Prior to the Boston Red Sox‘s loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night, Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow appeared on the NESN pregame show. There, he would debate whether or not to buy or sell at the Trade Deadline.
This comes in a season where the Red Sox are just 29-41. That’s last in the AL East and tied for the second-fewest wins in all of MLB.
“This is an important stretch for us just given the hole we dug,” Breslow said.
For most teams in the Red Sox’s position, it would be obvious that they need to sell off pieces. However, it’s not so clear-cut for Breslow. This is a season where he would fire manager Alex Cora in April amid a slow start. That didn’t fix things, though, and the criticism is quickly mounting on his shoulders.
Because of that, the Red Sox are a bit noncommittal about their Trade Deadline approach. Instead, with well over a month before the deadline, Breslow is still balancing his decision.
“Where we are right now is there’s still a lot of games to be played between now and then, and more important than looking at most teams in the standings,” Breslow said. “Right now, it’s most important to figure out how to play our best baseball. How to win more games and put ourselves in a better position… It’s kind of more art than science as you approach the deadline, because you need to think about where you are and where other teams are, but also kind of how you’re trending, right?”
Shortly following those comments, the Red Sox would lay another egg, losing 6-1 to a division rival. It was their second loss in a row.
Boston Red Sox CBO Craig Breslow Emphasized Returning Players
GettyBoston Red Sox CBO Craig Breslow
One thing Craig Breslow wanted to make clear was that the Boston Red Sox aren’t playing at full health. In fact, without several key players, he feels it’s hard to fully define who the Red Sox are as a team.
“As we sit here today,” Breslow said. “Garrett Crochet is not healthy, not pitching for us. Roman Anthony is not in the lineup. Romy Gonzalez is out on rehab. So, there’s some key injuries and guys that we think we should be getting back. You start to paint the picture of not just where you are, but where you’re going.”
Luckily, the Red Sox did get three positive injury updates on the three players who Breslow mentioned. Crochet is now throwing plyo balls and Gonzalez hit a home run in his first minor league rehab game. Then, Anthony had a positive MRI.
The Red Sox are far from the only team dealing with injury issues. There’s also no proof that any of those players returning will fix what ails the Red Sox, but Breslow is right that it would be good to get the team back to full strength.
Red Sox Owner John Henry is Frustrated
GettyBoston Red Sox owner John Henry is reportedly frustrated with how poorly the team’s season has gone this year.
In recent years, much ire from Red Sox fans has been pointed at ownership. In particular, it’s been directed at John Henry for seemingly being apathetic to the team.
That may be changing, though, as Henry has been around the team much more often than fans had become accustomed to seeing. MassLive‘s Sean McAdam added to that, recently, calling Henry “highly frustrated” with the direction of the team.
If Henry is highly frustrated, that may be enough to signal that change is on the horizon for the Red Sox. The question is what that change looks like, whether it is in personnel, philosophy, or simply the money being spent on the team.
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