Alex Mayes

We really appreciate the quality of questions you’ve been submitting. Makes for very fun conversations!

I also really wanted Soto. That offseason until he signed was one of the more fun ones in recent memory.

I remember when everyone was convinced Cohen would put together a billion dollar superteam juggernaut in his first couple of seasons.

I'm trying real hard to find some sort of solace in this season.

If you were to tell most baseball fans back in March that the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets were in a very similar situation as the season heads into July, the majority of them would have assumed that both teams were competing for the top Wild Card spot at worst in their respective leagues. Instead, we have two bottom-of-the-barrel teams who have fired their managers and have a fanbase calling for the dismissal of their General Managers/President of Baseball Operations. Alex Cora was fired on April 26 and exactly two short months later, the Mets followed suit and dismissed Carlos Mendoza. While the Red Sox and Mets are in very similar places — the former enters July with a 36-46 overall record and the latter owns a 35-49 overall record — the biggest difference is how they approached roster construction heading into the 2026 season and the money they have tied up in veteran players. Obviously, roster construction doesn’t sit at the feet of either Alex Cora or Carlos Mendoza, so now that the managers are gone, fans have turned their ire at the front office. Craig Breslow has built a pitching powerhouse in Boston that has been backed up by capable defense around the infield thanks to additions of Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin. David Stearns also preached “run prevention” as he looked to construct the 2026 Mets, but things haven’t gone well for them in that department. According to FanGraphs, the Mets currently have a 2026 projected payroll of $365 million. Superstar Juan Soto is under contract through 2039 for an average annual value of $51 million a season, Francisco Lindor is signed through 2031 for an AAV of $31.9 million, and recently acquired Marcus Semien through 2028 at an AAV of $24 million. In addition to that, they have Bo Bichette under contract for an AAV of $42 million. He’s not included in the main grouping because he technically can opt out of his three-year contract after this season, but with the way he’s currently playing, that’s far from a guarantee. The Mets have six arbitration-eligible players and seven who are not yet eligible for arbitration. If we look at those same style of numbers for the Red Sox, it paints a drastically different picture. The Red Sox have an estimated 2026 payroll of $197 million according to Fangraphs. Their four highest AAVs are owed to Garrett Crochet ($28.3 million per season through 2031), Ranger Suarez ($26 million per season through 2030 with a mutual option for 2031), Trevor Story ($23.3 million per season through 2027 with a club option for 2028), and Willson Contreras ($21.25 million per season through 2027 with a club option for 2028). They also have Sonny Gray still currently on the books at technically $41 million AAV for 2026 with a mutual option for 2027, but the Cardinals paid $21 million of his salary in the trade that sent him to Boston. The other long-term commitments the Red Sox have are for Roman Anthony through 2033 with a club option for 2034, Kristian Campbell through 2032 with club options for both 2033 and 2034, and Ceddanne Rafaela through 2031 with a club option for 2032, The Red Sox have seven arbitration-eligible players and nine players who are not yet eligible for arbitration. While Craig Breslow has made some missteps in his time with the Red Sox, and could very well be on his way out of town at the conclusion of the season, he’s handed out contract extensions to young players that should mostly impact the future of the organization in a positive way. The biggest potential exception to that could be Brayan Bello’s contract that keeps him in Boston through 2029 with a club option for 2030. The biggest negative on that contract is that his salary grows exceptionally starting in 2028, doubling his 2027 paycheck. Otherwise, Breslow has developed the best pitching pipeline the Red Sox have seen in ages. Both rookies Payton Tolle and Connelly Early have had breakout seasons in 2026 while Jake Bennett has pitched well for both the WooSox and the Red Sox when needed. The biggest knock against the chief baseball officer is that he hasn’t been able to navigate the infamous outfield logjam, though that's a dead horse we won't beat right now. Most importantly, Red Sox fans are demanding and expect playoff berths year in and year out. Breslow has delivered one trip to the Wild Card round during his tenure and that may not be enough for Fenway Sports Group to justify hanging onto him for the remainder of his contract. Returning to Stearns, he has handed out some incredibly large contracts that haven’t aged incredibly well or have potential to hamstring the franchise in just a few seasons. They have substantial money coming off the books from now through 2029 but their treatment of All-Star Pete Alonso likely won’t be forgotten by the other homegrown players still on their roster and the free agents in the coming years. We’ve talked this much about the Mets and their issues and haven’t even begun to address their pitching woes. Both Kodai Senga and Devin Williams look like money thrown down the drain, and their highly touted group of young pitching prospects, outside of Nolan McLean, have taken significant steps back this season. The biggest question of all, though, knowing that we're barreling toward what will likely be an extended lockout come Dec. 1: Do either FSG or Steve Cohen feel that navigating a totally different economic landscape with someone new at the helm is worth the risk? They are the only ones that can truly answer that question, but the landscape of baseball will be completely different once we get back into action in 2027. Going with the known over the unknown is likely the safest move when evaluating your front office needs for the next season. That could mean that both Stearns and Breslow remain in place for at least an additional year. While both organizations have big messes to clean up, at least Breslow is working with a much cleaner slate than his New York counterpart. View full article

The consensus around Abreu at the end of last year was that he had to hit left handed pitching to take the next step. As maybe the biggest Abreu fan on this website, no one expected him to be a bigger star than Anthony. He had/still has the potential to be a star in his own right but he never carried the expectations Anthony has carried. You had national publications predicting a top three MVP finish for Anthony this year. I agree Antony was miscast as a leadoff hitter.

I want a press conference where Henry and Cora are sitting on stage smoke cigars together.

I agree with you 100%. I said when they inked Cora to the extension that they purpose of that was to get his timeline to match up with Breslow's so when they moved on from Bres at the end of his contract, Cora could slide into that position. if they knew Cora would accept the position today, I think Breslow would be gone already. I think it's telling Cora is still interacting with Sox things on social media and has been seen out with members of FSG since his firing. He still owns his house in Boston as well. Anecdotal, but something to pay attention to.

You're right, no one was certain it would begin in year two but Breslow put a roster together with him as the main offensive weapon heading into his year two season. I'm a huge Anthony fan and expect him to be a star so I think that we're on the same page, but he had a lot of pressure put on him when Breslow failed to acquire another bat to pair with him and Contreras.

I acknowledged I misspoke, but the point remains pretty much the same. If he was worth 9 bWAR at the deadline and you could have gotten a front line starter PLUS a top four prospect, you should have done it. Passan is the most trusted voice in the sport for a reason.

At the time it was absolutely something to worry about. Now though, I think it's still a pretty attractive job to people. I also think the fact that you now have Henry out in public frequently, making sure to be seen is a huge indicator that things are changing within FSG again. I believe Ortiz when he says he's talked with John and John is worried about what's going on. Papi is employed by the team and he wouldn't have said it, and then doubled down on it, without knowing John is okay with that getting out. That was followed by Olney echoing the same thing. Then you have Kennedy who is ever the optimist, essentially saying, 'yeah, things are bad here and we are going to have to do some real searching for what the correct path forward is.' That's telling to me. Your point about the Dodgers and Padres is accurate. They attract the talent and, at least with the Dodgers, that talent gets them to the World Series year after year. I think the reason Boston isn't attracting the talent right now is mainly Breslow. Every agent knows that he's following a very limited scope of algorithms to make his decisions so if their guy doesn't fit into those systems, they don't even engage. Once you have a POBO/GM who understands the value of analytics along with the human intangibles, things begin to correct themselves.

I actually think that's now overblown. Yes, the team struggled to get applicants and Breslow wasn't their first choice, but it seems that Alex Cora's presence as the manager may have been one of the driving factors in that. I don't have any first hand accounts of that but the fact that Cora essentially got Bloom fired and was well known to be in Henry's ear was likely a deterrent to anyone who would have applied. You saw the same pattern with Breslow this year before Cora was fired. He was taking veiled shots in the media and hadn't yet moved on to getting shirts made that had quotes from Breslow on them like he did Bloom, but it was probably coming. Breslow is an intelligent man, saw what was starting to happen, likely talked to Bloom because they are friends, and instead went to Henry and co first. I've said since the day he was fired that when Breslow is let go, Cora is likely leading the pack to replace him as POBO/GM/whatever the title is. In hindsight, they should have just promoted Toboni to the position instead of refusing to give him the GM title under Breslow and losing him to the Nats.

Great way to put that.

From Jeff Passan in December: The buzz: The Red Sox are valuing Duran more like the seven-win player of 2024 than his 4-win version in 2025. Either way, his addition can instantaneously make a team better, and Boston can hold out for a big return because the Red Sox don't have to deal him. At some point, though, the Red Sox will have to move Duran or Wilyer Abreu. Keeping full-time-quality players for less than full-time roles rarely works out well. So not at the deadline, during the offseason. My mistake for attributing it to the deadline.

We agree there. That was one of my biggest complaints with the offseason. They looked at a 21 year old and said, “you are the backbone of this team.” It was incredibly shortsighted and out far too much pressure on him to perform.

Once again, the league adjusts to rookies. This isn’t something new. He didn’t have time to adjust back before the injury. He was starting to, but then was shut down.

An oblique strain and a torn tendon are injuries that take time to heal. Maybe the team’s focus on insanely quick bat speed could be more to blame than the player.

@mvp 78the episode is live! Thanks again!

A fair deal is Dylan Cease, the top pitching target of Breslow in the offseason, and Salas, That deal was on the table and Craig said no. That's on him. I'm aware that a 7 WAR player is rare, but that's the confirmed value that was placed on him at the deadline last year. If other GMs saw him on a 3.5 WAR LF but Craig didn't, that's a huge issue. It's further proof he can't read the trade market and values.

Calling Anthony fragile is crazy. He's had two injuries in two seasons, the most recent one being an injury so unique that doctors who deal with hand injures struggled to wrap their heads around it. He was slow to start because the league adjusted to him, as it does to every single rookie that gets called up. Calling a check swing indecisive is a weird reach as well. Check swings happen all the time and indecision isn't the likely culprit.

I don't disagree that his offseason moves have worked out incredibly well and are realistically the only reason that the team has won many of the games they have this season. The most damning thing to me is the overvaluation of Duran and his refusal to move him when it was obvious to anyone paying attention he wasn't ever going to be a 7 WAR player again. He created this outfield logjam and refuses to fix it, that alone should be fireable. While I never would have been a fan of the contract Bregman got with the Cubs, Breslow clearly thought Bregman was bluffing and got caught slipping there too. If he could only work in the offseason, I think he'd be safe but the past two trade deadlines have proven he has zero feel for the market and shouldn't be trusted to handle it. That's likely why members of FSG, presumably Theo, are the ones making calls about trades instead of Breslow. That, along with the Duran situation, are the main reasons I think he's likely gone after this season. I'd like to see it happen before then, but realistically if they do end up letting him go it will probably be in September like the other two POBOs before him.

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 5-2 Runs Scored Last Week: 34 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 22 Standings: 5th in AL East 12.5 GB 1st Place Transactions: 06/23/26: Boston Red Sox signed free agent C Andrew Knizner to a minor league contract. 06/23/26: Boston Red Sox sent LHP Patrick Sandoval on a rehab assignment to Worcester Red Sox. 06/23/26: Boston Red Sox sent 1B Romy Gonzalez on a rehab assignment to Worcester Red Sox. 06/25/26: Boston Red Sox sent LHP Jovani Morán on a rehab assignment to Worcester Red Sox. 06/26/26: Boston Red Sox recalled SS Tsung-Che Cheng from Worcester Red Sox. 06/26/26: Boston Red Sox placed 2B Marcelo Mayer on the 10-day injured list. Bone stress reaction to the left ulna. 06/28/26: Boston Red Sox optioned C Mickey Gasper to Worcester Red Sox. 06/28/28: Boston Red Sox transferred LF Roman Anthony from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. 06/28/26: Boston Red Sox activated 1B Romy Gonzalez from the 60-day injured list. Scores: Game 76: BOS 2, COL 3 Game 77: BOS 5, COL 2 Game 78: BOS 6, COL 8 Game 79: BOS 6, NYY 3 Game 80: BOS 6, NYY 1 Game 81: BOS 4, NYY 1 Game 82: BOS 5, NYY 4 Series Breakdown/Highlights Rockies Series: Do we really even want to talk about this series? Yes, the Red Sox won the middle game, but their awful defense and inability to come through with runners in scoring position was the biggest news story out of Colorado when the series was over. The Sox were up in the seventh in both the first and third games, a situation in which they were undefeated going into the series, and managed to lose both games. In game one, Jake Bennett dazzled over six innings, striking out nine and giving up four hits. Tyron Guerrero continued to show why he needs to be flying up other team’s trade boards. Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman combined for eight straight hits over two innings, with Chapman taking the loss after giving up three earned runs. Offensively, Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin supplied both RBIs. In game two, Wilyer Abreu hit a mammoth home run while Ceddanne Rafaela and Nate Eaton provided the other four RBIs. Sonny Gray worked around a shaky first inning where he gave up his only earned run on the night. He proceeded to toss six more innings of six-hit, 11-strikeout baseball en route to the win. If you watched the game, you saw an absolute masterclass in how to pitch at elevation. The trade for Gray may be the thing that Craig Breslow can hang his hat on more than anything else; the man knows how to identify pitching. Justin Slaten and Whitlock both worked clean innings to put the game away. Game three, on the other hand, was just awful. The Red Sox looked like a junior varsity team playing in a big-league ballpark. Andruw Monasterio hit his second home run of the season while Connor Wong finally sent one over the wall for the first time in almost two years. Ranger Suarez tossed six innings of one-run baseball, striking out nine. The starting pitching wasn’t the problem in this series at all, the bullpen and the defense gave it away. The Rockies scored eight runs in this game, but only three of them were earned. Yankees Series: Who is this team? Seriously: Where has this version of the Red Sox been all season? It wasn’t perfect, as we’ll get to in game four, but this was the most complete series the Red Sox have played all season. Game one saw the Yankees boot the ball around like crazy and the Red Sox took full advantage. Caleb Durbin stayed hot by hitting another home run while Connelly Early tossed six innings of two-earned-run, nine-strikeout baseball. Both Whitlock and Chapman looked to avenge their Rockies series and mostly did so. Chapman, curiously, had no strikeouts in this appearance though. Game two was mostly domination by the Red Sox, who chased Will Warren after giving up five earned runs over 5.2 innings. Tsung-Che Cheng was called up after Marcelo Mayer went on the injured list and knocked his first big-league hit. Connor Wong contributed two RBIs while Contreras hit an absolute moon bomb that cleared the Green Monster by quite a few feet. Payton Tolle pitched a gem of a start, especially considering he had been sick the whole day prior. He tossed seven scoreless innings, striking out seven while giving up only one hit late in the outing. The young core of this rotation is going to be fun to watch for a long time. Game three was another impressive outing for the Red Sox against Gerrit Cole, who threw 5.1 innings while giving up four earned runs. Jake Bennett threw 6.1 innings of one-run, three-strikeout baseball. Chapman notched another save and looked more like himself in this game. Masataka Yoshida hit his second home run of the season while rookie Anthony Seigler hit his first career homer off Cole. No matter what happens in Seigler’s career, that will be a moment he never forgets. If you were anywhere but the edge of your seat during the second half of game four, we had to be watching different games. Gray was amazing, again. He carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning while striking out nine. His final strikeout was also number 2,000 for his career. This start gave the Sox their 11th quality start in a row, showing just how bad the previous series had to go in all other areas for the team to not be riding a seven-game winning streak right now. Chapman likely hurt his trade value a bit with this game, but the defensive lapses by Abreu in right field are the main reason the game went to extras. In a season where the Red Sox have continually rolled over late in games when they’ve been losing, Sunday night was a breath of fresh air. The names you’d expect to get it done, didn’t. The game was won by Seigler, Monasterio, Yoshida, Cheng, and Duran in the bottom of the tenth. What a game, what a sweep. Website Highlights Justin Slaten is More Useful as a Red Sox Trade Chip Than Reliever by Jordan Leandre Red Sox’s ABS Ineptitude is Clearest Proof Yet of Organizational Failures by Yirsandy Rodriguez Evaluating Chad Tracy’s First 50 Games as Red Sox Interim Manager by Gottie Chavez Red Sox’s Craig Breslow Era is Set to End with a Whimper by Alex Mayes Looking Ahead 06/29/26: Nationals (Miles Mikolas) @ Red Sox (Ranger Suarez): 7:10 PM EDT 06/30/26: Nationals (Cade Cavalli) @ Red Sox (Connelly Early): 7:10 PM EDT 07/01/26: Nationals (Andrew Alvarez) @ Red Sox (Payton Tolle): 1:35 PM EDT 07/02/26: Off Day 07/03/26: Red Sox @ Angels: 9:38 PM EDT 07/04/26: Red Sox @ Angels: 9:38 PM EDT 07/05/26: Red Sox @ Angels: 9:30 PM EDT View full article

We’re back with a quick turnaround this time. If you have questions you’d like answered on the podcast, get them posted here by 5 pm CST on Monday, June 29!