Latest news with #CraigBreslow
New York Times
6 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Craig Breslow on Red Sox trade deadline mindset: ‘The future has to be now'
BOSTON — As the Boston Red Sox return to Fenway Park for their first homestand without Rafael Devers — a trade that may have signaled the waving of a white flag on a frustrating season — chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said that's not the case. In speaking to The Athletic before Friday's series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, Breslow said his focus remains on contending in 2025 even as the team entered the day 40-42. Advertisement 'I think we've talked a lot about looking to the future, at some point, the future has to be now,' Breslow said. 'We went into 2025 expecting to compete for the division and expecting to make it to the playoffs. We haven't played as well as we're capable of, but that goal still exists, and we're not so far away that we should be thinking about 2026 or 2027. 'There's a lot of games to be played between now and the deadline, but we are thinking about how we bolster the team,' he said. 'How we do identify the needs that we have and are aggressive in getting those players to put us in a position that we talked about all offseason.' With the MLB trade deadline just over a month away, Breslow already made one the most shocking trades of the season thus far in sending Devers to San Francisco for pitchers Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks and two prospects. Following the trade, the Red Sox went 3-6 on a nine-game, 10-day West Coast trip, returning home for three games this weekend against a division opponent in Toronto. As the Red Sox currently sit seven games back of the division-leading Yankees and two games out of the third wild card spot, there's urgency to play like a team capable of postseason contention. Breslow addressed three areas of need in starting pitching, bullpen help and another bat for the lineup. 'The bullpen has been really good for a really long time, we've asked a lot of them,' he said. 'And I think at times we see some of the work just catching up with guys. Hopefully getting Jordan Hicks into the mix there means that we can get guys like (Greg) Weissert and (Garrett) Whitlock and Justin Wilson an extra day when they need it.' Hicks (toe inflammation) is scheduled for his second rehab outing with Triple A Worcester on Friday and could join the Red Sox during this homestand. Starter Tanner Houck remains on the injury list with a flexor pronator strain and is scheduled to pitch following an opener on Sunday in Worcester. Hunter Dobbins (elbow) has been playing catch and may throw a bullpen this weekend. Advertisement Harrison, who made his first start for Worcester earlier this week, allowing four runs in four innings, is likely to be in the rotation mix at some point in the second half. Regardless, adding starting depth remains a focus. 'We have some depth built up, but whether it's injury or performance, we just haven't gotten that run of consistent deep starting pitching,' Breslow said. 'Garrett (Crochet) has obviously been excellent all season, but we saw the type of team that we can be when our starters are pitching deep into games.' On offense, the Red Sox have predictably struggled without Devers' bat in the lineup. Over the past nine games, they've averaged 3.11 runs per game and a .188 average compared to 4.84 runs per game and a .253 average leading up to the trade. The lineup will have some internal reinforcements soon, with Alex Bregman (quad) and Masataka Yoshida (shoulder) likely to return after the All-Star break, but Breslow suggested bolstering the lineup will also be on his agenda. Yoshida is expected to begin a rehab assignment for Worcester on Tuesday, where he'll also see time in the outfield. Bregman hit for the first time on Friday and will take grounders on Saturday. The team will reevaluate him next week to determine when he'll be ready for a rehab assignment. It remains to be seen if Yoshida could be traded over the next several weeks as he begins his rehab assignment. But since he hasn't played in a game this season and is owed more than $40 million through 2027, his trade value remains marginal. Breslow is likely to trade from a surplus of outfielders, with Jarren Duran's name surfacing on a few occasions already. Manager Alex Cora offered a realistic viewpoint with the trade deadline just over 30 days away. 'We've just got to play better,' Cora said. 'It's been kind of like the same thing I've been saying all along. We're that close. You can't go back, but a pitch here, a pitch there, a play there, or a play there, and it's a positive road trip. But it wasn't. So we have to improve.' Advertisement At the last trade deadline, Breslow's first in charge of the team, he acquired starter James Paxton, relievers Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia and right-handed bat Danny Jansen. Paxton, Sims and Garcia were injured and offered little help in the second half. The Red Sox weren't officially out of the wild card until the final week of the season, though, giving Breslow impetus to push harder this season. Having already traded Devers in a mid-June blockbuster, this season is already much different than last year, but Breslow said he's reflected on how this year might be different. 'We went into (last year) thinking, 'OK, these are the needs of the team,' and we walked out of the trade deadline with acquisitions that address those positions,' he said. 'Whether they work out or they don't, the moves are going to be evaluated by the performance over the second half of the season. Ours didn't work out. It's not OK to just say, 'Hey, that's baseball.' The obvious question is, 'Why didn't they work?' 'Whether that's doing more work on the players that we're bringing in, having a better understanding of their ability to perform here at Fenway, there's always more questions that we need to ask,' Breslow said. 'Whether we bring in a standard household name or we bring in someone that is lesser known, the impact is going to be driven by what that player does from the day they get here until the end of the season. And we need to do everything we can to make sure that they're going to help us win games.' (Top photo of Rafael Devers: Eakin Howard / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former GM Dan O'Dowd Blasts Red Sox's Craig Breslow After Rafael Devers Trade
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. Advertisement 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." Advertisement 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 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. Advertisement '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.
Newsweek
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Ex-MLB GM Sounds Off on Craig Breslow as Red Sox Season Heads Toward Disaster
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Boston Red Sox likely came into the season hoping to compete to win the American League East. They signed Alex Bregman and had promising young players who were expected to contribute to winning. However, the Red Sox have traded Rafael Devers and are below .500 through 82 games. The Red Sox's handling of Rafael Devers' position change and communication has been put under a microscope after a long saga that resulted in the team trading its franchise player. Former MLB general manager Dan O'Dowd had some strong words for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow as the Red Sox's season continues to derail. "He doesn't act like (a former player) to me," O'Dowd said on "Foul Territory." "It's perplexing to me. He acts like a lot of current general managers, which is thinking players are part of a portfolio that you buy and sell. (Devers) didn't handle it maturely, but I don't think the expectation was that you should have expected him to handle it maturely." BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 2: Craig Breslow speaks as he is officially introduced as Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox during a press conference on November 2, 2023 at Fenway Park in Boston,... BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 2: Craig Breslow speaks as he is officially introduced as Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox during a press conference on November 2, 2023 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. More Maddie Malhotra/Boston"They screwed themselves with their comments after the Rafael Devers deal," O'Dowd continued. "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. When you come out publicly and say, 'Listen, we are not taking a step back with the Devers deal,' your credibility begins to erode to the point that may not be salvageable if you keep going back on the things that you promise." O'Dowd managed the Colorado Rockies from 1999-2014. He helped lead them to the 2007 World Series, where they lost to the Red Sox. According to MassLive's Christopher Smith, Devers was asked to play first base by Breslow when Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury. Devers had already been reluctant to give up playing third base for Bregman. Devers was upset when Breslow requested him to change positions again and went on a rant to reporters. Now the Red Sox are fighting to make the postseason without Devers, while Bregman is also hurt. If they cannot turn things around by the July 31 deadline, it may be in their best interest to sell and give up on the season. More MLB: Dodgers Positioned to Trade for Sandy Alcantara After Roki Sasaki Setback?
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Red Sox rumors: Craig Breslow ‘loyalist' thinks ‘turncoats are internally plotting' against GM
The post Red Sox rumors: Craig Breslow 'loyalist' thinks 'turncoats are internally plotting' against GM appeared first on ClutchPoints. Even though the MLB trade deadline is still weeks away, the Boston Red Sox might have already dealt the best player of this deadline season. Arguments can be made that the Red Sox or the San Francisco Giants won the Rafael Devers trade. It's still a debate that is raging on. Either way, the deal is still universally regarded as a bad look for Boston chief baseball officer and general manager Craig Breslow. Now, according to reports from ESPN insider Jeff Passan, some of Breslow's front office allies think his role might be threatened by other team employees. Advertisement 'The Devers trade only heightened the palace intrigue,' wrote Passan. 'Front office officials from other teams mostly lauded the deal for Boston, looking at San Francisco's willingness to take on the remaining $254 million over the next eight-plus seasons as a win for the Red Sox. But models exist to strip the emotion out of decision-making and use decades of history — and dozens of other inputs about players' skills gleaned from the cameras that track their every move — to objectively analyze. There is no accounting for a fan base's adoration of a player.' Devers was the franchise player. Plain and simple. Trading your franchise player, especially in the middle of their prime? Usually not a good look at all. Ever since Devers agreed to a ten-year extension worth over $300 million a couple of offseasons ago, he locked in his place as one of the team's leaders. Now, as Boston tries to turn their season around, their best player is gone. As Breslow and manager Alex Cora try to get the club back to October, can they do it without Devers? Can Craig Breslow turn Red Sox after Rafael Devers trade? Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images The package that Breslow and the Red Sox received for Devers was solid. Especially since San Francisco is covering the rest of Devers' contract. That is a lot of money off of Boston's payroll for the next eight and a half seasons. It will also allow Breslow, Cora and the rest of the team brass to chase other upgrades to the roster. Advertisement With top prospects Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony at Fenway Park, and staff ace Garrett Crochet putting together a strong debut season in white and red, there are plenty of bright spots in Boston. More contributors, like third baseman Alex Bregman, will return from the IL in the future. Can Breslow take this current team, make a couple of trades, and get them to October? Anything is possible as the All-Star Break approaches. Related: Red Sox' Alex Cora shares feelings about Rafael Devers after Giants series Related: MLB rumors: Cubs among 5 other teams Red Sox talked Rafael Devers trade with before Giants deal
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox Told to Land Diamondbacks' Josh Naylor to Solve First Base Need
Red Sox Told to Land Diamondbacks' Josh Naylor to Solve First Base Need originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Now that over $250 million is off the books following the Rafael Devers trade, the Boston Red Sox are in a position to be one of the most active teams at the trade deadline and even free agency. Advertisement Best-case scenario? Boston pulls off another blockbuster and climbs to the top of the AL East. While it's possible, it's a long shot. A more likely outcome is an aggressive free agency push to add multiple impact players. The first name that comes to mind is Chicago Cubs' superstar Kyle Tucker, but not knowing chief baseball officer Craig Breslow's plans for the outfield, the focus shifts elsewhere. Boston is still trying to fill the void at first base after Triston Casas' season-ending knee injury. Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez have performed commendably; however, finding a sustainable solution at first base is imperative for both the present and future. There is no promise that Casas returns from his ruptured patellar tendon, leaving uncertainty for the future at first base, and according to Connor Ryan of Arizona Diamondbacks' slugger Josh Naylor is an ideal replacement. Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor against the Baltimore Orioles at Chase J. Rebilas-Imagn Images "Naylor has established himself as one of the more underrated hitters in baseball over the last few seasons," Ryan wrote. "In 2023, he batted .308 with 17 home runs and 97 RBI with the Cleveland Guardians, following that up with 31 home runs and 108 RBI in 2024 with Cleveland. So far in 2025 with Arizona, Naylor is batting .300 and is on pace for 19 home runs and 104 RBI. Even if his defense at first isn't strong, the 28-year-old Naylor would be a strong addition to the lineup, especially at an area of weakness on the roster." Advertisement According to Spotrac, Naylor is projected to receive a five-year, $100 million contract this offseason. At 28 years old, a $20 million average annual value would rank as the eighth-highest among first basemen and equal Christian Walker's three-year, $60 million deal signed with the Houston Astros heading into 2025. It may sound like a steep investment, but with the going rate for first basemen and the lack of certainty around Casas' future, signing Naylor is an intriguing option for the Red Sox. Related: Red Sox's Roman Anthony Breaks Silence on Rafael Devers Situation This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
