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As @Maddie Landis wrote last week here on Talk Sox, Craig Breslow is finally beginning his search for a general manager this offseason. Breslow has operated quite well as the President of Baseball Operations without a true general manager, but it was long suspected he would eventually name someone to the position to help fill out the front office. Breslow will remain in charge of making final decision,s but the new general manager should be able to take some of the day-to-day tasks off Breslow’s plate, which should be a welcome change across the league if reports of Breslow being difficult to negotiate with are to be believed. The tall task is narrowing down a list of possible candidates for the position.
Internally speaking, there are three names that make the most sense.
#1: Paul Toboni
Toboni, 35, is currently one of four assistant general managers in the Red Sox’s system. He was hired by the Red Sox 10 years ago as an intern, then was promoted to area scout, then again to director of amateur scouting, vice president of amateur scouting and player development, then finally to Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager. To say Toboni has had a rocket ship strapped to him since coming on as an intern would be an understatement. He’s proven to have a keen eye for talent and should he become the full-time GM of the team, he would be able to put that talent to even further use as he becomes the point-man in trade and free-agent conversations. Toboni also fits the ‘youth movement’ of the organization and is becoming one of the more established names in the league. He’s also in consideration for the Nationals' general manager position according to industry sources.
#2: Raquel Ferreira
Ferreira, 54, has been with the Red Sox since she was hired as an administrative assistant in 1999. In 2003, Theo Epstein, currently part of the front office group again, promoted her to the Director of Minor League Administration position where she went on to help overhaul the team’s rookie development program. She was once again promoted in 2014 to Vice President of Baseball Operations and then was promoted once again in 2023 to Assistant General Manager. Between those promotions, she held multiple roles within the organization such as Senior Vice President, Major and Minor League Operations; Vice President, Major and Minor League Operations; Vice President, Baseball Administration; Senior Director, Minor League Operations; Director, Minor League Operations; and Director, Minor League Administration. She has also served on the Red Sox’ Social Justice, Equality, and Inclusion Advisory Committee as well as the MLB Women’s Advisory Council. She has had her hands in all four of the World Series championships the Red Sox have won this century and has carved her own path through the organization. There was belief she could be in line for the President of Baseball Operations position that was ultimately accepted by Breslow, but she declined the opportunity to interview for the position, citing family reasons. A promotion to general manager could be something that interests her, though.
#3: Alex Cora
Cora, 49, is the current manager of the Boston Red Sox. He’s made comments in the past that have hinted at his desire to transition to a role with the front office sooner than later. The soon-to-be open general manager position could help to bring that to a reality. Cora is known as a players' manager. The guys on his team seemingly love to play for him and losing him out of the dugout could be a step in the wrong direction if his replacement doesn’t match his same confidence. As the kids say, Cora has "aura". He’s cool but he runs a tight ship and doesn’t have a problem making decisions that seemingly buck traditional thinking. The fact that he was in the front office during this year’s trade deadline speaks volumes to his interest in the position. Bringing someone like Cora into the front office could help negotiations with other teams since he is such a smooth talker and he doesn’t get caught up in high-level explanations that have bogged Breslow down from time to time. If he’s serious about making the jump to the front office, expect to hear his name a lot this offseason until a general manager is named.
[For those doubting his actual candidacy, remember that Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens made the same transition from the bench to the front office just a few years ago.]
There are other internal candidates for the general manager position that make sense, but these three jump out the most. Could the team look outside the organization? Absolutely, but with the rumor that they struggled to find candidates for the President of Baseball Operations job, they could continue to invest in their internal talent. It takes a certain kind of person to operate in the Boston market and hiring from inside the organization seems to be the most likely move. Lining up replacements for any of the names mentioned here, though, could be a much taller task.
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