I think the problem that Breslow has is that the team is in a weird spot. I don't think it's a "good" spot, necessarily, but I also don't think it's a "bad" spot. The spot I speak of is that they have decent to good MLB talent at every position on the field, except maybe catcher.
The problem that causes is that it definitely feels like they need to upgrade, well, somewhere, but the only way to really do that is by signing someone like Teoscar or Bregman, but the team has four players who are on the cusp of being MLB ready, and by signing either of those two to a 4+ (6+ it looks like in the case of Bregman), you are immediately blocking these guys who you want to very soon be getting MLB at bats. You also have Grissom, who looked much better in the final couple weeks of the season, and you need to find ways to get all of these guys playing time not just in 2025 but in the future.
Additionally, I remain unconvinced that Teoscar Hernandez, for instance, is going to provide 4 year/$60M more in value than Kristian Campbell appears ready to provide right now. BUT, any or all of the big four could most definitely bust, and then the team stinks.
We all (yes, me included even though I have been accused of "Pollyannism" in the past) want the team to compete in 2025. The front office seems to want that as well. But they are in a position where the guys they can get on a 1 year contract/expiring trade (like last year's O'Neill) just aren't enough of an improvement to help the team compete this year, but the guys who can be big improvements are going to cost too many years of roster space to get them to sign.
This is why I lean towards "sign Carson Kelly (who is, frankly, my biggest non-pitching desire for this team, and who I would happily see them give a 3 year deal to), get one high end starter, and fill in bullpen holes, but be more aggressive early in the season with making trades to supplement the needs that arise".
I really feel like this team was a lot closer to competing for a playoff spot last year than they ended up, and if the FO would have acted sooner to get bullpen help the season could have worked out differently, and I hope that is a lesson that Breslow learned last year.
The problem that causes is that it definitely feels like they need to upgrade, well, somewhere, but the only way to really do that is by signing someone like Teoscar or Bregman, but the team has four players who are on the cusp of being MLB ready, and by signing either of those two to a 4+ (6+ it looks like in the case of Bregman), you are immediately blocking these guys who you want to very soon be getting MLB at bats. You also have Grissom, who looked much better in the final couple weeks of the season, and you need to find ways to get all of these guys playing time not just in 2025 but in the future.
Additionally, I remain unconvinced that Teoscar Hernandez, for instance, is going to provide 4 year/$60M more in value than Kristian Campbell appears ready to provide right now. BUT, any or all of the big four could most definitely bust, and then the team stinks.
We all (yes, me included even though I have been accused of "Pollyannism" in the past) want the team to compete in 2025. The front office seems to want that as well. But they are in a position where the guys they can get on a 1 year contract/expiring trade (like last year's O'Neill) just aren't enough of an improvement to help the team compete this year, but the guys who can be big improvements are going to cost too many years of roster space to get them to sign.
This is why I lean towards "sign Carson Kelly (who is, frankly, my biggest non-pitching desire for this team, and who I would happily see them give a 3 year deal to), get one high end starter, and fill in bullpen holes, but be more aggressive early in the season with making trades to supplement the needs that arise".
I really feel like this team was a lot closer to competing for a playoff spot last year than they ended up, and if the FO would have acted sooner to get bullpen help the season could have worked out differently, and I hope that is a lesson that Breslow learned last year.