Former GM Dan O'Dowd Blasts Red Sox's Craig Breslow After Rafael Devers Trade

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Former GM Dan O'Dowd Blasts Red Sox's Craig Breslow After Rafael Devers Trade originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Boston Red Sox, and specifically chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, have come under fire since the Rafael Devers trade. The deal itself was shocking, but the fallout has been worse. Boston is 3-6 since shipping Devers across the country, and after clawing their way back above .500 and half a game out of the Wild Card, the team has collapsed. Losing five consecutive games and now 2.5 games behind the final playoff spot, the public scrutiny continues – this time from former Colorado Rockies' General Manager Dan O'Dowd.
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Speaking on the latest episode of Foul Territory, O'Dowd criticized Breslow for how he views players.
'He does not act like [a former player] to me A.J [Pierzynski]. It's perplexing to me. [Breslow] acts like a lot of current General Managers, which its players are part of a portfolio that they buy and sell.'
Odowd continued by blasting Boston's chief baseball officer for how he handled the Rafael Devers trade, including the forced positional changes that led to the star's distrust of the team's front office and unwillingness to work with them.
'Raffy didn't handle it maturely, but I don't think the expectation was that you should have expected that he was going to handle that maturely,' O'Dowd said. 'If they had flown to the [Dominican Republic], and they had looked him in the eyes and they have said, 'Listen, you're not a real good defender. We got a chance to sign [Alex] Bregman or trade for [Nolan] Arenado. We're going to do that. So, let's talk about what the transition is for you."
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O'Dowd also shared with the Foul Territory crew what Boston should have down to avoid the fallout with Devers and how they could have changed his mind about moving to first base.
'I think they should have immediately put a first base glove on him, and I think Raffy should have recognized that his long-term value in the game or even getting into the Hall of Fame someday, it creates way more value if he's playing a position [rather] than DH'ing.'
Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow speaks with the media at the Hilton Anatole during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings.Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The nail in the coffin for O'Dowd was Breslow's message to the fanbase after the deal and the subsequent struggles of the team approaching the trade deadline.
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'They screwed themselves with their comments after the Raffy Devers deal. I don't think they're a good team. I think the sum of their parts does not equal the bigger part. I think they should be sellers at the deadline,' O'Dowd said. 'When you come out publicly and say, 'Hey listen, we're not taking a step back after the Devers deal.' Your credibility with your fanbase begins to erode to the point that it may not be salvageable if you keep going back on the things that you promise.'
As Boston and Breslow attempt to pick up the pieces post-Devers trade, the team is currently 40-42 and looking to take advantage of a three-game series against the rival Toronto Blue Jays this weekend.
Related: Red Sox Trade Idea Sends All-Star to Giants for Insane Haul
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.