Welcome again to our 2025 Pink Sox Postmortem. After speaking concerning the issues we loved and hated yesterday, in the present day we’re looking at administration.
On a scale of 1 (Harry Frazee) to five (Theo Epstein), how would you charge Craig Breslow’s final 12 months?
So the reply here’s a three, however it’s as a result of it’s a mix of strikes you would grade as fives and ones. Breslow is sort of a hitter who strikes out 30 % of the time but in addition has the facility to hit 50 residence runs.
The only largest factor he did was get Garrett Crochet. Not solely did he choose the suitable man, get a commerce achieved, and lengthen him, however he additionally did it as a pivot from the Yankees profitable the bidding struggle for Max Fried once they went to an eighth 12 months on the contract. Much more superb is that Breslow accomplished the commerce for Carlos Narvaez proper earlier than dealing for Crochet as a result of he knew Kyle Teel was going to be within the upcoming transaction. So he crammed the void at catcher that was opening up and nonetheless managed to land Crochet with out touching Roman Anthony or Marcelo Mayer. This was a masterclass!
Sadly, the commerce deadline this summer time was, uh ….. to place it as properly as attainable, one thing lower than a masterclass. Between shifting on from Quinn Priester and Rafael Devers early within the season, Breslow truly shipped out extra main league expertise this season than he introduced in, which is nuts for a staff that was in a playoff race.
I put him proper within the center with a three. I’ll say proper upfront that I really feel lots higher than in 2024. There have been some enormous strikes (and non-moves!) and generally it’s onerous to parse who’s accountable—that’s, how a lot is Craig Breslow merely executing what John Henry has ordered, yada yada yada. I can’t blame him solely if he wasn’t allowed to exit and spend extra money, or if he was instructed to ditch Devers instantly, it doesn’t matter what. What I can blame him for is the Quinn Priester commerce, his infuriating statements in press conferences, and the best way he seems to intimidate staff in meetings to appear to reach at consensus.
However I’ve to thank him for getting Garrett Crochet. And increasing Roman Anthony. Certain, he wanted the monetary authorization from Henry, so his success is intertwined with the imaginative and prescient of our homeowners, however he made it occur. My 3 has the potential to balloon within the offseason and in subsequent years.
I’ll say three as nicely. The massive offseason strikes had been profitable. Garrett Crochet was an important participant on the staff, Alex Bregman was the veteran they wanted, and Aroldis Chapman was dominant in the back of the bullpen. Roman Anthony was additionally signed to a pre-arbitration extension, which is a reduction.
The in-season acquisitions are the place I dock factors. The Devers scenario was dealt with poorly, and whereas I is perhaps the one Jordan Hicks believer remaining, the return nonetheless doesn’t really feel like sufficient for a participant of Devers’ caliber. On prime of that, the commerce deadline was a fiasco. Steven Matz was nice, however everybody knew they wanted one other arm, and the arm they obtained was hardly a dependable one. I’ll retroactively give this a 3.5 if Breslow by no means trades for a Dodgers pitcher once more. If the Dodgers don’t need him, there’s most likely cause.
I’ve an issue with Likert scales, which give folks the out of defaulting to a few. It’s simply the most suitable choice right here as a result of the Pink Sox in 2025 had been an excellent, thrilling, flawed staff. So I’m going to fake three isn’t obtainable and provides Craig Breslow a two. Not that I imagine he must be fired — he shouldn’t — however as a result of he did not sove an enormous downside. The success of the beginning rotation was depending on a man who by no means pitched a full season in Crochet (labored out), a man who had half a Cy Younger-caliber season adopted by second half collapse in Tanner Houck (didn’t work), a man coming off of surgical procedure in Lucas Giolito (largely labored), and a man who lead the league in residence runs in Kutter Crawford (missed the season unexpectedly however early). His solutions to those query marks had been to hope Patrick Sandoval got here again (he didn’t), hope Walker Buehler bounced again (he didn’t), after which hope Dustin Might — who flashed mainly all of the warning indicators we’e already mentioned right here — bounced again whereas setting a profession excessive in innings (he didn’t).
I’m not saying emptying the farm for Joe Ryan was the reply; it wasn’t. However Trevor Story was wholesome, the prospects got here up and produced, and the reshaped bullpen labored. That was the primary success, and that’s not nothing. But when Alex Bregman, who kinda has to steadiness out Devers, leaves, then Breslow as of in the present day is hanging his hat very a lot on Chapman and Romy Gonzalez when it comes to additions.
He will get a 4 based mostly on the Garrett Crochet commerce and extension alone. In truth, he might’ve pawned the 2004 World Collection trophy, employed Ron DeSantis to switch Paul Toboni, and bought Roman Anthony to fund the manufacturing of No, No, Nanette 2: Nice, Nanette, Sure, Certain, No matter and I might nonetheless give him a 4 — that’s how essential it’s to aggressively pursue elite beginning pitching, a lesson the earlier entrance solely ignored within the identify of threat administration.
Having mentioned that… man, he made two main blunders that price this staff a variety of wins. First, he significantly mismanaged the Rafael Devers scenario and failed to deal with the roster crunch he himself created by signing Alex Bregman. And second, he had no plan by any means to combine the most effective offensive gamers in your entire group your entire league into the large league staff. If each Rafael Devers and Roman Anthony had performed a full season in Boston, this staff would have received the division. And in buying and selling Devers, all he’s achieved is give him another factor to do that offseason that he wouldn’t in any other case must do (purchase an influence bat).
Each GM/POBO/CBO/No matter makes strikes that don’t work out — you could find examples of the Quinn Priester commerce everywhere in the league. However the Devers and Anthony blunders had been foreseeable, unforced errors {that a} extra skilled CBO would’ve averted.
On a scale of 1 (Bobby Valentine) to five (Terry Francona) how would you charge Alex Cora’s 2025 efficiency?
4 (so John Farrell I assume? Jimy Williams?). A baseball supervisor’s job from February by means of September is about man-management at the beginning, retaining the entire roster engaged and targeted. By all accounts, Cora excels at that. It’s simple to complain about a few of his common season utilization patterns, and I’ll admit to persevering with to be pissed off on the quantity of errors and boneheaded performs this staff makes. However each staff makes loads of boneheaded performs over the course of 162 video games and I’m not going guilty Cora for Trevor Story’s throwing arm or the truth that Kristian Campbell was rushed to the large leagues earlier than he realized a defensive place.
I’m not giving him a 5 as a result of I feel he performed a significant position within the mismanaged Rafael Devers scenario (see beneath) however finally, I can’t consider anybody who could be an apparent enchancment over Cora. And I cherished his aggressiveness in Recreation 2 in opposition to the Yankees. He knew this was a depleted staff that might battle to hit generally and pitch on non-Crochet days, and so he took a raffle to attempt to push them additional than they most likely had any proper to go.
I’ll say a three-and-a-half, and I’d echo a variety of what our fearless chief mentioned above whereas docking an additional half-point for the boneheaded performs that we proceed to see. Too a few years of that buffoonery at this level, however I do agree with the sentiment that you just received’t be capable to discover any apparent enchancment. I’m nonetheless a Cora man. He had his icky moments, however he additionally had some strokes of genius—and it’s powerful guilty him for the damage luck or any holes on the roster.
I don’t suppose he’s a worse supervisor than he was in 2018 or 2021 and the entrance workplace/possession gave him nothing in 2022-2023 after which once more on the deadline in 2024. I’ll say he’s a 4. Gamers like him and he’s not clearly dropping video games (I do know that is poking the bear).
Three. He might solely play the playing cards that he was dealt, and for the fourth straight 12 months I don’t suppose he was given a terrific hand. Nevertheless, his staff led the league in errors once more this season and, mixed with some horrific baserunning by means of the primary half of the season particularly, many people had been left questioning if the basic facet of issues is being emphasised sufficient on this staff. There have been too many lackluster efforts all through the course of the season, together with being shutout within the closing recreation of the playoffs.
For me, three-and-a-half. As others have mentioned, he’s a gamers’ supervisor, and he’s good at that. I’m actually worn out by points with fundamentals, although. I’m considering of actually dumb baserunning, main the league in errors (or coming rattling shut, like in 2024), and notably the near-collisions we’ve been handled to just lately. I’ve heard folks blame your entire minor-league system for this, saying that fundamentals are being pushed apart in favor of instructing launch angles (for instance) however I really feel just like the buck stops with Cora. If he needed to see higher fundamentals, he’d be sure that occurred.
Additionally, since I don’t know who else guilty for this, I’ll say that the gamers want a greater visualization coach, or sports activities psychologist, or no matter. That they had a lot bother bringing in base runners, or snapping out of team-wide chilly streaks. Which may be solely Cora-adjacent, however I don’t know the place else to level the finger right here.
Are you assured within the total route of the membership?
Sure, however it’s virtually solely due to the youngsters. The Sox introduced up Kristian Campbell in March, Hunter Dobbins in April, Marcelo Mayer in Might, Roman Anthony in June, Jhostynxon Garcia in August, and Payton Tolle and Connelly Early in September. That is the core of thrilling gamers that can take the Pink Sox into the remainder of the last decade, and we most likely received’t ever see a single season the place a lot expertise hits the foremost league membership in such a brief window ever once more.
They’ve obtained the onerous half achieved. Now the entrance workplace and possession wants to ensure they don’t blow it!
Sure. I’m making some assumptions although. I’m assuming that possession and Craig Breslow will observe up on their current enthusiasm for making larger offers by making extra of them. We’re going to want that pitching, for instance; we may have a brand new third baseman, and extra. I’m assuming that there shall be a return to well being for a minimum of a few of our injured gamers, or that the entrance workplace will make contingency plans for coping with that. I’m assuming that the staff of kids will proceed to gel and achieve expertise. There’s additionally a hope thrown in there, which is that if Alex Bregman doesn’t keep, somebody (most likely from exterior the group) will step in as a mentor and instance for the younger gamers. That was invaluable in 2025 and we nonetheless want it.
Connelly Early confirmed up out of nowhere and pitched an elimination recreation. It didn’t go nice, however the truth that it wasn’t a complete catastrophe is a testomony to the pitching improvement pipeline. So sure, I’m assured.
Sure. However the dedication can’t finish right here. There are a thousand uncertainties and points and a completely wholesome Roman Anthony can’t paper over all of them. Don’t flip this staff into the Cleveland Guardians with one good participant and luck because the technique.
I’m assured in Craig Breslow, Alex Cora, and the bottom of younger expertise within the group. I’m not assured in possession. My fear is that what we noticed this 12 months — an thrilling staff that engaged the fanbase and squeaked into the playoffs, and did it with out one of many league’s prime payrolls — is precisely what their new enterprise mannequin goals for.
