Red Sox's Craig Breslow Era Is Set to End With A Whimper

[moonslav59]

Do we really expect all GM acquisitions and holdovers to have plus WARs every year?

That's the mark?

The W-L record is really all that matters?

Recent results are all that matters?

To those who answer yes to the last two, what's to say about 9-2 in the last 11?

Brez sucks because his utility depth has negative WARs? LMAO. Because he played the $140M guy who hit well, last year and the $90M guy who has like the 3rd or 4th best OPS on the tea over the last 3 years? He was supposed to trade them? LMAO. For what?

Because he kept Duran, when 75% of this board was screaming how stupid it would be to trade our "best" or "top 3 offensive weapon, when our weakness is offense?" Again, LMAO!

No doubt, Brez has made mistakes, and some like missing out on Brez ended up working out well. Some mistakes looked reasonable at the time, but backfired. Such is the fate or every GM to varying degrees.

You ask a GM to make moves and additions that improve the roster. You judge them, when they happen and again in hindsight. Such is the fate of all GMs.

IMO, Brez fixed the decades long problem with the team- the pitching pipeline to the farm. Much is still TBD, but IMO, it's improved vastly. He's also added an ungodly amount of quality SP'ers to the 26, that I'm not sure any Sox GM has ever done, and he's only been the GM for 3 winters and 2 deadlines. Crochet, Suarez, Gray, Bennett & Tolle. What do we hear, instead? "OMG- HE TRADED HARRISON!!!" This was the same guy the same people bitched about him trading Devers for. The comedy never ends, here.

Yes, he botched a major are of need, last winter- the big bat. The pen was also neglected, but hey- newsflash- The budget is not unlimited, and he's traded more prospects than DD. You wanted more than what was possible. Okay, no Suarez or Gray and yes another bat. That would have changed everything?

Sorry for the ramble, the hyperbole & the insinuations that may come across as personal or finger pointing away from myself. I share in much of what I just ranted about and against. I suggested many winter moves that turned out worse than what Brez ended up doing. I'm no better than anyone here: I just felt the need to vent.

We are finally winning and looking like the team some or many of us thought we might be, this year, but damn, Monasterio has a negative WAR. The world is ending!

[moonslav59]

7 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

well, if you play more eaton and you get ethan salads, then youll be eaton salads and that solves obesity.

so my answer is obesity.

You could fast like at the Monasterio, and we'd be no skinnier.

[Bellhorn04]

16 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Do we really expect all GM acquisitions and holdovers to have plus WARs every year?

That's the mark?

The W-L record is really all that matters?

Recent results are all that matters?

To those who answer yes to the last two, what's to say about 9-2 in the last 11?

Brez sucks because his utility depth has negative WARs? LMAO. Because he played the $140M guy who hit well, last year and the $90M guy who has like the 3rd or 4th best OPS on the tea over the last 3 years? He was supposed to trade them? LMAO. For what?

Because he kept Duran, when 75% of this board was screaming how stupid it would be to trade our "best" or "top 3 offensive weapon, when our weakness is offense?" Again, LMAO!

No doubt, Brez has made mistakes, and some like missing out on Brez ended up working out well. Some mistakes looked reasonable at the time, but backfired. Such is the fate or every GM to varying degrees.

You ask a GM to make moves and additions that improve the roster. You judge them, when they happen and again in hindsight. Such is the fate of all GMs.

IMO, Brez fixed the decades long problem with the team- the pitching pipeline to the farm. Much is still TBD, but IMO, it's improved vastly. He's also added an ungodly amount of quality SP'ers to the 26, that I'm not sure any Sox GM has ever done, and he's only been the GM for 3 winters and 2 deadlines. Crochet, Suarez, Gray, Bennett & Tolle. What do we hear, instead? "OMG- HE TRADED HARRISON!!!" This was the same guy the same people bitched about him trading Devers for. The comedy never ends, here.

Yes, he botched a major are of need, last winter- the big bat. The pen was also neglected, but hey- newsflash- The budget is not unlimited, and he's traded more prospects than DD. You wanted more than what was possible. Okay, no Suarez or Gray and yes another bat. That would have changed everything?

Sorry for the ramble, the hyperbole & the insinuations that may come across as personal or finger pointing away from myself. I share in much of what I just ranted about and against. I suggested many winter moves that turned out worse than what Brez ended up doing. I'm no better than anyone here: I just felt the need to vent.

We are finally winning and looking like the team some or many of us thought we might be, this year, but damn, Monasterio has a negative WAR. The world is ending!

I think Sox fans are mostly bitter about the fact that since 2020 the team has had 2 rookie CBOs, has trimmed spending relative to revenue, and if they don't make the playoffs this year they will have only done it only 2 out 7 years under these guys.  The average fan doesn't get into the scrutiny of the individual moves, the pluses and minuses, the way we do.  They look at the results, and the results are pretty damn disappointing.

It's a nutty game, though.  This team still has a shot at some redemption for themselves and Breslow.  Fingers crossed.

[moonslav59]

8 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

I think Sox fans are mostly bitter about the fact that since 2020 the team has had 2 rookie CBOs, has trimmed spending relative to revenue, and if they don't make the playoffs this year they will have only done it only 2 out 7 years under these guys.  The average fan doesn't get into the scrutiny of the individual moves, the pluses and minuses, the way we do.  They look at the results, and the results are pretty damn disappointing.

It's a nutty game, though.  This team still has a shot at some redemption for themselves and Breslow.  Fingers crossed.

It has been extremely disappointing, and I have felt bitter, too. I've gone through phases like many have and are now, so I meant the apology for sounding acusatory.

I was one who was expecting a "cliff," but then 2021 tricked me into thinking maybe we could be like the Rays but with rings. Nobody can pull that off consistently. I shoulda known better.

2025 got my hopes up again, and I'm starting to see the team I hoped we could be, this year, but we dug such a hole, I'm not sure if this is yet another mirage.

[Old Red]

12 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

I think Sox fans are mostly bitter about the fact that since 2020 the team has had 2 rookie CBOs, has trimmed spending relative to revenue, and if they don't make the playoffs this year they will have only done it only 2 out 7 years under these guys.  The average fan doesn't get into the scrutiny of the individual moves, the pluses and minuses, the way we do.  They look at the results, and the results are pretty damn disappointing.

It's a nutty game, though.  This team still has a shot at some redemption for themselves and Breslow.  Fingers crossed.

You said it best in a lot fewer words that the average fan doesn’t get into the scrutiny of all the moves, or the cost to do so., and yes it’s the W-L record is what matters most, and if some spent time away from here, and went to other venues they would know that. 

 

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, Old Red said:

 

Huh? It wouldn’t have been that complicated that you’re trying to make it out to be, nor should it be.

But you're missing the point.  Story was always going to be our starting SS.  Narvaez was always going to be our starting catcher.  Mayer was always going to start somewhere.

[Old Red]

50 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Do we really expect all GM acquisitions and holdovers to have plus WARs every year?

That's the mark?

The W-L record is really all that matters?

Recent results are all that matters?

To those who answer yes to the last two, what's to say about 9-2 in the last 11?

Brez sucks because his utility depth has negative WARs? LMAO. Because he played the $140M guy who hit well, last year and the $90M guy who has like the 3rd or 4th best OPS on the tea over the last 3 years? He was supposed to trade them? LMAO. For what?

Because he kept Duran, when 75% of this board was screaming how stupid it would be to trade our "best" or "top 3 offensive weapon, when our weakness is offense?" Again, LMAO!

No doubt, Brez has made mistakes, and some like missing out on Brez ended up working out well. Some mistakes looked reasonable at the time, but backfired. Such is the fate or every GM to varying degrees.

You ask a GM to make moves and additions that improve the roster. You judge them, when they happen and again in hindsight. Such is the fate of all GMs.

IMO, Brez fixed the decades long problem with the team- the pitching pipeline to the farm. Much is still TBD, but IMO, it's improved vastly. He's also added an ungodly amount of quality SP'ers to the 26, that I'm not sure any Sox GM has ever done, and he's only been the GM for 3 winters and 2 deadlines. Crochet, Suarez, Gray, Bennett & Tolle. What do we hear, instead? "OMG- HE TRADED HARRISON!!!" This was the same guy the same people bitched about him trading Devers for. The comedy never ends, here.

Yes, he botched a major are of need, last winter- the big bat. The pen was also neglected, but hey- newsflash- The budget is not unlimited, and he's traded more prospects than DD. You wanted more than what was possible. Okay, no Suarez or Gray and yes another bat. That would have changed everything?

Sorry for the ramble, the hyperbole & the insinuations that may come across as personal or finger pointing away from myself. I share in much of what I just ranted about and against. I suggested many winter moves that turned out worse than what Brez ended up doing. I'm no better than anyone here: I just felt the need to vent.

We are finally winning and looking like the team some or many of us thought we might be, this year, but damn, Monasterio has a negative WAR. The world is ending!

Another episode of MOOn saying I’m not defending, or apologizing for bresLOW staring some of the same favorites like sucks, bitched, and botched. LMAO the whole time. 😜

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

It's no different than the fantasy worlds where the Sox acquire Zach Neto or even Bobby Witt for crying out loud. 

That was always a fantasy as well.  Now we're on the same page.

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, drewski6 said:

You can lose your job despite having a guaranteed salary.  Happens all the time.

Story, Narvaez, Duran, and Mayer were automatically starting.  They could lose their jobs, but they were the incumbents.

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, notin said:

Just offloading Duran - a big part of the 2025 offense - for the sake of getting rid of him to make room for Alonso could have easily backfired, largely because it was essentially stupid.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a team sign a FA to replace a good regular, just so they could then trade that regular

[Old Red]

3 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

I'm not sure I've ever seen a team sign a FA to replace a good regular, just so they could then trade that regular

#1 you would have been selling high as I advocated after 2024 instead of selling low now. Alonso is a lot better power bat that the Red Sox need more. Once again it’s not that complicated you’re trying to make it out to be.

[Old Red]

3 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

I'm not sure I've ever seen a team sign a FA to replace a good regular, just so they could then trade 

[moonslav59]

7 hours ago, JoeBrady said:

I'm not sure I've ever seen a team sign a FA to replace a good regular, just so they could then trade that regular

Someone claimed the Breggie signing was done to begin the Devers offloading. (LOL)

[Yaz Fan Since 67]

On 7/6/2026 at 9:27 AM, JoeBrady said:

It wasn't a complicated question.  Breslow made 5 major moves (Gray, Suarez, Bennett, Contreras, Durbin).  Explain which ones you don't like.

I'm talking about the entire body of work, not specific moves.  I don't know if it was you who initially posted the comment but someone has to defend the term "impeccable" for an offseason that lead to a team that just got out of last place in the 2nd week of July.  

[jad]

13 hours ago, JoeBrady said:

I'm not sure I've ever seen a team sign a FA to replace a good regular, just so they could then trade that regular

 You forgot to add:   " ... , backstabbing that regular (a la Tito),  and then refuse to resign that FA the next year, and put 30 million/year in your pocket as the sycophantic fans roar in approval."   Nope.  Never seen that.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Why can't everybody just enjoy this run of success? There's no reason to defend Breslow. We know his underrated new guys have spearheaded the comeback: Bennett, Durbin and Seigler

We also know his big acquisitions the past two winters made the All-Star team: Crochet, Bregman and Chapman last year; Suarez, Contreras and Chappy again this year (and maybe Gray). 

But we all know the reason the Red Sox were in last place the entire first half of this season -- and honestly can't expect an entire second half of contention with the same roster... unless reinforcements arrive in the next month.

 

[Maxbialystock]

15 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Do we really expect all GM acquisitions and holdovers to have plus WARs every year?

That's the mark?

The W-L record is really all that matters?

Recent results are all that matters?

To those who answer yes to the last two, what's to say about 9-2 in the last 11?

Brez sucks because his utility depth has negative WARs? LMAO. Because he played the $140M guy who hit well, last year and the $90M guy who has like the 3rd or 4th best OPS on the tea over the last 3 years? He was supposed to trade them? LMAO. For what?

Because he kept Duran, when 75% of this board was screaming how stupid it would be to trade our "best" or "top 3 offensive weapon, when our weakness is offense?" Again, LMAO!

No doubt, Brez has made mistakes, and some like missing out on Brez ended up working out well. Some mistakes looked reasonable at the time, but backfired. Such is the fate or every GM to varying degrees.

You ask a GM to make moves and additions that improve the roster. You judge them, when they happen and again in hindsight. Such is the fate of all GMs.

IMO, Brez fixed the decades long problem with the team- the pitching pipeline to the farm. Much is still TBD, but IMO, it's improved vastly. He's also added an ungodly amount of quality SP'ers to the 26, that I'm not sure any Sox GM has ever done, and he's only been the GM for 3 winters and 2 deadlines. Crochet, Suarez, Gray, Bennett & Tolle. What do we hear, instead? "OMG- HE TRADED HARRISON!!!" This was the same guy the same people bitched about him trading Devers for. The comedy never ends, here.

Yes, he botched a major are of need, last winter- the big bat. The pen was also neglected, but hey- newsflash- The budget is not unlimited, and he's traded more prospects than DD. You wanted more than what was possible. Okay, no Suarez or Gray and yes another bat. That would have changed everything?

Sorry for the ramble, the hyperbole & the insinuations that may come across as personal or finger pointing away from myself. I share in much of what I just ranted about and against. I suggested many winter moves that turned out worse than what Brez ended up doing. I'm no better than anyone here: I just felt the need to vent.

We are finally winning and looking like the team some or many of us thought we might be, this year, but damn, Monasterio has a negative WAR. The world is ending!

Love your ramble, with which I heartily agree.  

About that "missed big bat"--salary wise, he already had them in Story and Yohsida, both CB/JH hires, who both have another season to goi on contracts and have utterly failed to hit in consonance with their pay.  

Moreover, Breslow was smart to let Devers and his big contract go--ditto Bregman.  Meanwhile, Contreras has the 8th highest OPS, .921, in MLB.  He isn't just a newly acquired big bat, he's better than Bregman and Devers are this season.  

Plus these two tidbits.  The first is unearned runs to date--26 in 90 games.  Last year that number was 80 in 162 games.  So the defense has definitely helped. The Sox team ERA of 3.70 is tied with last year's and better than any other Sox team in the JH era.  

The other is the wild card standings.  The Sox with their horrible, rotten, disgusting, frustrating lack of hitting are just 4 games out of a wild card.  Why so?  The AL ain't winning much this year.  

 

[Maxbialystock]

On 6/27/2026 at 8:03 AM, Alex Mayes said:

At the risk of sounding like a broken record as of late, the Boston Red Sox are awful in 2026. It’s a shame coming off a postseason appearance in 2025 that should have pointed president of baseball operations Craig Breslow in the right direction. Even the free-agent signings believed they were coming into a situation where they would “breeze to get to the playoffs," at least according to Isiah Kiner-Falefa. He even went on to say that his goal with signing in Boston was to be a bench player for a championship team, so even those who weren’t with the organization last year saw the direction the team should have been headed.

“Should” is the operative word in that sentence. 

We’re now no longer in ‘well it’s still early’ territory, and the Red Sox are what they are as we approach the halfway point of the season. In an effort not to mince words: They are a sub .500 team that struggles at home and seems to be allergic to hitting with runners in scoring position. It’s the end of June and the season already feels lost. The team can’t keep up in a middling American League Wild Card race and, even if they somehow managed to limp their way into that third spot, they’d be certainly eliminated in short order. 

With all of that being said, the most obvious path forward for the Red Sox is to let Craig Breslow go sooner than later.

Breslow is an excellent pitching coordinator. He’s drafted and developed some of the best arms that the organization has seen in years, but that’s about as far as his credentials go. He terminated most of the scouting department during the first 18 months of his tenure and the big-league club has suffered mightily from it. The team that is on the field day in and day out for the Red Sox can’t function properly as a major-league team. There’s far too many utility players with everyday roles, there’s almost zero power outside of Willson Contreras, and the bullpen has been incredibly leaky outside of Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock. 

I’m not going to sit here and rehash the firing of Alex Cora and the majority of his coaching staff, but that gave us a bit of a peak behind the curtain as to the true feelings of Fenway Sports Group’s opinion of Breslow. The morning after the firings, Breslow sat at a table next to Sam Kennedy and said that the decision to move on from Cora and crew was a mutual decision. Within seconds, Kennedy pinned the decision solely on Breslow. Ownership signed off on it, of course, but they essentially looked at Breslow and said, “Okay, you can do this, but just know there’s no one else to be the fall guy if things don’t get better.” To absolutely no one’s surprise, things have arguably gotten worse. Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony have spent significant time on the injured list, Jarren Duran looks like a shell of himself at the plate, and the catching situation is maybe the most confusing roster dilemma in all of baseball.

Speaking of the catching situation, it paints a clearer picture for how Breslow didn’t learn anything from the drama that surrounded Rafael Devers last season. It was reported time and time again that Devers wasn’t spoken to about his changing roles, then when he was approached about possibly moving to first base he was combative because he felt he had been disrespected and blindsided. Now, Carlos Narvaez has spoken to The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey about how his playing time has been diminished but he hadn’t been told anything by either Chad Tracy or someone in the front office. Breslow recognizes that communication isn’t a strong point of his, but it’s gotten to the point that, according to Boston Globe’s Tim Healey, multiple officials within the organization believe that Breslow would benefit from having a “baseball interpreter” to convey his overall message to the players.

This shouldn't need to be said, but the freaking President of Baseball Operations shouldn’t need someone else to convey his message and vision to the team. If Craig Breslow can’t effectively communicate, then he doesn’t need to be in a position of leadership with the team.

What should be the final nail in the coffin for Breslow is the fact that his past two trade deadlines have been absolutely abysmal. I took at look at those deadlines to see if we could figure out what direction Breslow is going to take in 2026 and came up with the following: He struggles to pick a lane and ends up putting the team in a much worse position because of it. To add onto that, ESPN’s Buster Olney went so far as to say that “someone in ownership” was picking up the phone to talk trades with other clubs. While it shouldn’t come as a surprise that ownership has to be involved to sign off on any big trades that occur, they shouldn’t have to be the ones making the calls to get conversations started. Ownership should only be involved at the finish line of a trade, since they need to approve the money moving in each direction. If they don’t trust their front office chief enough to let him negotiate his own trades, why does he still have a job? If he can’t handle one of the most important aspects of his role, he doesn’t need to occupy space in the front office anymore.

Fenway Sports Group has publicly backed Craig Breslow so far this season, and they pretty much have to publicly. They can’t come out and say that they are considering firing him; that’s not practical nor the way you run a business. Remember, they made similar comments around this same time about both Chaim Bloom and Dave Dombrowski during their eventual final seasons with the team. It finally seems like John Henry is frustrated with the direction of the Red Sox if both Sean McAdam and David Ortiz are to be believed. If that’s the case, then the difficult decision needs to be made to move on from Craig Breslow now. If they wait much longer, they run the risk of a trade deadline that is mishandled and delay the ability to start looking for his replacement prior to the 2027 lockout. The time to act is now.

 

View full article

 

Excellent OP!!!  I disagree of course but that's irrelevant.  What counts is getting responses and you knocked that one out of the park.  

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

2 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

Love your ramble, with which I heartily agree.  

About that "missed big bat"--salary wise, he already had them in Story and Yohsida, both CB/JH hires, who both have another season to goi on contracts and have utterly failed to hit in consonance with their pay.  

Moreover, Breslow was smart to let Devers and his big contract go--ditto Bregman.  Meanwhile, Contreras has the 8th highest OPS, .921, in MLB.  He isn't just a newly acquired big bat, he's better than Bregman and Devers are this season.  

Plus these two tidbits.  The first is unearned runs to date--26 in 90 games.  Last year that number was 80 in 162 games.  So the defense has definitely helped. The Sox team ERA of 3.70 is tied with last year's and better than any other Sox team in the JH era.  

The other is the wild card standings.  The Sox with their horrible, rotten, disgusting, frustrating lack of hitting are just 4 games out of a wild card.  Why so?  The AL ain't winning much this year.  

 

A big part of the improved defense is also Contreras, who may turn the DP better than any Red Sox first baseman since George "Boomer" Scott RIP.

And glad you added your list of adjectives to describe the '26 offense, because no poster has advocated for more hitting above any other asset to boost Boston the past few seasons.

[Old Red]

4 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

A big part of the improved defense is also Contreras, who may turn the DP better than any Red Sox first baseman since George "Boomer" Scott RIP.

And glad you added your list of adjectives to describe the '26 offense, because no poster has advocated for more hitting above any other asset to boost Boston the past few seasons.

A shoutout to BOOMer Scott. I love it!

[JoeBrady]

29 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

The Sox with their horrible, rotten, disgusting, frustrating lack of hitting are just 4 games out of a wild card.  Why so? 

Probably because we are starting to hit.

• Over the past 28 days, 14th in OPS.
• Over the past 14, #16.
• Over the past 7, #8.

The past 7 & 14 are BABIP influenced, but the last 28 looks legit.

[Maxbialystock]

22 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

A big part of the improved defense is also Contreras, who may turn the DP better than any Red Sox first baseman since George "Boomer" Scott RIP.

And glad you added your list of adjectives to describe the '26 offense, because no poster has advocated for more hitting above any other asset to boost Boston the past few seasons.

I think all the '26 offense naysayers were just waiting for me to weigh in.  This could be the Sox worst offense in half a century--who knows?  And the Sox have always, always relied on their hitting more than their pitching because Fenway favors hitting.  

Neat point on Contreras who has been a great addition--better than Devers or Bregman.  

 

[Maxbialystock]

2 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

Probably because we are starting to hit.

• Over the past 28 days, 14th in OPS.
• Over the past 14, #16.
• Over the past 7, #8.

The past 7 & 14 are BABIP influenced, but the last 28 looks legit.

Agree.  

[Hugh2]

14th is fine.  A middle of the pact offense with elite pitching can play baseball in October.

This team sucked because they were practically deadlast in every offensive category.  14 will do them just fine, and if you add a big bat well....who knows. 

[mvp 78]

15 hours ago, JoeBrady said:

But you're missing the point.  Story was always going to be our starting SS.  Narvaez was always going to be our starting catcher.  Mayer was always going to start somewhere.

Which is a terrible premise. If you are forced into those three decisions, how can you call yourself a CBO? 

[mvp 78]

"You see, trading Duran after '24 will be a bad idea. He'll still have many great seasons left. He's the motor to our offese." 

"No, you can't trade Duran after '25, you won't get the right value for him. It would be a terrible decision to replace him." 

"Look, Duran has no trade value in '26 anymore, you just have to hold onto him!" 

"DFA Duran in '27? It's better to just keep him as the 5th OFer and hope he can turn it around and hit above 600 again."

[mvp 78]

33 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

14th is fine.  A middle of the pact offense with elite pitching can play baseball in October.

They can play baseball, but they can't win unless they are hitting HR's IMO. 

[Old Red]

5 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Which is a terrible premise. If you are forced into those three decisions, how can you call yourself a CBO? 

A 12th pick CBO at that.

[Hugh2]

28 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

They can play baseball, but they can't win unless they are hitting HR's IMO. 

THEY can't win? as in exclusively to the Red Sox or just in general teams can't win if they don't hit home runs?

[mvp 78]

9 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

THEY can't win? as in exclusively to the Red Sox or just in general teams can't win if they don't hit home runs?

In the playoffs, teams need to hit HR's to get through the playoffs. That's the general theory going around these days. High OBP, low HR teams like MIL can have good regular seasons, but won't find success in the playoffs as they will struggle against tougher pitching. 

This team is absolutely pathetic at home and pathetic at hitting home runs. I don't think they have any chance at a ring this season.