Craig Breslow: Red Sox CBO

[SoxFanInPdx]

I'm not saying one of these perspectives is right or wrong -- I for one think Bloom got a little bit railroaded, but I didn't lose any sleep over it -- but it seems pretty clear to me that the broader fanbase had turned against him. From a pure perception standpoint, they were at much greater risk of losing the fanbase from keeping him than by moving on. (Of course, winning would have reversed that, and may well have happened next year.)

That’s fine and all, but when did they ever give him the chance to go “full throttle” as Werner said today about Breslow? That’s rhetorical I know because they never did. Yeah, sure, FSG will continue to run the business as they said. However, making that statement is a bit odd to me. Since when have they haven’t?

FSG the past few seasons have not shown a desire to show intent to the fanbase. Other than telling Chaim to get below the tax. This organization should never have to publicly come out and say that and frankly it’s embarrassing. They scapegoated Bloom then and they continue to do so today with Kennedy’s remarks. That puts a bad taste in my mouth. No wonder they had big issues getting a replacement.

Cora’s comments about the roster last season was a huge red flag to me. It was a dog whistle criticizing Chaim in my view and I won’t be convinced otherwise. That should have been directed at ownership. They charge the crazy ticket prices at the Fens and sign the checks.

I’ll always be grateful for FSG in what they’ve given us, but they’ve been visibly absent in the park for the most part of 2-3 seasons. To me, and I don’t think I’m the only one here, that means something.

 

[chrisfont9]

Plus he got rid of Justin Garza from the 40-man.

View: https://twitter.com/alexspeier/status/1720179900558999885

I'm impressed he knew who Garza was.

 

[8slim]

Saw some clips of the presser. Seems like a smart guy. I’m rooting for him to oversee a perennial playoff team, starting next season. I don’t care how he does it. Lots of ways to skin that cat.

 

[JimD]

I’ll always be grateful for FSG in what they’ve given us, but they’ve been visibly absent in the park for the most part of 2-3 seasons. To me, and I don’t think I’m the only one here, that means something.

John Henry was at the press conference, and finally made himself available to reporters.

Oh wait, that's right, he didn't.

After the broadcast portion of the event was over, Henry briefly joined Breslow, Kennedy and Tom Werner on stage for quick photos. As he talked to Breslow’s family, media members loosely gathered in a wide halo around him. When that conversation ended, WCVB’s Duke Castiglione asked Henry for a few minutes.

Henry didn’t actually decline. He just stared at Castiglione and walked away without a word.

MassLive - On big day for Red Sox, why won’t John Henry talk?

John Henry showing up at the presser and not only staying silent but actively ignoring reporters is not a good look. At all. Werner will talk but he comes across to me as very unlikeable, and Kennedy has been coming across as a smarmy prick lately. They are far closer to Jeremy Jacobs in fan perception than the one-time 'saviors' of the Boston Red Sox should be.

Edit: Henry also showed up 20 minutes late for the press conference. For an ownership group that cares so much about the narrative around the team that they literally fired their last CBO to satisfy the fans' bloodlust, they are comically bad at even the simplest PR moves.

 

[IpswichSox]

I have a feeling Breslow is going to make some bold moves, both in free agency and in trades.

Between the news conference and his appearance on WEEI, Breslow used the word "bold" multiple times in the context of future moves. That can't be a coincidence. Whether it's his actual philosophy or Henry made clear that was ownership's issue with Bloom and that they wanted boldness in a new CBO, it seemed clear Breslow was telegraphing his approach. More Dombrowski-like than Bloom, which if true would be a good thing (despite all the handwringing to come here over trading away coveted prospects!).

 

[Yaz4Ever]

Winter Meetings are coming up soon. Yamamoto will be posted in under 30 days, from what I've read. Breslow is saying that he doesn't have restraints, so....

Are Devers, Bello, Mayer, etc available? I think the vast majority of us want to build around them rather than move them, but in what trade scenarios would you be comfortable including these guys? Will he view Devers contract and defensive shortcomings and think now would be a good time to trade him and free up money? I'd prefer to hold onto Devers at $31M AAV through his age 37 season even if he's slotted directly into DH sooner rather than later, but I'm not in charge. I'd also have no interest in trading Bello, Mayer, Anthony, Rafaela, and Teel, but I'd assume those are the exact players other teams will want. What kind of outside the box thinking will Craig utilize to improve this team?

IMHO, I'd love to see 2 front end starters (Yamamoto and another) and a strong RHH RF - I'm assuming Verdugo gets moved. If we can take some pressure off both Bello (young) and Sale (fragile) by moving them to 3rd/4th in the rotation, this team becomes instant contenders. Had Story been healthy this season, we wouldn't have had to put Kike out at SS. Story's defense alone would've improved the team, even if he still forgot how to hit. I'd love to keep Turner here for 1-2 years, but if Breslow decides it's best to move Yoshida to DH instead I'd live with it.

In short, I'm excited for this offseason and really hope Breslow improves the team sooner rather than later. How he does that is yet to be seen.

 

[chawson]

Winter Meetings are coming up soon. Yamamoto will be posted in under 30 days, from what I've read. Breslow is saying that he doesn't have restraints, so....

Are Devers, Bello, Mayer, etc available? I think the vast majority of us want to build around them rather than move them, but in what trade scenarios would you be comfortable including these guys? Will he view Devers contract and defensive shortcomings and think now would be a good time to trade him and free up money? I'd prefer to hold onto Devers at $31M AAV through his age 37 season even if he's slotted directly into DH sooner rather than later, but I'm not in charge. I'd also have no interest in trading Bello, Mayer, Anthony, Rafaela, and Teel, but I'd assume those are the exact players other teams will want. What kind of outside the box thinking will Craig utilize to improve this team?

IMHO, I'd love to see 2 front end starters (Yamamoto and another) and a strong RHH RF - I'm assuming Verdugo gets moved. If we can take some pressure off both Bello (young) and Sale (fragile) by moving them to 3rd/4th in the rotation, this team becomes instant contenders. Had Story been healthy this season, we wouldn't have had to put Kike out at SS. Story's defense alone would've improved the team, even if he still forgot how to hit. I'd love to keep Turner here for 1-2 years, but if Breslow decides it's best to move Yoshida to DH instead I'd live with it.

In short, I'm excited for this offseason and really hope Breslow improves the team sooner rather than later. How he does that is yet to be seen.

I don't think there's any way Devers would get moved. It's probably the quickest and most surefire way to lose the fan base, clubhouse, and media corps, who would rightfully paint it as a Mookie redux.

As far as RHH right fielders go, there's a real shortage of those who can field the position and hold their own at the plate. I don't think that list goes much deeper than Teoscar Hernandez. I'd be pretty happy to bring him aboard, but an Abreu/Refsnyder platoon might work just as well.

 

[JimD]

Breslow seemed to be putting the veteran staff members in the front office on notice, per this nugget from McAdam:

Not long after the main press conference ended, Breslow slipped away to conduct another interview with NESN’s Tom Caron and Lenny DiNardo. Removed from the trappings of the press conference, where a hundred or so fellow employees were in the room watching, Breslow was more candid, with his guard dropped.

Asked about working with an already fully-staffed Baseball Operations department, full of long-term employees, Breslow, unprompted, didn’t hold back.

“Certainly, there will be difficult conversations coming,” said Breslow. “I think it’s important to get fresh perspective and turnover, at times, can bring that.”

Well, then.

https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2023/11/mlb-notebook-craig-breslow-has-bigger-worries-than-winning-press-conference-mcadam.html

Whoever that anonymous FO staffer was who made the pointed comment about 'another analytics guy' (or something to that effect, according to the SoxProspects guys on their latest podcast) after Breslow’s hire was announced might want to start updating their resume.

 

[Big Papi's Mango Salsa]

Winter Meetings are coming up soon. Yamamoto will be posted in under 30 days, from what I've read. Breslow is saying that he doesn't have restraints, so....

Are Devers, Bello, Mayer, etc available? I think the vast majority of us want to build around them rather than move them, but in what trade scenarios would you be comfortable including these guys? Will he view Devers contract and defensive shortcomings and think now would be a good time to trade him and free up money? I'd prefer to hold onto Devers at $31M AAV through his age 37 season even if he's slotted directly into DH sooner rather than later, but I'm not in charge. I'd also have no interest in trading Bello, Mayer, Anthony, Rafaela, and Teel, but I'd assume those are the exact players other teams will want. What kind of outside the box thinking will Craig utilize to improve this team?

In short, I'm excited for this offseason and really hope Breslow improves the team sooner rather than later. How he does that is yet to be seen.

I'd assume (or at least hope) that the answer is "everyone is available", but that doesn't mean trying to sell them, so to speak.

I really can't think of a feasible trade where moving Bello makes any sense. He is - literally - the only starting pitcher in the entire organization that you can look at with any degree of certainty and say "he is a rotation piece for the next several seasons." Everyone else has questions surrounding age, injury, performance or contract status.

Devers would need to go to a team that has a boatload of money, and realistically won't be traded in the division (so - Mets, Phillies, LAD, LAA, Atlanta, Texas, Houston and probably ChC and SFG). Then you'd need to remove teams that are already set at 3b (and 1b - assuming Devers could move there) which rules out Atlanta and Texas (probably Philly and Houston as well, but for fun, I'll leave them in there). Then you need to find a team that has something you actually want - which probably rules out LAA as they're a dumpster fire and probably SFG. So you're left with between 3 and 5 teams that could make any sense for Devers (Mets, LAD, ChC and possibly Philly and Houston). That'd be a very tough needle to thread - especially considering the optics of trading another "face of the franchise" to LAD or sending him right out to Breslow's old team (ChC).


The players that it'd be both really tough to see them move but could make any sense for Boston (and where I could see wide appeal to other teams) from the "etc" camp are Casas, Mayer and Anthony (Devers slides to 1b in this scenario if you're talking Casas). Those would have to be for some really good pieces - in my mind those pieces have to be SP1 / SP2 type pieces that are seen as at worst comparable to Bello in terms of performance, upside and control. (Case in point - and this isn't realistic for MANY reasons, but if Mayer is moved you're getting back a "Zac Gallen" type piece.)

I really don't see someone like Devers, Bello, Casas, Mayer, Anthony or Teel being moved - but I do think you're going to see SOME prospect / young player consolidation into MLB pieces - I just think it's more likely to be from among - no particular order - Houck, Crawford, Yorke, Bleis, Duran, Abreu, Rafaela and Cespedes. Call it something like Yorke, Crawford and Cespedes (or Duran and Houck) for Cease just to spitball something that looks "close" in terms of BTV numbers.

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

John Henry was at the press conference, and finally made himself available to reporters.

Oh wait, that's right, he didn't.



MassLive - On big day for Red Sox, why won’t John Henry talk?

John Henry showing up at the presser and not only staying silent but actively ignoring reporters is not a good look. At all. Werner will talk but he comes across to me as very unlikeable, and Kennedy has been coming across as a smarmy prick lately. They are far closer to Jeremy Jacobs in fan perception than the one-time 'saviors' of the Boston Red Sox should be.

Edit: Henry also showed up 20 minutes late for the press conference. For an ownership group that cares so much about the narrative around the team that they literally fired their last CBO to satisfy the fans' bloodlust, they are comically bad at even the simplest PR moves.

Exactly my entire view of it. Kennedy really hit a nerve with me in that presser. That’s some ego to have for a president and CEO when you’ve finished dead last in the division for nearly half of your tenure.

Werner is as milk toast as they come and frequently just says what everyone wants to hear. It’s to the point where everything he says is just noise and he appears to be someone that just loves to hear himself speak. He does great things in the community, but he has no business speaking about the team.

JWH is about as out of touch as you can get and has no clue on how to read a room and he’s flat out bad at speaking in them. Prime example, that Winter Weekend they hosted last year “It’s expensive to have baseball players.” The look on Bloom’s face said it all to me in that moment.

FSG is worth $8 billion and answers like that don’t fly with a fanbase that should be trying to contend every season. They have showed no intent of doing so as of late. I wish Breslow well, but I don’t envy him having to work with this bunch.

 

[McSweeny]

It’s funny how people have such different opinions of ownership. Would you prefer it if FSG sold the team? John Henry has delivered four World Series championship teams and a couple of others that came close. I grew up thinking the Red Sox would never win a World Series in a million years. And then I witnessed FOUR. They’ve done it in the past and I trust them to do it again in the future. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t care if ownership answers questions from the media and I certainly can’t get worked up about it in November.

 

[Max Power]

Exactly my entire view of it. Kennedy really hit a nerve with me in that presser. That’s some ego to have for a president and CEO when you’ve finished dead last in the division for nearly half of your tenure.

Werner is as milk toast as they come and frequently just says what everyone wants to hear. It’s to the point where everything he says is just noise and he appears to be someone that just loves to hear himself speak. He does great things in the community, but he has no business speaking about the team.

JWH is about as out of touch as you can get and has no clue on how to read a room and he’s flat out bad at speaking in them. Prime example, that Winter Weekend they hosted last year “It’s expensive to have baseball players.” The look on Bloom’s face said it all to me in that moment.

FSG is worth $8 billion and answers like that don’t fly with a fanbase that should be trying to contend every season. They have showed no intent of doing so as of late. I wish Breslow well, but I don’t envy him having to work with this bunch.

Henry knows he sucks at talking to people, so he doesn't do it anymore. Now instead of complaining about what he says, people complain about how he doesn't appear in front of the media. Like it or not, Sam Kennedy is the face and voice of ownership of the team these days.

 

[YTF]

I'm really not understanding the concern or even the mention about the lack of involvement by ownership at the presser. Does it come off as cowardly? Perhaps, if that's how you want to perceive it. Me, I'm just as happy for them not to be involved. I'd rather Breslow be the focus I want to hear what he has to say. If Henry (as aloof as he is) says anything, he's getting trashed no matter what he comes out of his mouth. So yeah maybe he looks like a weasel trying to avoid the media, but you know what? It's a no win situation, so sit there with your mouth shut and let the story be about Breslow instead of how you failed miserably in your attempt to give answers that will satisfy no one about what's happened these past few seasons. People need to look forward, turn the page, new chapter, yadda, yadda... Find reason for optimism in what Breslow had to offer, be exited in the upcoming meetings, free agency and hot stove season and stop focusing something that IMO doesn't mean shit and keep your fucking Sox on.

 

[Big Papi's Mango Salsa]

Agree totally - I don't need to hear the owners speaking at this point. It's not Henry's strength at all, and it would do literally no good. He could come out and say "we've sucked for half a decade and we're going to spend a ton to stop sucking" and people would rightly say "I'll believe it when I see it."

Hire the people you feel are the best and get out of the way. If they don't end up being what you hoped, try again.


As such, I think Henry's statement on the day the hire was announced was good enough for me. Coolbaugh in Boston Sports Journal did a good job writing this out but "After the 2018 World Series, we sought to build a future that would avoid the ups and downs normally associated with winning. That plainly hasn’t happened" is literally all I want to hear from FSG.

Here was our goal. It wasn't achieved. We're trying someone new to try and achieve it. Now cut the checks and get out of the way. They made a move (one I think they needed to make), now money (and roster changes) talk and everything else is noise. https://www.bostonsportsjournal.com/2023/10/28/mlb-notebook-with-breslow-hire-has-john-henry-finally-emerged-from-his-red-sox-slumber

That doesn't mean you have to be stupid and sign Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval just to make moves. But go out and spend the money necessary to get two top tier starting pitchers (whether that "money" is simply two free agents or one free agent and trading for and extending another).

Don't go into next season with Bello and a rotation of all questions marks and error bars. Go get an SP1, an SP3 and an SP4. Develop / coach up (whatever) Bello into another SP1 and make it so that one of Houck or Crawford tugs away SP4 from "Kenta Maeda" and you have two quality #4s. Don't simply depend on getting more out of what you have, because what you have isn't close to good enough.

Again my preference is Nola, Bello, "trade for SP3", "Ryu" and then whichever of Houck or Crawford is still here is SP5. If someone wants to keep all the prospects and sign two of Nola, Yamamoto, Montgomery and Sonny Gray go nuts and keep the prospects, fine. But go get two top half of the rotation starters and someone that slots in as SP4.

 

[Auger34]

Henry knows he sucks at talking to people, so he doesn't do it anymore. Now instead of complaining about what he says, people complain about how he doesn't appear in front of the media. Like it or not, Sam Kennedy is the face and voice of ownership of the team these days.

Yeah, I can't get mad at Henry avoiding the media and press conferences. He's a really bad public speaker and you can tell how uncomfortable it makes him. I don't think there's any benefit (for him or for others) of making him speak.

I think Chaim got kind of a raw deal in being fired. But I really, really don't understand how fans can act like he's been scapegoated and railroaded by the team...do we not remember what Lucchino and the Dentist did to Theo and Tito? That was completely unprofessional and worth getting upset about. The stuff coming out about Bloom is the same as any other executive who gets fired. Honestly, I think Bloom may have even got more favorable coverage by the media than your normal fired executive

 

[joe dokes]

Speier with what is clearly the house view:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/11/03/sports/craig-breslow-red-sox/

 

[lexrageorge]

I fail to understand the complaints about Sam Kennedy. Seems like the median for baseball execs when talking to fans.

John Henry probably should have made a short statement about welcoming Breslow aboard. But it's fairly clear that Kennedy is in charge of the team's day-to-day operations, and so he is going to be the primary one to make whatever statements need to be made. Letting Henry be the money person and then get out of the way is probably not the worst outcome.

 

[moondog80]

I fail to understand the complaints about Sam Kennedy. Seems like the median for baseball execs when talking to fans.

John Henry probably should have made a short statement about welcoming Breslow aboard. But it's fairly clear that Kennedy is in charge of the team's day-to-day operations, and so he is going to be the primary one to make whatever statements need to be made. Letting Henry be the money person and then get out of the way is probably not the worst outcome.

Yeah, “I want the owner to be more involved” is a weird take. I couldn’t care less whether or not he makes some generic welcoming statement written by someone else.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

Yeah, “I want the owner to be more involved” is a weird take. I couldn’t care less whether or not he makes some generic welcoming statement written by someone else.

It’s not that people want the owner to “be more involved” like George Steinbrenner but you’d like for him to answer some pretty important questions about the franchise.

Why did you let Bloom go? Does adding the Penguins, Liverpool, etc take away focus from the Red Sox? What is the franchise’s philosophy?

There are a million more questions that are better than the above that I think people would like to know. I mean he hasn’t said anything in literal years. He should say something.

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

The narrative, whether accurate or not, is that Henry is an absentee, out of touch owner who is difficult to work for and who isn’t as interested in the team as he used to be. Making a statement might help dispel some of that, but it’s possible that he doesn’t think it’s important (it might not be) or whatever.

 

[simplicio]

You think people who view Henry as a disinterested absentee owner are going to have their minds changed by a prepared statement?

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

You think people who view Henry as a disinterested absentee owner are going to have their minds changed by a prepared statement?

You used the word prepared, not me. But no, doing it once probably wouldn’t have much of an impact. Speaking more frequently, giving an interview to members of the media, stuff like that could help. Or not, I dunno.

 

[sezwho]

You think people who view Henry as a disinterested absentee owner are going to have their minds changed by a prepared statement?

Didn’t he do that? Apparently the answer is no.

https://www.bostonsportsjournal.com/2023/10/28/mlb-notebook-with-breslow-hire-has-john-henry-finally-emerged-from-his-red-sox-slumber

 

[moondog80]

It’s not that people want the owner to “be more involved” like George Steinbrenner but you’d like for him to answer some pretty important questions about the franchise.

Why did you let Bloom go? Does adding the Penguins, Liverpool, etc take away focus from the Red Sox? What is the franchise’s philosophy?

There are a million more questions that are better than the above that I think people would like to know. I mean he hasn’t said anything in literal years. He should say something.

I get that, but it’s not like he’s going to give an answer that’s going to satisfy anyone.

1. “We moved on from Bloom because we weren’t getting the results we wanted.”

2. “Adding the Penguins in no way takes away from our commitment to the Red Sox.”

3. “Our philosophy is to field a team that can contend in an annual basis.”

He’s not going to get more specific than that and quite frankly, I wouldn’t want him to. So if it’s just going to be platitudes, I’d be fine just skipping it and letting the payroll speak for itself. If they go back above the tax this coming year, they will get a mulligan for dipping below last year to get a reset. But if things settle into where they were last year, then not so much.

 

[Devizier]

I love the thought that Hoyer had to to Craig to pretty much say “please dumb down your presentation, its way to advanced for some of the FO folk”

It’s pretty much the advice that nearly every science PhD has to learn in graduate school and they are presenting to audiences of mostly other PhDs. It doesn’t really matter who the audience is, it’s difficult to give a good presentation and less is almost always more.

 

[JM3]

RedSox Stats says that this is the best Breslow interview out there. Haven't listened yet, though:

View: https://youtu.be/IKaHqiraMU4?si=38hLRh7MNG2m8Tz4


View: https://twitter.com/redsoxstats/status/1721359187639230782

 

[The Gray Eagle]

RedSox Stats says that this is the best Breslow interview out there. Haven't listened yet, though:

View: https://youtu.be/IKaHqiraMU4?si=38hLRh7MNG2m8Tz4


View: https://twitter.com/redsoxstats/status/1721359187639230782

Interesting response here about young pitchers:
View: https://youtu.be/IKaHqiraMU4?si=9mHpIKyB0h4McNf3&t=859


Question basically asks "What's the most important thing you look for when bringing young pitchers into the organization?"

Summarizing the response: "We hope to codify the areas that our org is good at improving with pitchers, then acquire pitchers who have that deficiency or need but who have the traits that we struggle to improve on. Velocity is something that orgs can improve (speaking here of young pitchers). Pitch shapes too. Stuff and velocity can be improved, but command is far more difficult to improve. We've had guys come into the pitch lab and come out with a wipeout slider or hammer curve but yet to have a guy come out with plus-plus command."

View: https://youtu.be/IKaHqiraMU4?si=Rq7uXcg7JnXqdnEk&t=1252

Asked about bringing in relievers, similar response, paraphrased:
"We want to identify and bring in pitchers who we believe we have some developmental unlocks, whether that is tweaks to delivery, repertoire, or usage. We want to present that to pitchers so that if they agree to come here, they will buy into our recommendations."

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

I get that, but it’s not like he’s going to give an answer that’s going to satisfy anyone.

1. “We moved on from Bloom because we weren’t getting the results we wanted.”

2. “Adding the Penguins in no way takes away from our commitment to the Red Sox.”

3. “Our philosophy is to field a team that can contend in an annual basis.”

He’s not going to get more specific than that and quite frankly, I wouldn’t want him to. So if it’s just going to be platitudes, I’d be fine just skipping it and letting the payroll speak for itself. If they go back above the tax this coming year, they will get a mulligan for dipping below last year to get a reset. But if things settle into where they were last year, then not so much.

How do you know that though? I mean if he sits down with a writer or he has a press conference, the writer is able to ask Henry follow-up questions that may get him to open up a bit about the franchise and the direction that they're going. I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to know that. There's been a lot of turmoil swirling around this franchise in the last few seasons, the Sox are either in the ALCS or World Series or they're in last place in the division. They're on their fourth GM/PoBO in less than a decade, they traded their once-in-a-generation ball player, last season they dipped to 13th in the league in payroll but have raised ticket prices just every year and the owner has been absolutely silent.

You're not interested in hearing anything from him about any of those subjects? Like nothing at all?

I mean, I guess that's your prerogative and everything, but I'd like to hear something from Henry on any of those subjects. And frankly, I think a lot of the Red Sox fan base would too.

 

[moondog80]

How do you know that though? I mean if he sits down with a writer or he has a press conference, the writer is able to ask Henry follow-up questions that may get him to open up a bit about the franchise and the direction that they're going. I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to know that. There's been a lot of turmoil swirling around this franchise in the last few seasons, the Sox are either in the ALCS or World Series or they're in last place in the division. They're on their fourth GM/PoBO in less than a decade, they traded their once-in-a-generation ball player, last season they dipped to 13th in the league in payroll but have raised ticket prices just every year and the owner has been absolutely silent.

You're not interested in hearing anything from him about any of those subjects? Like nothing at all?

I mean, I guess that's your prerogative and everything, but I'd like to hear something from Henry on any of those subjects. And frankly, I think a lot of the Red Sox fan base would too.

Well, I certainly don't need to hear him answer questions on a transaction that happened over 3 years ago. And it seems clear that the payroll last year was a function of getting below the tax -- they were 6th in 2022. But the larger point is that actions speak louder than words. If the payroll is back up near the top 5, I'm fine with ownership's commitment. And if it's more like 12th, than I won't really care what he says to reporters about it.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

Well, I certainly don't need to hear him answer questions on a transaction that happened over 3 years ago. And it seems clear that the payroll last year was a function of getting below the tax -- they were 6th in 2022. But the larger point is that actions speak louder than words. If the payroll is back up near the top 5, I'm fine with ownership's commitment. And if it's more like 12th, than I won't really care what he says to reporters about it.

Agree to disagree.

 

[JM3]

View: https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1722810979103183090

Almost 3 minutes Breslow interview.

"We're happy with Alex [Verdugo] on the Red Sox."

Craig Breslow joined @jonmorosi to address trade rumors, the international free agent market and more on #MLBTonight.

 

[E5 Yaz]

"We're not just going to give him away."

 

[The Gray Eagle]

Article on the Athletic with some Brez quotes:
https://theathletic.com/5042451/2023/11/07/red-sox-craig-breslow-gm-meetings/

Not exactly revealing, because it would be dumb to be revealing.

Trading prospects is "on the table." It would be weird and cause fan panic if he said it wasn't.

Breslow said he expects to pursue every avenue to upgrade the big league team, including trading prospects, but acknowledged the difficulty in familiarizing himself with the group quickly. Though he’s been aware of the Red Sox’s top prospects, he’s been working to dig in on the entire group.

“Admittedly, I’m not in a position to make a decision unilaterally at this point,” he said of which prospects could be traded.

However, with a fresh set of eyes on the farm system, he was asked if that makes it easier to trade from, given his lack of attachment to the group.

“I think it can cut both ways,” he said. “You’re right, I don’t have the emotional attachment having been part of the decision to draft the guys or to acquire them. With that, though, comes the possibility that I’m not seeing the total picture though. The further away these guys are from the big leagues, the harder it is to project future performance. So that’s why we’ll lean into others who do know these players far more intimately than I do.”

Breslow has repeatedly noted that he doesn’t want to focus too much on the farm system and that the goal is major league success.

“I do think there are ways to meaningfully improve the team in the short term without sacrificing long-term wins,” he said. “I think it’s important not to lose sight that the goal of any organization is to win major league games. It’s not to have the greatest farm system. It’s not to have the most prospect depth. It’s to win games.”

He's met with the team's scouts "across the board" to talk the best pitching fits, presumably including Yamamoto.

In regards to the Japanese pitching market and the Red Sox’s pursuit of top free-agent arm Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Breslow wouldn’t comment on specific players, but said he has already had in-depth conversations with Red Sox scouts across the board to gather their insights on the market and the best fits for the club.

He's not really looking to upgrade the catching situation:

Breslow gave a vote of confidence in his catching tandem of Connor Wong and Reese McGuire. He noted he’s very comfortable with Wong, in particular, as the starting catcher, a role in which he grew during the year.
“I think we feel good about the catching situation,” he said. “That’s not to say that we should be closed-minded about opportunities to improve the team, but I think that we’re all really happy with him.”

He wants to upgrade the coaching, not just with new coaches but in also using technology more:

Breslow reiterated the need to improve the current coaching staff as well, a sentiment manager Cora mentioned at the end of the season. When asked what that entails, Breslow said it’s about utilizing the information available to enhance player performance.

“There’s a host of information available about every one of our players,” he said. “I think for a while information available on pitching kind of outpaced hitting, which outpaced defense and baserunning. But now we’re getting a pretty complete picture of the player so we can recognize, is this a technique-driven deficiency? Is it range? Is it first-step quickness? Is it prep work? And we can really target the work that we’re doing on the development side and also just be accepting of the fact that development needs to continue at the big league level.”

Bringing in a GM from the outside for fresh perspectives?

Breslow said he’s still getting to know all of his lieutenants in Boston and hasn’t had much time to think about hiring for GM or advisor roles yet. He did, however, note the “value of fresh perspectives,” which suggests he’s more likely to hire outside of the organization for those roles rather than elevate an existing executive as Bloom did with Brian O’Halloran.

 

[LogansDad]

View: https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1722810979103183090

Almost 3 minutes Breslow interview.

Dude can talk the talk, I'll tell you that much. I will say that he seems far more.... excited (?)... about his job than Bloom ever did while he was here. I am looking forward to seeing what he can do.

 

[section15]

Tuesday afternoon Mr. Breslow faces the fans (STH call). Should be good. I had no questions for him.

 

[Max Power]

Tuesday afternoon Mr. Breslow faces the fans (STH call). Should be good. I had no questions for him.

I asked whether his job was just to put a winning team on the field or if acquiring and keeping popular players was important as well.

 

[grepal]

It is time for Mr. Breslow to set the market. I am tired of getting the last option available and finishing at the bottom. Not for the price of tickets I and others fork over.

 

[chawson]

It is time for Mr. Breslow to set the market. I am tired of getting the last option available and finishing at the bottom. Not for the price of tickets I and others fork over.

I don't agree with this reasoning exactly, but it does seem like good strategy this winter to make a splash early, in case any FA have concerns about whether we plan to contend in 2024.

 

[section15]

[

I asked whether his job was just to put a winning team on the field or if acquiring and keeping popular players was important as well.

Max, if he picks this question - we KNOW how he'll answer. I just hope he's honest about it.

 

[Yo La Tengo]

Also found this answer interesting: "Alex Cora will be the manager for the 2024 season."

Breslow continues to resist any long term endorsement of Cora. Which I think is a smart move in order to put some pressure on the manager to perform better this year. I'd guess there is a sweet spot later in the season for discussions, in order to avoid a Craig Counsel scenario next fall. From the Boston Sports Journal:


Breslow at the GM meetings said he will engage with Cora “when the time is right” and that both he and Cora are “preparing for the 2024 season.” Breslow added, “Beyond that, I don’t think it makes a ton of sense to speak to.”

 

[jon abbey]

The Pirates have hired Justin Horowitz as their new Director of Amateur Scouting, per sources. He comes over from the Red Sox, where he started as an intern in 2012, then worked full-time in various scouting roles for nine years.

View: https://twitter.com/kileymcd/status/1724086496846614738

 

[Skiponzo]

The Pirates have hired Justin Horowitz as their new Director of Amateur Scouting, per sources. He comes over from the Red Sox, where he started as an intern in 2012, then worked full-time in various scouting roles for nine years.

View: https://twitter.com/kileymcd/status/1724086496846614738

Justin was married to my niece (bad ending recently). He's a TERRIFIC guy and I'm happy for him but my 17 y/o HS pitcher son is bummed because he's been bugging him since he was 10 to draft him for the Sox. LOL!

 

[JM3]

Alex Speier pointed out that Horiwitz was a driving force in the Jarren Duran drafting.

View: https://twitter.com/alexspeier/status/1724091326931546526

Horowitz has been a critical member of the Red Sox scouting team for years. He tabbed Jarren Duran as a 7th rounder in 2018, and was a significant part of the team’s process with first rounders Marcelo Mayer and Mikey Romero, among others.

 

[TomRicardo]

You think people who view Henry as a disinterested absentee owner are going to have their minds changed by a prepared statement?

Do you think staring down a reporter asking you questions and refusing to talk does anything other than reinforce you don't care about this team? He was better off not showing up at all. Outside owning a book store, John Henry's entire operation is around Fenway Sports Group and Boston Media. He got away from the hedge fund 11 years ago. I get he is in his 70s but not talking does not help.

 

[simplicio]

"John Henry doesn't care about the Red Sox" isn't and has never been a reality-based statement.

 

[sezwho]

"John Henry doesn't care about the Red Sox" isn't and has never been a reality-based statement.

And the only thing worse for the brand than Henry not talking is Henry talking.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

"John Henry doesn't care about the Red Sox" isn't and has never been a reality-based statement.

How about John Henry doesn't care about the Red Sox as much as he did 20 years ago. I think that's a bit more realistic, don't you? Twenty years ago FSG had the Red Sox and that's it. Now they have Liverpool FC, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Rousch Racing (I think? I don't follow racing much) and a partnership with LeBron James. Aside from FSG he also has his original business, developing the land around Fenway and he owns the Boston Globe. With that many high-profile projects pulling at his attention combined with there still only being 24 hours in a day, his marriage and the fact that he's 20 years older (in his 70s); I think it's safe to say that the Red Sox don't loom as large in JH's day-to-day life as they used to.

This is not a criticsm, it's just a fact.

 

[joe dokes]

How about John Henry doesn't care about the Red Sox as much as he did 20 years ago. I think that's a bit more realistic, don't you? Twenty years ago FSG had the Red Sox and that's it. Now they have Liverpool FC, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Rousch Racing (I think? I don't follow racing much) and a partnership with LeBron James. Aside from FSG he also has his original business, developing the land around Fenway and he owns the Boston Globe. With that many high-profile projects pulling at his attention combined with there still only being 24 hours in a day, his marriage and the fact that he's 20 years older (in his 70s); I think it's safe to say that the Red Sox don't loom as large in JH's day-to-day life as they used to.

This is not a criticsm, it's just a fact.

This is all pretty silly, but I'm all for some silliness sometimes. He probably "cares" just as much; even though his direct attention is definitely spread around more. Like parents with multiple children.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

This is all pretty silly, but I'm all for some silliness sometimes. He probably "cares" just as much; even though his direct attention is definitely spread around more. Like parents with multiple children.

Maybe care isn't the best word, how about attention?

Put it this way, it's Thanksgiving and you have a certain sized plate in front of you. At one point there's just a hunk of turkey on it and as dinner goes by and people are putting potatoes, carrots, creamed spinach, hot rolls, broccoli, mac and cheese and other stuff on there; that turkey is still an important part of the meal but it's also now part of a bigger dinner--a full plate. You can't put a piece of turkey on every forkful of food that goes in your mouth, so you have to choose what to eat. You can't just shovel everything into your mouth, you'd choke.

Henry can't have his full attention on the Red Sox at all times like he did 20 years ago. If he did, all of his other investments would go down the toilet.

Because what I said in my OP, what you said in your responding post and what I reiterated here is the same exact thing. The only difference is that for some reason you found one word "silly".

 

[chrisfont9]

Maybe care isn't the best word, how about attention?

Put it this way, it's Thanksgiving and you have a certain sized plate in front of you. At one point there's just a hunk of turkey on it and as dinner goes by and people are putting potatoes, carrots, creamed spinach, hot rolls, broccoli, mac and cheese and other stuff on there; that turkey is still an important part of the meal but it's also now part of a bigger dinner--a full plate. You can't put a piece of turkey on every forkful of food that goes in your mouth, so you have to choose what to eat. You can't just shovel everything into your mouth, you'd choke.

Henry can't have his full attention on the Red Sox at all times like he did 20 years ago. If he did, all of his other investments would go down the toilet.

Because what I said in my OP, what you said in your responding post and what I reiterated here is the same exact thing. The only difference is that for some reason you found one word "silly".

It's highly likely he is paying less attention, if only because they were all so focused early on -- how could they not be? The question is whether it really matters. If he has delegated the caring part to people who know what they are doing and are clearly, fully authorized to do it, great. But every time you pass the buck, something can go wrong in the transfer, I suppose.