You’d have to imagine that if teams are unwilling to talk trades for position players, trades for relievers are even more unlikely. The Red Sox are counting on outside additions of Chapman and Wilson to help stabilize the bullpen while young pitchers like Justin Slaten and Luis Guerrero take the next step forward. Garrett Whitlock returns to 2021 reliever form after coming off an internal bracing procedure, hoping Liam Hendriks can be a lights-out closer again. That’s…a lot of counting on things that could easily fall apart early in the season. In some way, an additional impact arm will be crucial for Boston if they want to play into October this season.

Quote

“Having Trevor (Story) at shortstop daily provides a calming presence across the infield.”

This is a factual statement; the infield did seem calmer once Story returned to the lineup to close the season in 2024. However, counting on Story as the everyday shortstop seems shortsighted, as he hasn’t been able to stay healthy since landing in Boston in 2022. They’ve been freak injuries, but the point still stands. I would love to see a healthy Story all year who can mentor the young infield, but I’ll still err on the side of caution here. Story can be an impactful veteran, especially if his bat starts to come back around, and can be incredibly useful as a clubhouse leader. We’re counting on him staying healthy for that to happen, and so far, he hasn’t been healthy in Boston.

All in all, Craig Breslow handled the interview well. He didn’t get into a ton of technical terminology that would leave the listeners lost, and he took ownership of some of the shortcomings of the offseason. As Red Sox fans, we all want to see our favorite team do more in the offseason, but sometimes deals don’t get to the finish line, and the Dodgers make a better offer because they’re the Dodgers. Breslow is correct when he says that the offseason's true grade comes at the season's end. Should the Red Sox surprise everyone, make a run at the division title, and make some noise in the playoffs, I think we’ll all look back on this offseason in a far more positive light.

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[Bellhorn04]

I like Breslow, but some of this stuff strikes me as nothing more than artful BS.  Whereas with Kennedy you get the clumsy BS.

In my opinion, if we don't get that RH bat and we don't get another back end reliever, the only plausible  explanation is - you guessed it, money.  FSG likes having it more than spending it.    

Because a number of RH bats and back end relievers have been readily available in return for one thing - money.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Now we know why -- even after trading for Crochet -- Breslow is stumbling to the finish line of another offseason.

It's hard to take another meaningful step with your foot in your mouth.

[Bellhorn04]

After a while, telling us you failed, even in a well-articulated and accountable way, just ain't good enough.

[moonslav59]

We need actionS- not talk.

The worst part is, a couple more minor to moderate additions were all we really need to be pretty strong contenders for 2nd place.

[moonslav59]

If you count Gio and Hendriks as 2025 additions, Brez has done a lot to bolster the pitching staff, but he's left the other half of the roster up to the kids, and the kids alone. Stop with the "not putting pressure" on them. This is precisely what he did. He replaced McGuire with Narvaez, and that is it on everyday players.

Pitching add-ons:

Crochet. Buehler, Giolito, Sandoval (Damn! 4 meaningful SP'er additions!) Plus, Criswell, Fulmer, Fitts & Priester from 2024.

Hendriks, Chapman, Wilson do not really replace Jansen & Martin, but we also lost some pretty bad RP'ers, so maybe call it even. (Brez added Slaten, Weissert, I Campbell and in 2024.)

Great job on the rotation, which needed help, but maybe not this much.

Meh on the pen.

Nothing on everyday players with no O'Neill replacement.

Nothing on improving the defense, beyond hoping for less injuries.

Okay, in one area we "took steps," forward. In others, we stood still or took steps backwards.

Once, again, it comes down to Story's health & production level, general team health and the kids.

[notin]

5 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

 

It's hard to take another meaningful step with your foot in your mouth.

You need to stitch that on a pillow and sell it on Etsy…

[dgalehouse]

We need a " Yale talk" to baseball fan language dictionary to fully understand Craig. 

[Bellhorn04]

One thing I would ask Craig is, if he really does have plenty of financial resources available, why is he having so much trouble getting these deals across the finish line, as he puts it?

[notin]

46 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

One thing I would ask Craig is, if he really does have plenty of financial resources available, why is he having so much trouble getting these deals across the finish line, as he puts it?

“It’s not a question of available resources.  We operate using an internal valuation for each player and then follow up accordingly.  Using this methodology we feel gives our team the best chance at success.”

 

Whatcha think, on a scale of 1 - 10?

[Bellhorn04]

9 minutes ago, notin said:

“It’s not a question of available resources.  We operate using an internal valuation for each player and then follow up accordingly.  Using this methodology we feel gives our team the best chance at success.”

 

Whatcha think, on a scale of 1 - 10?

Frighteningly plausible.  9.5.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

1 hour ago, notin said:

“It’s not a question of available resources.  We operate using an internal valuation for each player and then follow up accordingly.  Using this methodology we feel gives our team the best chance at success.”

 

Whatcha think, on a scale of 1 - 10?

Solid 8. For a 9, a Cheap Baseball Officer would edit thusly: "Using this methodology we feel optimizes opportunities for success.”

(less fortuitous, more alliterative = craptacular vernacular)

[moonslav59]

4 hours ago, Bellhorn04 said:

One thing I would ask Craig is, if he really does have plenty of financial resources available, why is he having so much trouble getting these deals across the finish line, as he puts it?

More of the disconnect being exposed.

I have hard time thinking Brez keeps slamming on the breaks and deeming this or that guy, too expensive for his liking. 

I can't believe Brez chose to leave money on the table out of some sense of not overpaying anyone.

[Duran Is The Man]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

More of the disconnect being exposed.

I have hard time thinking Brez keeps slamming on the breaks and deeming this or that guy, too expensive for his liking. 

I can't believe Brez chose to leave money on the table out of some sense of not overpaying anyone.

it's so obvious that saving Henry money is their main concern. not winning.

[moonslav59]

9 hours ago, Duran Is The Man said:

it's so obvious that saving Henry money is their main concern. not winning.

Yup, but they won't come out and just say it.

"If the right guy comes along, we'll pay..." What BS.

[Hitch]

20 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

We need actionS- not talk.

The worst part is, a couple more minor to moderate additions were all we really need to be pretty strong contenders for 2nd place.

I'm talking against myself as much as anyone else here as I've mentioned a few times they should be more clearer and honest with their talking, but also, there's not a lot more the guy can say. He can't go into too much detail as he's not allowed, and yet fans will attack management for not standing up and being held to account. 

A lot of the podcast guys are constantly complaining that not enough news is coming out, and that they're not opening themselves to questioning, but really what they're moaning about is - we need more content for our subscribers, please give us more to talk about.

[Hitch]

9 hours ago, Duran Is The Man said:

it's so obvious that saving Henry money is their main concern. not winning.

Is it? I think the obvious thing is that Henry and others are obsessed with winning through maximum efficiency. They're numbers and stats guys. They want the perfect team at a good price and believe it should be possible. 

And they have the numbers on their side when it comes to long term/high risk contracts for aging pitchers (and even position players).

They're cheaper and more reserved than they should be, but I don't think saving money is their concern. It's outthinking the rest of the league and being seen as smarter. That's what seems to drive them more than anything.

[Bellhorn04]

3 minutes ago, Hitch said:

I'm talking against myself as much as anyone else here as I've mentioned a few times they should be more clearer and honest with their talking, but also, there's not a lot more the guy can say. He can't go into too much detail as he's not allowed, and yet fans will attack management for not standing up and being held to account. 

A lot of the podcast guys are constantly complaining that not enough news is coming out, and that they're not opening themselves to questioning, but really what they're moaning about is - we need more content for our subscribers, please give us more to talk about.

Yeah, Breslow is in a no-win situation.  He doesn't want to outright lie but he can't really tell the whole truth, either.   

[Bellhorn04]

2 minutes ago, Hitch said:

Is it? I think the obvious thing is that Henry and others are obsessed with winning through maximum efficiency. They're numbers and stats guys. They want the perfect team at a good price and believe it should be possible. 

And they have the numbers on their side when it comes to long term/high risk contracts for aging pitchers (and even position players).

They're cheaper and more reserved than they should be, but I don't think saving money is their concern. It's outthinking the rest of the league and being seen as smarter. That's what seems to drive them more than anything.

We're all just speculating.

The thing is we're being run by a conglomerate called Fenway Sports Group now.  Henry doesn't even own a majority of the shares anymore.  It's probably safe to assume there are shareholders who care more about their return on investment than the Sox W-L record.  

[Hitch]

4 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

We're all just speculating.

The thing is we're being run by a conglomerate called Fenway Sports Group now.  Henry doesn't even own a majority of the shares anymore.  It's probably safe to assume there are shareholders who care more about their return on investment than the Sox W-L record.  

To a degree. But Henry still owns 40% of the shares. Werner is in second, estimated somewhere between 12 and 15% I believe. Third place is Red Bird Capital with 11% and then a whole host of smaller investors, so it's still very much driven by the top two. 

And winning is still the biggest way to increase your value which brings with it ever increasing $$$ sponsorships and partnerships. 

Does anyone really believe they don't care if they win or not? I think it's obvious they want to win, but while being seen as the smartest kid in the room. To me it's their arrogance that is killing us, not their thriftiness. 

[mvp 78]

23 hours ago, Bellhorn04 said:

I like Breslow, but some of this stuff strikes me as nothing more than artful BS.  Whereas with Kennedy you get the clumsy BS.

In my opinion, if we don't get that RH bat and we don't get another back end reliever, the only plausible  explanation is - you guessed it, money.  FSG likes having it more than spending it.    

Because a number of RH bats and back end relievers have been readily available in return for one thing - money.

I don't think they really liked the RHB on the market and they didn't want to sign relievers to deals longer than one year. The guys that got one year deals were potentially not seen as upgrades. That's my only guess on the matter. 

There's nothing new to be found here and nothing enlightening. We already know what the CBO is going to say before he says it. Breslow may just be a little more artful than Bloom was. 

[mvp 78]

14 hours ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Frighteningly plausible.  9.5.

Agreed. They've been running their internal value system out there since the Lester days. It has less to do with trying to save a buck and more to do with trying to look smart in front of other owners. Henry COULD outspend everyone else, but that just wouldn't be sporting of him. He still worries about revenue sharing to smaller clubs (unlike other bigger clubs) and wants to win the same way he made all his money back in the day. I've said it over and over again, but just rewatch the Henry scene in Moneyball. It's all you need to know. I would bet everything that he looks at the '25 Dodgers and Mets the same way he looked at the Yankees 20+ years ago.

John Henry: For forty-one million, you built a playoff team. You lost Damon, Giambi, Isringhausen, Pena and you won more games without them than you did with them. You won the exact same number of games that the Yankees won, but the Yankees spent one point four million per win and you paid two hundred and sixty thousand. I know you've taken it in the teeth out there, but the first guy through the wall. It always gets bloody, always. It's the threat of not just the way of doing business, but in their minds it's threatening the game. But really what it's threatening is their livelihoods, it's threatening their jobs, it's threatening the way that they do things. And every time that happens, whether it's the government or a way of doing business or whatever it is, the people are holding the reins, have their hands on the switch. They go bat s*** crazy. I mean, anybody who's not building a team right and rebuilding it using your model, they're dinosaurs. They'll be sitting on their ass on the sofa in October, watching the Boston Red Sox win the World Series.

[Hitch]

To add to the proof of this - Liverpool has a much smaller payroll than other teams in the EPL and way lower spending threshold, and yet, apart from the odd season, has vastly outperformed the other teams (bar Manchester City who are a juggernaut and managed by possibly the greatest manager to have ever lived). They are routinely held up an ultra smart and brilliantly run football team, defined by their use of data and analytics.

They currently have three of their best players running down their contracts. Two of them are two of the best players to have ever played for the club, and the fans cannot understand why they are not signed up already. One is 33, the other is 32,

The patterns are the same, they're just having much more success with Liverpool than the Red Sox. And there's still Liverpool fans that want them out of the club (due to not spending enough in their eyes and ticket prices).

[mvp 78]

23 minutes ago, Hitch said:

To add to the proof of this - Liverpool has a much smaller payroll than other teams in the EPL and way lower spending threshold, and yet, apart from the odd season, has vastly outperformed the other teams (bar Manchester City who are a juggernaut and managed by possibly the greatest manager to have ever lived). They are routinely held up an ultra smart and brilliantly run football team, defined by their use of data and analytics.

They currently have three of their best players running down their contracts. Two of them are two of the best players to have ever played for the club, and the fans cannot understand why they are not signed up already. One is 33, the other is 32,

The patterns are the same, they're just having much more success with Liverpool than the Red Sox. And there's still Liverpool fans that want them out of the club (due to not spending enough in their eyes and ticket prices).

With Liverpool, they are still in the Sox 2016-18 golden age. Eventually, their time will run out and other teams will catch up. The lack of spending will come back to bite them. 

[Bellhorn04]

48 minutes ago, Hitch said:

To a degree. But Henry still owns 40% of the shares. Werner is in second, estimated somewhere between 12 and 15% I believe. Third place is Red Bird Capital with 11% and then a whole host of smaller investors, so it's still very much driven by the top two. 

And winning is still the biggest way to increase your value which brings with it ever increasing $$$ sponsorships and partnerships. 

Does anyone really believe they don't care if they win or not? I think it's obvious they want to win, but while being seen as the smartest kid in the room. To me it's their arrogance that is killing us, not their thriftiness. 

You'd think missing the playoffs 5 out of the last 6 years would knock some of the arrogance out. 

[Hitch]

37 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

With Liverpool, they are still in the Sox 2016-18 golden age. Eventually, their time will run out and other teams will catch up. The lack of spending will come back to bite them. 

Possibly, but the same thing has been leveled at them since 2018, and they continue to outsmart financially bigger clubs. They have a young squad and an outstanding new manager. They're in a very good place.  Of course, replacing VVD, Salah and Trent all in one summer will take some doing if that's what needs to happen, but they've been mostly excellent since 2018. They are a brilliantly run club. 

Of course, Henry has next to no involvement in how the club is run, and we don't have a Sam Kennedy at the helm. but the pattern of operation remains the same. Liverpool just has smarter people running it than the Red Sox.

[Hitch]

40 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

You'd think missing the playoffs 5 out of the last 6 years would knock some of the arrogance out. 

I don't imagine there's many bashful billionaires. 

[mvp 78]

20 minutes ago, Hitch said:

Possibly, but the same thing has been leveled at them since 2018, and they continue to outsmart financially bigger clubs. They have a young squad and an outstanding new manager. They're in a very good place.  Of course, replacing VVD, Salah and Trent all in one summer will take some doing if that's what needs to happen, but they've been mostly excellent since 2018. They are a brilliantly run club. 

Of course, Henry has next to no involvement in how the club is run, and we don't have a Sam Kennedy at the helm. but the pattern of operation remains the same. Liverpool just has smarter people running it than the Red Sox.

I'm not sure Sam impacts anything with the Red Sox except the PR spin. 

[notin]

2 hours ago, Hitch said:

Is it? I think the obvious thing is that Henry and others are obsessed with winning through maximum efficiency. They're numbers and stats guys. They want the perfect team at a good price and believe it should be possible. 

And they have the numbers on their side when it comes to long term/high risk contracts for aging pitchers (and even position players).

They're cheaper and more reserved than they should be, but I don't think saving money is their concern. It's outthinking the rest of the league and being seen as smarter. That's what seems to drive them more than anything.

Actually what you said - which I believe to be absolutely true and well-stated - is a fancy way of stating “they want to save money.”

Yes they want to win cheaply, but recent history has shown they will sacrifice winning before they sacrifice cheaply…

[Bellhorn04]

4 minutes ago, notin said:

Actually what you said - which I believe to be absolutely true and well-stated - is a fancy way of stating “they want to save money.”

Yes they want to win cheaply, but recent history has shown they will sacrifice winning before they sacrifice cheaply…

We're seeing it right now.  Not even 3 straight years of .500 and under baseball has motivated them to spend.

Obviously the revenues and profits are not being affected in a noticeably damaging way by the mediocre/poor results.