Cora will challenge CBOCB to a Trivial Pursuit contest for the rights to name the next GM.
I was thinking something more like this in the battle of the brains:
Cora will challenge CBOCB to a Trivial Pursuit contest for the rights to name the next GM.
Also, the Tigers hired Scott Harris as President of Baseball Ops and then went almost the whole season without hiring a GM.This is what the Mets are doing after hiring David Stearns as their #1 a few weeks ago, FWIW. They may or may not hire someone quickly or at all this season, they are waiting for the right person after Eppler was unexpectedly let go.
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mets-gm-billy-eppler-steps-down-amid-reported-probe-into-alleged-misuse-of-injured-list/
I'd say this, plus the confidence in his judgment on both the individual and the roster-wide level so that when a move needs to happen, he *knows* what he needs to do. All the other details he and his staff can fill in along the way.My number 1 skill that I wanted in the next Red Sox CBO was the ability to identify and develop young pitching. So I’m happy with the hire.
This is right. I’m excited by the hire, just like I’m excited about every shiny, toolsy prospect that hasn’t busted yet.He’s a very very very exciting CBO prospect. I’m all in.
He is a prospect though
Why? Because they don’t want the appearance of the new guy just inheriting Cora, like what happened with Bloom. They want the new guy to be the one to extend him even if the decision has already been made within the organization to extend Cora.Why?
If ownership is committed to him long term, they can extend him and the new guy can live with it. The lack of an extension very much suggests they're leaving that decision up to the new CBO.
Absolutely unnecessary to leave Cora dangling as a lame duck if they're committed to moving him up to the front office after 2024. If that's really their intention, they can extend him and just redo the deal to account for his front office role when the time comes.
It is a good reply. The original article made a good point, but it painted with a very broad brush that unfairly catches good athlete foundations with ones that do hire unqualified friends and family members.I like the "dont fuck with me" tone of this:
https://www.strike3foundation.org/news/red-sox-pitcher-craig-breslow-strikes-out-globe-remarks-on-athlete-charities/
Why do we assume they had a specific plan when they fired Bloom? I think the only thing we can assume is that they wanted someone/something different, otherwise why make a change at all? I think any other expectations of the type of person they were looking for were speculation and projection based on our own wants.This couldn’t possibly have been the plan when they fired Chaim. Weren’t they supposedly looking for someone with more experience/ success making bold trades and signing big name free agents?
So it looks like all of those candidates weren’t interested and so they went for the best up-and-coming talent they could land. I guess that’s a much bolder move than going with Lavine, but it’s definitely the type of thing you more expect of a much smaller market. Hopefully Breslow lives up to his promise but it’s a bit sad that the Sox front office put themselves in this position.
The only thing that matters is how highly he things of Corey Rosier, right?Hiring a guy with a limited scope of experience isn't too surprising in a situation where the #1 guy is only given a limited scope of authority.
Let's get it.
Seconded. Breslow seems like a smart guy and a good person. It might make sense if Bloom was completely dysfunctional and they just need a smoothly turning gear in the machine. But I don't think that's the case, and so Breslow is going to be a rookie GM (or whatever the acronym is, but I'll just stick with GM) without a ton of experience in an organization that does not seem to have it's ducks in a row.Not a huge fan of this. A lot of the job is negotiating - particularly with free agents who have other options. He can't have much experience at that - and speaking as someone who makes their living negotiating contracts - experience matters. Being smart helps (if he is) and being a former player helps too. I guess in some ways Henry is always looking for Billy Beane.
By all accounts, the Red Sox also have been focusing on maximizing velo... they just have been doing it with pitchers who start lower on the velo spectrum. But yeah, we shall see what happens. There are some pretty good raw pieces in the system that could be just a tweak or two away.It will be interesting to see how Craig Breslow continues to evolve the Red Sox pitching dev program. He places a strong emphasis on maximizing velo & as of late Red Sox drafts haven’t featured that many hard throwers. That’s one area we could see a philosophical shift next year.
I assume Breslow blames Reese for his career ending.Craig Breslow's last game was 9/1/18, for Triple-A Buffalo.
His catcher? Reese McGuire.
As much as I agree with this, and this is going to pain me to say this as I'm almost certain that he has a ledger of souls owed in his study, but Larry Luccino was there for Theo.Theo was 28 and had never had a GM job before being hired (I don't believe he had typical GM duties in his final role at the Padres), and he worked out OK, IIRC.
To me, the biggest issue remains whether ownership has enough patience to see through the rebuilding process that started in 2020, and how Breslow is able to navigate that massive landmine.
View: https://twitter.com/ChrisCotillo/status/1717034757006004467Breslow is expected to have full autonomy over all operations of Boston’s baseball operations, including the coaching staff, which has two vacancies (pitching coach and third base coach). His hiring would seem to increase the chances of the Red Sox making a run at Giants pitching coach Andrew Bailey, a former teammate and close friend of Breslow’s who is considering other opportunities after an impressive run in San Francisco.
Theo most definitely had experience with at least some GM duties when he was hired. He was in law school while he worked for the Padres, and because of that and a relatively small staff in a cheap organization, he was often tapped to help with negotiations by Kevin Towers. Basically his law school experience meant he was more familiar with contract language than anyone in the office. Big factor in how he rose so quickly there and subsequently with the Red Sox.Theo was 28 and had never had a GM job before being hired (I don't believe he had typical GM duties in his final role at the Padres), and he worked out OK, IIRC.
To me, the biggest issue remains whether ownership has enough patience to see through the rebuilding process that started in 2020, and how Breslow is able to navigate that massive landmine.
Why? Because they’ll get worked in trades and free agency? He won’t do well in the draft? His job is making personnel decisions based on a vision for the roster and knowledge of his and other organizations’ talent, managing a large team of people whose job it is to get this done. Everyone seems to think he knows a lot about talent assessment, and the organizational plan is all set up for someone to come in and execute it. Failure looks like he brings in a bunch of guys who he ends up being wrong about, or they just get hurt, but the former is what he’s been up to with the Cubs and the latter is bad luck.In some senses I like it. But it could easily be a disaster. Breslow "learning on the job" and getting his feet under him 2-3 years from now pretty much would qualify as a disaster.
Everyone who's become a GM or CBO for the first time was never one before, but LL also had Theo get a law degree while in SD so that he would be an asset to the organization, specifically pertaining to contract negotiations. He was definitely being groomed for a larger role.Theo was 28 and had never had a GM job before being hired (I don't believe he had typical GM duties in his final role at the Padres), and he worked out OK, IIRC.
To me, the biggest issue remains whether ownership has enough patience to see through the rebuilding process that started in 2020, and how Breslow is able to navigate that massive landmine.
This is the second consecutive FO #1 the Sox have hired that is younger than me. I'm not sure I will ever see another one that is older.I can remember going to school in CT and reading about his Trumbull, CT teams. In other news, I kind of feel old.
Where's the hand wringing? A comparison was made.All this hand wringing about negotiating contracts... it's a baseball contract, it has basically two variables: duration and money. The parameters of the work are pretty standard (play baseball). There's a little bit of poker strategy dealing with the other competitors but at the end of the day it's basically a matter of pick two numbers you like and work around them.
John Henry can afford some lawyers to help write the language, that's not Breslows job.
They are avoiding the taint of ever hearing of Haywood Sullivan. Smart move.This is the second consecutive FO #1 the Sox have hired that is younger than me. I'm not sure I will ever see another one that is older.
This rings very true to me. We used to hear a lot about how “the contract came with extra tickets or better hotel rooms” or whatever, but I can’t imagine that stuff mattering to a guy getting tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. Years and AAV, that’s it. The rest is just talking to a guy about culture and playing opportunity and whether they will win a lot.All this hand wringing about negotiating contracts... it's a baseball contract, it has basically two variables: duration and money. The parameters of the work are pretty standard (play baseball). There's a little bit of poker strategy dealing with the other competitors but at the end of the day it's basically a matter of pick two numbers you like and work around them.
John Henry can afford some lawyers to help write the language, that's not Breslows job.
Same. Experience matters in negotiating. The T&C's are seldom that complicated - that isn't why I have a job.I am a lawyer that negotiates/drafts contracts/deals everyday, and I can tell you that law school does nothing in teaching you that stuff. It’s all learning by doing.
Who's suggesting anything different?I am a lawyer that negotiates/drafts contracts/deals everyday, and I can tell you that law school does nothing in teaching you that stuff. It’s all learning by doing.
I was responding to to this bit:Who's suggesting anything different?
The only reason law school was brought up is that that happened to be the reason that Theo got into the room so early and gained the kind of on-the-job experience that helped him rise up and become a GM by age 28. No one is saying law school is some sort of requirement to being a GM/CBO/HBO/POBO/whatever.
I doubt he was any more familiar with contract language than anyone else at his level in the office at the time, and I think Breslow probably has more familiarity now with contract language than Theo did at the time.Basically his law school experience meant he was more familiar with contract language than anyone in the office. Big factor in how he rose so quickly there and subsequently with the Red Sox.
I am presently in law school and the idea that any of what I learned in Contracts prepared me to be a baseball GM is laughable. No. Not at all.I doubt he was any more familiar with contract language than anyone else at his level in the office at the time, and I think Breslow probably has more familiarity now with contract language than Theo did at the time.
Breslow was still pitching as recently as 2018 and joined Epstein in the Cubs front office in 2019. In 2020, he was promoted to assistant general manager and vice president of pitching. He’s never run a baseball operations department, which leaves some elements of his leadership style unknown, though people in the Cubs organization have noted that Breslow was involved in aspects beyond pitching. He worked with their farm system, their draft room, their big-league coaching staff, and helped with free-agent negotiations.
Would guess tomorrow, before the World Series embargo on announcements kicks in.Is there officially official word yet? Sure a new conference soon... gotta get to work.
View: https://twitter.com/pgammo/status/1717120590593642709Noone knew Craig Breslow better than Theo Epstein, who with Jed Hoyer moved him into the front office. Few in the game know Theo better than Sam Kennedy, best friends since first grade, and, since they remain in constant communication, knows Breslow fits in this job, ,org, market
Because he's never done the job before. Nor did he train for it, or shadow it, or apprentice. And he's got only 4 years experience on the .org side of things.Why? Because they’ll get worked in trades and free agency? He won’t do well in the draft? His job is making personnel decisions based on a vision for the roster and knowledge of his and other organizations’ talent, managing a large team of people whose job it is to get this done. Everyone seems to think he knows a lot about talent assessment, and the organizational plan is all set up for someone to come in and execute it. Failure looks like he brings in a bunch of guys who he ends up being wrong about, or they just get hurt, but the former is what he’s been up to with the Cubs and the latter is bad luck.
The piece in The Athletic referenced a few posts above yours does seem to indicate that Breslow was effectively shadowing the GM position during his Cubs tenure and was involved in numerous aspects besides just coordinating pitching development.Because he's never done the job before. Nor did he train for it, or shadow it, or apprentice. And he's got only 4 years experience on the .org side of things.
True. Let's hope that's enough.The piece in The Athletic referenced a few posts above yours does seem to indicate that Breslow was effectively shadowing the GM position during his Cubs tenure and was involved in numerous aspects besides just coordinating pitching development.
Especially when it comes down to pitching philosophy.One thing that I feel confident about is Breslow having the gravitas as a former Red Sox player and teammate to be able to stand up to Cora as needed, as compared to someone who never played the game.
Theo got it done.View: https://twitter.com/pgammo/status/1717120590593642709
Gammons seems to be saying without saying it that Theo gave his full endorsement