Take a bow Mr Breslow

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

I'm not buying that.

I think he sets a firm offering price and won't budge.

He got a lot done over the winter, made a huge summer trade. I think he sticks to the idea that overpaying for deadline deals should be avoided and to make most deals in the winter, It's not a bad strategy.

I do wish he'd done more at the deadline (like get Joe Ryan or M Keller.) I do not think he should be fired for not doing a deal none of us know what the return was to be.

I think he should have moved on from Ryan and found something else. Maybe he tried and was unable to secure another arm? That's not what I've heard, but that doesn't mean it's not the case. 

[notin]

55 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

"He has better interpersonal skills than you may think" is a much better defense than he doesnt need those skills

-A superior baseball  life mind

Ok but why the accusation that he lacks interpersonal skills?

[notin]

15 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I think he should have moved on from Ryan and found something else. Maybe he tried and was unable to secure another arm? That's not what I've heard, but that doesn't mean it's not the case. 

He clearly did try to secure another arm - Dustin May.

Just because a trade doesn’t produce the desired results doesn’t mean it didn’t happen …

[notin]

Since folks are still hung up on the trade deadline activities not being as happy as we needed, Joe Ryan has been getting torched since the Sox failed to acquire him.  He’s been barely better than May, but would have come for a much more significant cost.

Time to let go of Ryan…

[mvp 78]

15 minutes ago, notin said:

Ok but why the accusation that he lacks interpersonal skills?

Because he does? 

[mvp 78]

13 minutes ago, notin said:

He clearly did try to secure another arm - Dustin May.

Just because a trade doesn’t produce the desired results doesn’t mean it didn’t happen …

The May trade was in place prior to the Ryan trade. He could have pivoted from Ryan and tried to acquire another arm. 

[mvp 78]

12 minutes ago, notin said:

Since folks are still hung up on the trade deadline activities not being as happy as we needed, Joe Ryan has been getting torched since the Sox failed to acquire him.  He’s been barely better than May, but would have come for a much more significant cost.

Time to let go of Ryan…

I didn't think Ryan was really a possibility at the deadline. The cost was too high for a controllable starter at that time. However, the Sox needed a 2nd starter. 

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, drewski6 said:

Your interpersonal skills are your most important skills, my most important skills, and yes even a GM'CBOs most important skill

Maybe not as a player, but right now - hes a suit, and there isnt a suit job in the world where being able to communicate and lead are not super important.

He expertly "communicated" with the Whist Sox GM, and others.

[Cameron Tran]

5 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I didn't think Ryan was really a possibility at the deadline. The cost was too high for a controllable starter at that time. However, the Sox needed a 2nd starter. 

The problem was Breslow didn't recognize that, and had pretty bad tunnel vision into going after Ryan. I still think we could have easily beat Texas' offer for Merril Kelly

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

30 minutes ago, notin said:

He clearly did try to secure another arm - Dustin May.

Just because a trade doesn’t produce the desired results doesn’t mean it didn’t happen …

The Sox shouldn't trade with the Dodgers. The Dodgers outsmart them every time.

[mvp 78]

5 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

The Sox shouldn't trade with the Dodgers. The Dodgers outsmart them every time.

7/31/04:

Henri Staley OF

for

Dave Roberts OF

May be the only good trade of a long list of nightmares (includes trading away Pee Wee Reese). 

[moonslav59]

33 minutes ago, Cameron Tran said:

The problem was Breslow didn't recognize that, and had pretty bad tunnel vision into going after Ryan. I still think we could have easily beat Texas' offer for Merril Kelly

Maybe he made an offer for Kelly, too, but I do agree, we should have done better than M & M.

The Rangers gave up Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake & David Hagaman.

Kelly had a 137 ERA+ before the trade. It's been 126 afterwards. We could have used that, for sure.

 

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

25 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

7/31/04:

Henri Staley OF

for

Dave Roberts OF

May be the only good trade of a long list of nightmares (includes trading away Pee Wee Reese). 

Good catch.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

13 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Maybe he made an offer for Kelly, too, but I do agree, we should have done better than M & M.

The Rangers gave up Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake & David Hagaman.

Kelly had a 137 ERA+ before the trade. It's been 126 afterwards. We could have used that, for sure.

 

Matz has been pretty good.

[Cameron Tran]

9 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Maybe he made an offer for Kelly, too, but I do agree, we should have done better than M & M.

The Rangers gave up Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake & David Hagaman.

Kelly had a 137 ERA+ before the trade. It's been 126 afterwards. We could have used that, for sure.

 

I heard the DBacks wanted Early but the Sox were only willing to give Brandon Clarke. Heard that from Section 10, not sure how reliable that is but wanted to source. 

[moonslav59]

14 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Matz has been pretty good.

Yes, and Lowe was a plus.

[moonslav59]

14 minutes ago, Cameron Tran said:

I heard the DBacks wanted Early but the Sox were only willing to give Brandon Clarke. Heard that from Section 10, not sure how reliable that is but wanted to source. 

Early or Clarke seems about the going rate, to me, but I'm not sure I'd say yes. I probably would, but this doesn't rise to a "firing offense," to me.

[Cameron Tran]

24 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Early or Clarke seems about the going rate, to me, but I'm not sure I'd say yes. I probably would, but this doesn't rise to a "firing offense," to me.

No, absolutely not a "firing offense." All in all, I think the main problem was Breslow being complacent with May and not having an alternative if they couldn't land Ryan (which always looked unlikely) 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

7/31/04:

Henri Staley OF

for

Dave Roberts OF

May be the only good trade of a long list of nightmares (includes trading away Pee Wee Reese). 

Worst Red Sox-Dodgers trade of all-time:

Boston traded the opportunity to sign Jackie Robinson for a white clipboard that Brooklyn no longer used for its roster.

The Dodgers won six pennants in 10 years with Robinson, when the Sox won zero.

[moonslav59]

29 minutes ago, Cameron Tran said:

No, absolutely not a "firing offense." All in all, I think the main problem was Breslow being complacent with May and not having an alternative if they couldn't land Ryan (which always looked unlikely) 

His alternative might have been Kelly and others, but the asking price drove him to May.

[mvp 78]

7 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

His alternative might have been Kelly and others, but the asking price drove him to May.

No, he landed May and kept asking for Ryan. He even included TOLLE in a package for Ryan at the last minute that the Twins turned down. 

[moonslav59]

4 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

No, he landed May and kept asking for Ryan. He even included TOLLE in a package for Ryan at the last minute that the Twins turned down. 

They traded for May with 3 seconds to the deadline.

[moonslav59]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

I think he should have moved on from Ryan and found something else. Maybe he tried and was unable to secure another arm? That's not what I've heard, but that doesn't mean it's not the case. 

I was all for landing a good SP'er at the deadline, and the need sure proved to be a high priority.

I was hoping for Ryan or Keller, and Kelly would have been fine, but I understand and respect setting a price and not going over it.

Tolle plus others for Ryan might have been too much, so I hesitate to bash a GM over deal details we don't know, and even if we did know, the results of he trade would be TBD.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

40 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Worst Red Sox-Dodgers trade of all-time:

Boston traded the opportunity to sign Jackie Robinson for a white clipboard that Brooklyn no longer used for its roster.

The Dodgers won six pennants in 10 years with Robinson, when the Sox won zero.

Yawkey was the owner. Nothing more has to be said.

[moonslav59]

42 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

 

Boston traded the opportunity to sign Jackie Robinson for a white clipboard that Brooklyn no longer used for its roster.

Had they used a black clipboard, Jackie might have signed with the Sox.

[mvp 78]

17 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

They traded for May with 3 seconds to the deadline.

No. That was done way earlier. It may not have been announced until the deadline. 

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

The Sox did sign Pumpsie Green in 1959.

Edited September 9, 2025 by SPLENDIDSPLINTER

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

8 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

The Sox did sign Pumpsie Green in 1959.

Only 12 years after Robinson debuted for the Dodgers.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

18 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Only 12 years after Robinson debuted for the Dodgers.

Lucky for Ted Williams that most Boston fans at the time didn't know he was half Mexican. Now I wonder if Yawkey knew.

[Bellhorn04]

Hate to say it but if the Sox miss the playoffs Craig is going to take a ton of heat for not doing more for the offense after trading Devers.  We ended up in a position of counting on Anthony a bit too much and then we got a bad break.