Take a bow Mr Breslow

[Randy Red Sox]

Well I have never been known to be the most positive Red Sox fan and the site Love our Sox actually banned me for being too negative but I have to give props to Craig Breslow for his overall excellent work so far this season. Hell I even have to " reluctantly" give a small {very small} thumbs up to Ebenezer Henry for opening his wallet "just a tiny bit" this year.  I was initially very skeptical of the FA signings of BOTH Alex Bregman and ESPECIALLY Alrodis Chapman but both have been NAILS this season.  Even the 2 deadline low risk pickups in May and Matz have been impactful and so was the no-brainer pickup of Nathanial Lowe as well. Extending Anthony to a long term extension was a coup and I hope we can do the same with Mayer despite his injury history.  He is a good player and hopefully will be in Boston long term. I really like that Breslow has focused on building the Pitching prospect depth as well and things look bright for the Sox long term. Hats off to to Mr Breslow !!

[Hitch]

I've been very impressed with Breslow. Got a few things wrong as every GM does and it'll be interesting long term to see how his drafts work out, but the contract extensions have been mostly superb and signed a lot of great players.

Not sure i agree on extending Mayer though. 3rd year in a row he's had his season cut short through injury.

[Bellhorn04]

I'd say a reasonable objective for 2025 was to make the postseason any which way.  If we follow through and achieve that, Breslow certainly deserves much of the credit.  He has made some excellent moves, no doubt about that. 

[notin]

6 hours ago, Hitch said:

I've been very impressed with Breslow. Got a few things wrong as every GM does and it'll be interesting long term to see how his drafts work out, but the contract extensions have been mostly superb and signed a lot of great players.

Not sure i agree on extending Mayer though. 3rd year in a row he's had his season cut short through injury.

A GM who gets nothing wrong is a GM who’s not trying hard enough…

[FredLynn]

12 hours ago, Randy Red Sox said:

Well I have never been known to be the most positive Red Sox fan and the site Love our Sox actually banned me for being too negative but I have to give props to Craig Breslow for his overall excellent work so far this season. Hell I even have to " reluctantly" give a small {very small} thumbs up to Ebenezer Henry for opening his wallet "just a tiny bit" this year.  I was initially very skeptical of the FA signings of BOTH Alex Bregman and ESPECIALLY Alrodis Chapman but both have been NAILS this season.  Even the 2 deadline low risk pickups in May and Matz have been impactful and so was the no-brainer pickup of Nathanial Lowe as well. Extending Anthony to a long term extension was a coup and I hope we can do the same with Mayer despite his injury history.  He is a good player and hopefully will be in Boston long term. I really like that Breslow has focused on building the Pitching prospect depth as well and things look bright for the Sox long term. Hats off to to Mr Breslow !!

I admit that so far his moves seem to be working out. The M&Ms have outperformed what I expected, and its too early to make a judgement on Lowe, though I thought that was a good move. Signing Anthony long term was a no brainer. I think Roman probably left a lot of money on the table though.

Still, I will reserve judgement until the end of the season. Lets see what the final numbers look like. RIght now everyone is rightfully basking in owning the Yankmees. That can affect the judgement of mortal men and women.

[Bellhorn04]

5 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

I admit that so far his moves seem to be working out. The M&Ms have outperformed what I expected, and its too early to make a judgement on Lowe, though I thought that was a good move. Signing Anthony long term was a no brainer. I think Roman probably left a lot of money on the table though.

Is that a criticism of Breslow? 😉

Anthony's contract does include a bunch of "accelerators" which could reportedly increase the value by up to a hundred mill.
 

[Bellhorn04]

7 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

Still, I will reserve judgement until the end of the season. Lets see what the final numbers look like. 

I find you're not so quick to "reserve judgement" when the team is going crappy. 😄

[FredLynn]

3 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Is that a criticism of Breslow? 😉

Anthony's contract does include a bunch of "accelerators" which could reportedly increase the value by up to a hundred mill.
 

I am not aware of the content of Anthony's contract but I think he is likely going to be a major force going forward. In five years that 100M increase in value might seem like a drop in the bucket. I am glad Breslow signed him but if I were Anthony I think I would have waited and hired Borass.

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, FredLynn said:

I am not aware of the content of Anthony's contract but I think he is likely going to be a major force going forward. In five years that 100M increase in value might seem like a drop in the bucket. I am glad Breslow signed him but if I were Anthony I think I would have waited and hired Borass.

It's $130M/8, so the all important AAV will be a hit on the lux tax, starting in 2026. (He would have been below $1M in 2026, so the front end is a budget burden at $16.25M, but over the long haul, it should be a major budget asset.) The team also has a 9th year option with no buyout cost, but it's $30M, so he better be great to kick that option is.

Here is the year by year:

 

• $5M signing bonus 26:$2M, 27:$4M, 28:$8M, 29:$15M, 30:$19M, 31:$23M, 32:$25M, 33:$29M, 34:$30M club option (no buyout)
• awards may increase 2031-34 salaries up to $14M in 2031, $16.2M in 2032, $18.4M in 2033, $21.6M in 2034:
  • $1M annually in 2032 or 2033 for first or second place in Rookie of the Year vote
  • $2M in 2034 for first or second place in Rookie of the Year vote
  • $2M each for winning league MVP award
  • $1M each for second or third place in MVP vote
  • $750,000 each for fourth or fifth place in MVP vote
  • $500,000 each for sixth through 10th in MVP vote
• per cots.

 

[moonslav59]

I'm really excited about the Sox extending so many of our core young players and prospects. Only the Campbell one looks somewhat questionable, as of now, but it's way too early to judge that deal. The Bello and Rafaela extensions made previously were questioned by a few posters, here, and there was some merit to question why the need for jumping the gun on these two, but clearly Bello would get more had we waited until now. Rafaela is third in fWAR on the team and about tied with Duran for second on fWAR per PA or game started. He's ranked about 50th in all MLB. His $6.25 AAV looks like a steal, now, to me.

The Crochet extension made the trade 5 times better.

[Yaz Fan Since 67]

On 8/24/2025 at 11:19 AM, FredLynn said:

I admit that so far his moves seem to be working out. The M&Ms have outperformed what I expected, and its too early to make a judgement on Lowe, though I thought that was a good move. Signing Anthony long term was a no brainer. I think Roman probably left a lot of money on the table though.

Still, I will reserve judgement until the end of the season. Lets see what the final numbers look like. RIght now everyone is rightfully basking in owning the Yankmees. That can affect the judgement of mortal men and women.

As I have posted I'm worried that Anthony will turn into a Scotty Pippen situation.  If he continues to rake and is a multiple all star how long will be we willing to be paid like a mid-level player?

[moonslav59]

18 minutes ago, Yaz Fan Since 67 said:

As I have posted I'm worried that Anthony will turn into a Scotty Pippen situation.  If he continues to rake and is a multiple all star how long will be we willing to be paid like a mid-level player?

Most of the contract length covers what would have been his pre-arb and arb years, and he will make more under this deal on the front end. Players should appreciate that, as they can live the high life 3-5 years earlier, and if they invest their early earning well, they can end up doing better than waiting it out.

He should also realize his pay is influenced by injury risk.

[Bellhorn04]

19 minutes ago, Yaz Fan Since 67 said:

As I have posted I'm worried that Anthony will turn into a Scotty Pippen situation.  If he continues to rake and is a multiple all star how long will be we willing to be paid like a mid-level player?

Jeez man you must be desperate for things to worry about.  Anthony does have accelerators in his contract that give him bumps for awards and honors, could add up to $100 mill.  It was a brilliant deal for both sides.

[mvp 78]

32 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Jeez man you must be desperate for things to worry about.  Anthony does have accelerators in his contract that give him bumps for awards and honors, could add up to $100 mill.  It was a brilliant deal for both sides.

I hope he reaches every escalator. It would mean he's one of the best players in the game and taking home MVP's. 

• $1M if earns 1st-2nd Place for ROY in 2025
• $2M for each MVP 1st in any previous year
• $1M for each MVP 2nd-3rd in any previous year
• $750K for each MVP 4th-5th in any previous year
• $500K for each MVP 6th-10th in any previous year
• $200K for each All-Star Election/Selection in any previous year

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Team's in a steady position right now. But a week ago we were wobbling. No one expected to win 3-of-4 in the Bronx, and now no one expects to lose a series in Baltimore. 

Things change fast, and while I'm satisfied with Breslow doing his job, there should be no bows until the Sox officially clinch a playoff berth. 

One more W vs. the O's, or Pirates in Fenway this weekend, and August will be a winning month for the first time this decade.

Guys are stepping up. Hamilton drives me crazy sometimes, but last night he popped a homer and actually laid one down (and then Narvaez touched the ball and scored the runner from 3rd). Hammy also used his speed to rob a few singles in the hole vs. NY. It would be great if he could contribute consistently so Ceddanne can stay in a CF -- where he's a difference-maker and superior to anyone else on the roster.

[moonslav59]

Brez deserves more than a bow.

[Maxbialystock]

On 8/23/2025 at 11:00 PM, Randy Red Sox said:

Well I have never been known to be the most positive Red Sox fan and the site Love our Sox actually banned me for being too negative but I have to give props to Craig Breslow for his overall excellent work so far this season. Hell I even have to " reluctantly" give a small {very small} thumbs up to Ebenezer Henry for opening his wallet "just a tiny bit" this year.  I was initially very skeptical of the FA signings of BOTH Alex Bregman and ESPECIALLY Alrodis Chapman but both have been NAILS this season.  Even the 2 deadline low risk pickups in May and Matz have been impactful and so was the no-brainer pickup of Nathanial Lowe as well. Extending Anthony to a long term extension was a coup and I hope we can do the same with Mayer despite his injury history.  He is a good player and hopefully will be in Boston long term. I really like that Breslow has focused on building the Pitching prospect depth as well and things look bright for the Sox long term. Hats off to to Mr Breslow !!

So nice of you.  

[notin]

1 hour ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Jeez man you must be desperate for things to worry about.  Anthony does have accelerators in his contract that give him bumps for awards and honors, could add up to $100 mill.  It was a brilliant deal for both sides.

Not to mention the Sox could renegotiate the deal at any time if Anthony is disgruntled.  But even if he never does, he is going to make $130mill by the time he turns 30.  And then hit free agency while still young enough to cash in again….

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Brez deserves more than a bow.

Needs to win something first. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

6 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Needs to win something first. 

The concise version of my post...

Brez has built a roster to contend -- that's his job. 

He also did it while trading a key member of the roster in-season, a move arguably more risky than when Epstein traded Nomar.

Then Theo's team won it all. Breslow's club still has a few months of trying, to go...

[mvp 78]

1 minute ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

The concise version of my post...

Brez has built a roster to contend -- that's his job. 

He also did it while trading a key member of the roster in-season, a move arguably more risky than when Epstein traded Nomar.

Then Theo's team won it all. Breslow's club still has a few months of trying, to go...

Just to be a little doom and gloom. I like the focus on arms in the org. However, there has been a huge uptick in TJS and other injuries just this season. This is probably due to the pressure of adding velo by the org. We've also seen two of the three highly prized prospects get pushed too quickly to MLB and not have a great first run. The offensive talent behind the big three is really mediocre to poor. Is this really a sustainable model? If not, they better win one in the next 3-4 years. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

3 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Just to be a little doom and gloom. I like the focus on arms in the org. However, there has been a huge uptick in TJS and other injuries just this season. This is probably due to the pressure of adding velo by the org. We've also seen two of the three highly prized prospects get pushed too quickly to MLB and not have a great first run. The offensive talent behind the big three is really mediocre to poor. Is this really a sustainable model? If not, they better win one in the next 3-4 years. 

So true. When Bloom signed Devers to play third base for the next hundred years, he explained to fans at Winter Weekend, "You know what's coming!"

We thought we did, and they're here. Or were. 

Some will flop, some will improve. Few will star.

Here's how I know you're right: my son, who knows so much about minor league prospects that he should be working for Baseball America, has no interest in attending a Portland Sea Dogs game for the first time in half a decade. Their current batting order has one guy with an average higher than the .220s (Castro, .267).

The Sox need to promote them all to WOO asap so they can pad their stats and get overhyped by the PR machine!

[mvp 78]

5 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

The Sox need to promote them all to WOO asap so they can pad their stats and get overhyped by the PR machine!

It's not the PR and padding of stats, but that promoting of YOUNG prospects to a level higher than normal makes the prospect models go crazy. 🤪

There's a 19 year old in AA? HUBBA HUBBA! 

[Maxbialystock]

On 8/24/2025 at 11:19 AM, FredLynn said:

I admit that so far his moves seem to be working out. The M&Ms have outperformed what I expected, and its too early to make a judgement on Lowe, though I thought that was a good move. Signing Anthony long term was a no brainer. I think Roman probably left a lot of money on the table though.

Still, I will reserve judgement until the end of the season. Lets see what the final numbers look like. RIght now everyone is rightfully basking in owning the Yankmees. That can affect the judgement of mortal men and women.

Speaking only as a mere mortal, I think the pitching has made this 2025 Sox team--backed up for the first time this century by a pretty good defense.  Others can feel free to argue that point.

 

[Maxbialystock]

25 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Just to be a little doom and gloom. I like the focus on arms in the org. However, there has been a huge uptick in TJS and other injuries just this season. This is probably due to the pressure of adding velo by the org. We've also seen two of the three highly prized prospects get pushed too quickly to MLB and not have a great first run. The offensive talent behind the big three is really mediocre to poor. Is this really a sustainable model? If not, they better win one in the next 3-4 years. 

Campbell was pushed too early.  Mayer was not.  His problem was the bad wrist which should have had surgery circa 2022.   His hitting wasn't that great but his defense was impressive.  He played in just 44 games.

What the heck do you mean about offensive talent, that only three can hit?   To me the big three are Bregman, Anthony, and Story, but I also like Abreu, Lowe, Duran, Gonzalez, and Ref.  Rafaela had 2 excellent months, June and July- OPS's .870 and .852.  Narvaez was hitting.  Now Wong is.  

If you want to say the Sox hitting is inconsistent, I completely agree.  However, let me remind you that the Yankees have great hitting and were held to 3, 0, and 1 run in the first 3 games at Yankee stadium last week.  Good pitching has also shut down the Sox a few times.  

[mvp 78]

7 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

Campbell was pushed too early.  Mayer was not.  His problem was the bad wrist which should have had surgery circa 2022.   His hitting wasn't that great but his defense was impressive.  He played in just 44 games.

What the heck do you mean about offensive talent, that only three can hit?   To me the big three are Bregman, Anthony, and Story, but I also like Abreu, Lowe, Duran, Gonzalez, and Ref.  Rafaela had 2 excellent months, June and July- OPS's .870 and .852.  Narvaez was hitting.  Now Wong is.  

If you want to say the Sox hitting is inconsistent, I completely agree.  However, let me remind you that the Yankees have great hitting and were held to 3, 0, and 1 run in the first 3 games at Yankee stadium last week.  Good pitching has also shut down the Sox a few times.  

The Big Three: Mayer, Anthony, Campbell (Red Sox basically trademarked this group with that moniker)

If Bregman hadn't been injured, Mayer would not have been called up when he was. He was pushed too early IMO. He's still carrying high whiff and chase rates (especially against offspeed) with a horrible split against LHP. 

[Hitch]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Just to be a little doom and gloom. I like the focus on arms in the org. However, there has been a huge uptick in TJS and other injuries just this season. This is probably due to the pressure of adding velo by the org. We've also seen two of the three highly prized prospects get pushed too quickly to MLB and not have a great first run. The offensive talent behind the big three is really mediocre to poor. Is this really a sustainable model? If not, they better win one in the next 3-4 years. 

Yeah, after the last two drafts, I'd very much like to see us concentrate on position players at the next one. At least in the majority. 

[moonslav59]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Needs to win something first. 

We have-- more games won by this date since 2021.

I think we all agree the roster looks way better than the one he was handed.

If you don't want to bow, then tip your hat.

[Larry Cook]

Bres-slow has done an amazing job. Just having the courage to make the Devers trade knowing the blowback he would receive is incredible, 

how many posters here would take back what they posted about bres-slow after the Devers trade????

But even ignoring the Devers trade for a bit, just look at the number of injuries we have endured this season! Especially injuries to starting pitchers!!!!  The depth is the best it has been in a long time!!!!  
 

Amazing job by bres-slow. We got a young team and young teams have ups and downs, but this team appears to have chemistry that previous teams lacked!!!!

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

We have-- more games won by this date since 2021.

I think we all agree the roster looks way better than the one he was handed.

If you don't want to bow, then tip your hat.

So this team should be better than .500 then? Great! 

Saying it's the best team since 2021 isn't exactly strong praise.