The Boston Red Sox are currently hurdling toward one of the worst seasons in franchise history. At 27-39, the Red Sox are 13.5 games out of first place in the AL East and have the second-worst record in the American League. Despite that, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow is secure in his job.
Boston Red Sox President and the CEO of Fenway Sports Group, Sam Kennedy, appeared on The Greg Hill Show on Thursday. There, he emphasized that Breslow’s job is safe.
“Look, I fully understand and appreciate questions regarding Craig Breslow and his job security and all that,” Kennedy said. “But the issue of a change there, just to be clear, it’s not even on the table. He is working as hard as anybody in terms of getting things back on track, but again, words are hollow right now.”
This is in line with a recent report that came out about Breslow’s job security. Per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe, Breslow won’t be fired this season. So, it seems like, regardless of how Red Sox fans feel and how bad the team has been this season, Breslow will continue to get opportunities to turn things around.
The Red Sox are currently 12 games under .500. It’s their worst record in the month of June since 1997. They’re also 0-28 when trailing a game by three or more runs and 0-36 when trailing after eight innings this season.
“Nobody is free and clear of blame, having been here 25 years, we’ve had some incredible high highs and some very low lows, but I don’t remember a period really feeling it as viscerally as we feel it right now,” Kennedy said. “It’s been awful.”
This also comes in a season where World Series-winning manager Alex Cora, as well as several coaches loyal to him, were fired. It was a move, at the time, that was largely seen as a way of placing blame away from the front office. However, with the team’s failure to improve, frustration is bubbling over.
Communication Has Become a Major Issue for Craig Breslow and the Boston Red Sox
One major point of criticism for Craig Breslow has been that he leans too heavily into analytics. Then, he has trouble communicating those analytics to players and coaches. That’s even led to some people within the Boston Red Sox organization believing he needs some kind of translator.
Again, it was Tim Healey who reported the need for an interpreter. That person would then have a more traditional baseball “fabric” to convey Breslow’s message.
Meanwhile, the organization is under fire for miscommunicating injuries publicly. On June 10th, starting pitcher Garrett Crochet announced his lat strain was worse than previously thought, which both interim manager Chad Tracy and Breslow quickly contradicted. That came less than two weeks after Sam Kennedy called Roman Anthony‘s finger injury a sprain, while Anthony pushed back and called it a tear.
All of this has contributed to the frustration for Red Sox fans about the front office. On top of the poor performance, it seems like communication remains an ongoing issue.
Craig Breslow was Criticized by Rivals for Roster Construction
This Red Sox roster was the responsibility of Craig Breslow to put together. It’s a point of contention for many, as analytics play heavily into the roster’s makeup, but rival evaluators were recently quoted by Alex Speier in The Boston Globe slamming Breslow for what he’s done.
“I can’t believe they are content going with so many [Triple-A] players — utility infielders — at the bottom of the lineup,” one rival evaluator said.
The lineup, in particular, has been the focus of concern. There, the Red Sox are suffering a major power outage with a lineup that is struggling to hit at Fenway Park.
“I’m still confused on the Red Sox roster construction and truthfully how they thought it would turn out any different than it has,” another evaluator said. “The holes that were there at the start of the season are still there.”
None of that is to say there aren’t some bright spots on the roster, or that young players can’t improve. However, it’s hard to imagine turning the season around at this point. After all, the Red Sox are on pace for their second-worst record ever in a 162-game season at a 66-96 pace.
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