How do you feel about the Breslow hire on 10/25/2023? (non-binding)
- Thread starter Sille Skrub
- Start date
I'm not surprised at the topic at all, and I get that this kind of thing is fun for a lot of people. For me the grade aspect doesn't matter so much as the push for people to rush to judgment. I'm not offended or anything, it's just part of the culture that I bristle at.
From the main thread:
View: https://youtu.be/-uwLKn8NL2s?si=IokItLTJqZLbZrg1&t=271
WEEI this morning echos the reporting that Theo played a big role in Breslow getting the Sox gig. (The segment in question starts around 4:30 to about 6:00)
"I had heard that Theo had played a really big role in this, and really believes in him Breslow moving forward."
View: https://youtu.be/-uwLKn8NL2s?si=IokItLTJqZLbZrg1&t=271
WEEI this morning echos the reporting that Theo played a big role in Breslow getting the Sox gig. (The segment in question starts around 4:30 to about 6:00)
"I had heard that Theo had played a really big role in this, and really believes in him Breslow moving forward."
I think the simple letter grades are making it so I don't really want to vote. Not that it means anything or I'll wear a scarlet letter if I am wrong, but because there are so many unknowns. He has limited experience so that would make me want to give the hire a lower grade, but he's smart and has had some success in the role he was in so I'd optimistically like to give a higher grade. I'd say a B-/C+ is where I'd come down but if I have to choose just one letter I will grade on a curve and say B.
OK, I changed the poll.
I also made it so you guys can change your vote if you feel so inclined.
I also made it so you guys can change your vote if you feel so inclined.
Reality is that it is impossible to grade a hire for a guy who has never been in that chair before. Based on the names involved and the results of what we have seen of his work - I'm cautiously optimistic, but even smart guys have a bad fit sometimes.
I'm lukewarm. I have no idea how important experience is, but I'm concerned it matters.
What I'd really like to know is whether ownership put a value on inexperience, or they are tolerating it. I hope that's a silly question -- but if they were deliberately looking for someone who might not feel 100 percent on firm footing yet so they could have some Jerry Jones like impact, that would bum me out. I don't think that's this ownership group's M.O., but the truth is I'm really not sure who is calling the shots and who wants to be.
What I'd really like to know is whether ownership put a value on inexperience, or they are tolerating it. I hope that's a silly question -- but if they were deliberately looking for someone who might not feel 100 percent on firm footing yet so they could have some Jerry Jones like impact, that would bum me out. I don't think that's this ownership group's M.O., but the truth is I'm really not sure who is calling the shots and who wants to be.
I decided to change it from a B/somewhat happy to an A/very happy. A little more detail on what Breslow's duties were in Chicago, his kickass quote about knowing what winning in Boston is like and wanting to do it again, and - most importantly - knowing Theo thought he could do the job and advocated for him, has me - probably quite irrationally - excited now. I'm in. LFG.
Couldn't agree more with this. This organization was at it's best with Theo (and the Theo tree) running it, and achieved a level of success from lets say 12-15 year period which that encompassed, depending on how one wants to parse the dates, that I don't think any of us even imagined in our wildest Sox fantasies.
I'm still sticking with a 4 and "somewhat happy" because the fact of the matter remains that I think Byrnes PoBO and Breslow GM pairing was such an A+ outcome, and I really liked Click and those two would have been A level situations or 5's for me. This remains behind those two.
But with some more commentary on Breslow's role in Chicago and the reporting on Theo being at some level "involved" in this, I'd now put this situation ahead of any of the "promotions" that were in play (Sestanovich, Fuld, Gomes, etc) and easily above the re-treads of guys like Huntington, Forst, Daniels or whomever.
To be fair, any of those like Sestanovich etc would have also been 4s in my opinion. Someone like Huntington, Forst, Daniels or the like would have been a 2 or 1 vote here.
I'm not feeling enthusiastic. There were definitely worse choices out there, but I don't think Breslow has enough experience in all the facets needed to be a successful #1; I don't think the Red Sox are a training wheels situation, not with the office politics, the difficult media and fanbase, and the impatient ownership. It's not really an indictment of Breslow, more of the situation he's walking into. I'm encouraged that Breslow has more experience in various areas than the zero I was originally thinking, but I'm put off by how much soft stuff he likely didn't pick up on with the remote work arrangement, and even besides that, a short stint shadowing Jed Hoyer isn't enough to be PBO in Boston, IMO. Hoyer himself rocketed up the ladder and went from intern to GM in 7 years, which is already abnormally fast; he's done fine for himself but it's unusual. And Tom Ricketts has been a lot more patient with his baseball ops people than FSG.
This is not at all the same organization, or the same MLB, that 28-year-old Theo Epstein dealt with in 2002. I'm worried that something has gotten increasingly smelly high up in the organization, and the way this search went hasn't allayed any of that. I hope Breslow succeeds, but I'm not sold on this move. I also wonder what he's going to be walking into taking a #1 chair from the position of what could be regarded as an upstart, inheriting a bunch of people who were competing for him and passed over. I think it's going to start bumpy, and definitely has the potential to come good, but I'm not sure he's going to get the rope he needs.
This is not at all the same organization, or the same MLB, that 28-year-old Theo Epstein dealt with in 2002. I'm worried that something has gotten increasingly smelly high up in the organization, and the way this search went hasn't allayed any of that. I hope Breslow succeeds, but I'm not sold on this move. I also wonder what he's going to be walking into taking a #1 chair from the position of what could be regarded as an upstart, inheriting a bunch of people who were competing for him and passed over. I think it's going to start bumpy, and definitely has the potential to come good, but I'm not sure he's going to get the rope he needs.
I sort of feel like it is almost irrelevant. All the other hires seem to be firmly in place. It feels like a plan is already in place. They know who they plan to target and how they value their assets. I suppose they expect him to be able to help out here and there.
Maybe next year they will take off the training wheels on a couple of safe streets.
Maybe next year they will take off the training wheels on a couple of safe streets.
Did FSG promise proceeds from Salah sale in January window to be used in MLB free agency? FSG operating Sox as if they are in Boston, England, not Boston, MA!
I like how you changed the poll. I voted B, being cautiously optimistic about the hire. "Somewhat happy" more correctly encapsulates my evaluation.
Can you add the smiley/not smiley/crying faces from the Wong Baker Pain Scale?
I am very happy for him. I hope he demanded parameters, ie money that will allow him to put an end to a terrible chapter in Sox history.
I gave it a B, but I'm genuinely excited for Breslow. Fuld was my first choice, but Breslow was my 2nd choice. I understand the skepticism over the lack of experience, but I will take traits over experience pretty much every time. Ideally you get both, but people with both are awfully hard to come by and get to pick and choose when and where they go.
Different sports, but the 49ers literally hired John Lynch to be their GM out of the Fox broadcasting booth; he had zero front office experience whatsoever. And yeah, he hasn't been perfect (the trade up for Trey Lance was rough), but he's been damn good. To me, this is that kind of hire (and Breslow, unlike Lynch, has front office experience). Let's roll.
Different sports, but the 49ers literally hired John Lynch to be their GM out of the Fox broadcasting booth; he had zero front office experience whatsoever. And yeah, he hasn't been perfect (the trade up for Trey Lance was rough), but he's been damn good. To me, this is that kind of hire (and Breslow, unlike Lynch, has front office experience). Let's roll.
I responded with an A, very excited to see Theo's tree bear some fruit. I'm hopeful it won't end up rotted and fermenting on the ground.
Actually B+ probably fits my outlook better, but I gave a little bump to a pretty smart guy named Craig....
Actually B+ probably fits my outlook better, but I gave a little bump to a pretty smart guy named Craig....
I would change my vote to a B after having some more time to read and think about it. That said, I'm leaving it as a C/Incomplete because the poll was supposed to end yesterday.
I voted Somewhat Happy. I would be that way with pretty much anyone they hired not named Theo because there are too many unknowns with just about anyone who doesn't have GM experience. And with anyone with GM experience we don't know how that organization was set up and what actual responsibilities and power the GM had.
The positives, in no particular order:
1. Highly recommended by Theo
2. Reportedly has a good pitcher development program
3. Very intelligent
4. Has experience with negotiating and other GM type duties
5. His experience as a player, and resident, in Boston should translate into being able to relate with players already in the organization and with free agents they are trying to sign
6. As a pitcher he also has experience in evaluating hitters strengths and weaknesses
7. People named Craig seem to be good guys
8. As a former player he's used to evaluating scouting reports on players and that should transfer to evaluations on players they are interested in trading for or signing as a FA
The positives, in no particular order:
1. Highly recommended by Theo
2. Reportedly has a good pitcher development program
3. Very intelligent
4. Has experience with negotiating and other GM type duties
5. His experience as a player, and resident, in Boston should translate into being able to relate with players already in the organization and with free agents they are trying to sign
6. As a pitcher he also has experience in evaluating hitters strengths and weaknesses
7. People named Craig seem to be good guys
8. As a former player he's used to evaluating scouting reports on players and that should transfer to evaluations on players they are interested in trading for or signing as a FA
I gave it a B or 4. On paper, he seems to have lots of skill sets that could make it easier for him to succeed. However, I readily concede I don’t have a clue as to what the job actually entails, or what he’s like temperamentally, which is critical in this city, with the sports press and the fan base the way it is, it’s far too early to do anything but speculate or default to the judgment of someone whom we respect, and who has actually succeeded in this market. Ergo, Theo’s endorsement was a decider for me. If that proves to be an urban myth, I’d go with a C/3
I like the local connection. Lives locally. He knows what he is getting into.
I like the pitching angle. It's one of the main weaknesses on the team.
Somewhat happy.
I like the pitching angle. It's one of the main weaknesses on the team.
Somewhat happy.
I voted "Very Happy" because Craig's father, Abe Breslow, was my elementary school gym teacher 50 years ago. He went on to coach the Trumbull High girls soccer team to 49 straight victories and 5 state championships, and will receive the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference's distinguished coach award next June. Trumbull represent!
Seriously, this appears to be a very strong hire; he's obviously very smart and very talented with a background that seems very well suited towards the role. I just hope, after all the turnover in this role, and the apparent FSG impatience with the pace of the turnover that Bloom was hired to oversee, that ownership expectations are properly calibrated at this point. There is a clear talent gap between Baltimore, Tampa, and the Sox at the major league level right now, that still looks to me like a multi-season job to materially narrow. And I don't know what can be done to fix the Sox' major defensive issues in the short term, although having a healthy Story at SS for a full season is a good first step. I'm very happy with this hire and eagerly look forward to Craig Breslow' first offseason as PBO, but I'm tempering my own expectations for the '24 season at this point.
Seriously, this appears to be a very strong hire; he's obviously very smart and very talented with a background that seems very well suited towards the role. I just hope, after all the turnover in this role, and the apparent FSG impatience with the pace of the turnover that Bloom was hired to oversee, that ownership expectations are properly calibrated at this point. There is a clear talent gap between Baltimore, Tampa, and the Sox at the major league level right now, that still looks to me like a multi-season job to materially narrow. And I don't know what can be done to fix the Sox' major defensive issues in the short term, although having a healthy Story at SS for a full season is a good first step. I'm very happy with this hire and eagerly look forward to Craig Breslow' first offseason as PBO, but I'm tempering my own expectations for the '24 season at this point.
I view this as Theo 2.0. Breslow may not have as much experience as Theo did, but he has at least as much intellect, and hopefully the ability to lead and to cross boundaries that I think Theo had in spades. One up on Theo, Breslow actually played the game in the MLB and all his ex-teammates seem to be in approval. I think ownership will let him settle in and give him several years to produce, hopefully, multiple playoff contenders. So 2 thumbs up from me.