Rosenthal walks back his ‘harsh’ criticism for Red Sox’s moves

Longtime MLB insider Ken Rosenthal didn’t maintain again final week when it got here to doling out criticism towards strikes the Purple Sox made forward of the commerce deadline.

Regardless of Boston’s evident want for a No. 2 starter and an impression bat earlier than the July 31 deadline, Boston was unable to seal the deal on a blockbuster move for Twins star pitcher Joe Ryan. Because the minutes ticked down towards the deadline, Boston’s solely strikes have been including a lefty reliever in Steven Matz and a backend starter in Dustin Could. 

Given the Purple Sox’s clear wants, Boston’s latest surge up the standings, and the shortcoming so as to add game-changing expertise, Rosenthal didn’t mince phrases about Craig Breslow’s efficiency on July 31. 

“Epic fail,” Rosenthal said last week on “Foul Territory” about the Red Sox’ results from the trade deadline. “Comes off as an epic fail final yr with Craig Breslow, and this was an epic fail as effectively. … “The Purple Sox, I don’t get it. I don’t perceive it, and there’s going to be some folks in Boston — lots of people in Boston — questioning what the heck they did.”

Particularly, Rosenthal pushed again in opposition to any reviews of the Purple Sox coming near a deal to accumulate Ryan from the Twins. 

“My understanding is any talks with the Twins have been feeble at finest,” Rosenthal mentioned. “They didn’t come at them exhausting. The Purple Sox have been one in all many groups that use modeling and check out to determine what the perfect values are on and it’s all about effectivity and getting the perfect deal and this and that and the opposite factor. However in some unspecified time in the future, you’ve acquired to fireside.” 

However on Tuesday, Rosenthal opted to take again a few of his vitriol towards the Purple Sox — at the very least when it got here to Boston’s efforts to accumulate Ryan, however he didn’t utterly depart Breslow and his workers off the hook.

“All proper, I might need been too harsh after I mentioned on my “Truthful Territory” present that the Boston Purple Sox’s pursuits of Twins right-hander Joe Ryan was “feeble at finest” and that they didn’t “come at (the Twins) exhausting,” Rosenthal wrote in The Athletic on Tuesday. “Nonetheless, take into account what occurred.

“The Purple Sox didn’t push for Ryan till the ultimate hour. And although it was later reported they made numerous affords with a number of High 100 prospects, none of their proposals included a major-league outfielder. And the underside line is, the Sox didn’t sufficiently entice the Twins.

“If the Twins have been going to half with Ryan for 3 pennant races, it was not unreasonable for them to need one of many Sox’s outfielders, both Jarren Duran (three further years of management) or Wilyer Abreu (4).”

If the Twins have been asking for a big-league expertise like Duran or Abreu, the percentages of getting Ryan have been seemingly slim for Boston — given Breslow’s feedback final week about preserving the big-league roster intact.

“We weren’t prepared to take hit to our main league group and doubtlessly impression the 2025 season in favor of attempting to re-package or re-purpose in a manner which may have improved the longer term,“ Breslow said. ”There weren’t actually alternatives to each commerce off our main league group and enhance our 2025 outlook so we felt it was finest to go away that group because it was and attempt to use what I feel is a robust and deep system to attempt to enhance the group.”

 

Conor Ryan is a workers author protecting the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Purple Sox for Boston.com, a task he has held since 2023.