Is Craig Breslow on the hot seat?
Phil Perry, Adam Jones and Kayla Burton discuss the recent reports of Red Sox ownership reaching out to teams ahead of the trade deadline
Is Craig Breslow on the hot seat? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Video Transcript
And Jones, I'll start with you.
One, the fact that we are, are even using the word aggressive in talking about ownership, it's gotta be relieving for the Red Sox fans to hear.
Is it believable?
We'll see.
Who do you think in this ownership group- Well- is the one being aggressive?
Good question.
So would it be super new Like, it's interesting that Buster said in that clip, like, "Well, I haven't pinned down what the name is yet."
Like, if it's John Henry, I wonder if he'd throw that qualifier on there.
So my guess is it probably is Henry.
Henry's the one who really knows the, the Devers deal over the line last year with San Francisco.
So probably him.
I like to think, or I would like to think anyway, that maybe Theo, who is technically part of Red Sox ownership group, and the Fenway Sports Group, I would like to think maybe he's involved.
'Cause his guy, Breslow, who he recommended for the job, isn't getting things done, and I wonder if John Henry's leaning on him going, "Look, Theo, this job's beneath you.
you're not gonna be my full-time GM, but we gotta do something 'cause your guy that you recommended isn't getting it done right now, so get on the phones and get something done."
I, I would like to think it's that, but it's probably just Henry, if he's willing to actually take on some cash like he did with the Devers deal.
Well, well, Theo's makes a lot more sense because he's had these types of conversations before.
A- and not that, you know, Henry isn't capable or, hasn't dealt with these people, but you would think Theo has, like, human relationships with other people in other front offices.
Now, maybe John Henry's calling other owners to see if he can grease the skids for a trade like this.
Kayla, I'm just interested in, in the framing of this story that I just heard from Buster Olney there because he makes it seem as though, you know, from the people he's talking to, wow, they are so desperate to add, and they are so desperate that they're willing to get ownership involved.
To me, the first place I go is, oh, boy, Craig Breslow is- Oh basically out of time, right?
Like, w- why would you be doing this if Craig Breslow was the guy you wanted running your baseball operation?
And the question I'm left with is not just that one, but this one, too.
Why is he still here?
Like, if you're at the point where now ownership is doing baseball business for you, shouldn't the guy who is tasked with doing your baseball business be cast aside?
Well, and let's play off of that because you were a Breslow fan, right?
Uh- To a degree look, I, I, I think, I, this has not been a good- Which, and, and he does deserve- This has not been a good year for him.
Don't get me wrong he does deserve some credit, though, with the pitching, what he's added a little bit in the off-season.
We talked about Alex Verdugo being gone, and that kind of blows my mind.
But to a degree, he deserves his flowers, but at this point- Look to Phil's point, ownership's coming in.
I think he's made some good baseball moves, including this year.
Contreras, Gray- Yeah, agree Surez, those are all good baseball moves.
The Durbin trade is, is terrible.
The Kyle Harrison-Durbin trade is, is a horrible swap.
But he's, he's not batting 100, but he's made some good moves.
Last year was a great off-season.
Crochet, Bregman.
you know, he brought in other play- Narvez, not the same player this year.
That's another one that worked out for him a year ago.
So to me, I think he has made some good baseball moves.
Everything feels like it's a disaster, and he put his neck on the line when he fired Cora.
So my stance with Breslow, even though I, I, I've batted for him in the past and gone to bat for him in the past, if he can't turn things around, he will pay for it with his job.
I'm with Phil, though.
I can't ignore what's gone on in the last week or so just 'cause I think he's been okay at some baseball moves and ignore John Henry's paper ripping him, saying he needs a translator for a man who speaks English.
Theo Epstein and him are, are no longer on the same page it seems in that same Globe story.
Again, did I mention, in John Henry's paper, and now ownership is making calls for him?
So I, I don't think any of that reflects well on his job security.
But I think if they win games and they somehow turn this around, he'll survive because I think the Fenway Sports Group, John Henry, they're worried about the optics of firing yet another baseball executive, this one even quicker than the last couple.
And then I do wonder, Phil, when you look at who would be tradable or trade-worthy, you just mentioned Chapman, arguably the, the best reliever in, at the MLB.
Do you go, to some of the other guys?
You know, like, who comes to mind when it, when it comes to the availability, and, and i- is there a right-handed bat to go acquire with the trade value?
listen, who should be available?
just about anybody not named Crochet or Anthony.
Like, that's kind of where I'm at, at this point, Kayla.
And this has been a shift for me.
I've wanted a season.
I, I still, in my heart of hearts, would love to have a season.
I'd love to be able to follow a competitive Boston Red Sox team through the summer because what the hell else are we gonna do?
I, I, I've already started listening to World Cup podcasts.
Yeah, that might be it.
Like, that, that I think is where people's interest is going- Thursday, everybody to start to go.
All kidding aside, I look at this Red Sox team right now, and even I, somebody who wants a baseball season, say you have to sell.
So whether it's Chapman, whether it's Contreras, whether it's anybody else on this roster that holds value for another team, you have to consider moving these guys because the way they've been playing lately and what I see in this team and what it's made of in terms of its mental toughness and its emotional toughness, I don't think this is going to be a team that is capable of having a season.
So you have to sell.
And if Breslow doesn't want to do it, then tell him it's time to go, and make the moves yourself if you're ownership.
So some of the names, you asked about some of the names, Olney mentioned a few names in that same interview that we didn't hear in the clip there.
a bunch of names on the Giants, Matt Chapman, being one of them.
Another name that I, I think is somewhat interesting, and he's gotten off to a horrendous start with the Mets, but he just signed this off-season, the Red Sox were linked to him.
I don't think they wanted to pay the contract in the off-season, but Bo Bichette is a name that Buster Olney brought up.
The Mets may be willing to, to pull the ripcord on him already.
if the Mets would retain some of that salary, would the Red Sox look at it as a deal they could take on?
Maybe.
but those are some of the names he mentioned.
All right, well, meanwhile, a big reason the Sox are in the position that they're in has been the performance of Bryan Bello.
Here's a look at the Ford Big Board as Bello's numbers as a starter this season, just one and six with a 10.5 ERA, which earned him a demotion all the way to Worcester just last week.
Here's his reaction upon hearing the news.
It was a really tough day.
A really tough day.
When I got the, the, you know, the unfortunate news, I had, you know, shed some tears, got a little emotional because, like I said before, I have so much love and passion for this game.
And, to get that bad news was, really tough.
but we're-Look, no one likes a demotion.
No one also likes to cry in the sport or position of job, whatever you're in.
We get it.
but look, one in six, Phil.
It, it, it- a part of me feels like he's got a lot of upside, he's got a lot of potential.
I can't stand him as a starter, and mainly because of the numbers that we just read, right?
But then there have been games and spurts where he's almost ace like.
And so do you th- I look at this and say, "Hey, this may be the perfect opportunity for you to get the reps, to build consistency, and get to the ne- next level."
But the whole, you know, this is like the sulking part of it, it's just like, this is the profession.
It, it's the job.
And I, I think it is indicative of the fact, the fact that he's as emotional apparently as he was.
He's, he's You know, Tom Hanks, would not be a fan of this guy.
That's a, that's a very dated reference for probably a decent chunk of our audience.
I got it.
I got it.
I know you got it, Jones.
Yeah.
But we're old.
I will look at this and say, this is indicative of what this organization is now made up of, which is individuals who seemingly have a really, really difficult time with failure.
And unfortunately, that's a huge part of this game.
And until they figure out either how to deal with it themselves, Jones, or bring in players who do, this is going to be the kind of team we've watched now it feels like for the last couple years.
Yeah.
Oh, you shed some tears?
Oh, you got emotional?
Join the club.
Right.
That's how we all felt watching you pitch this year.
The team was two and 10 when you took the mound.
That's as a starter, that's as a reliever.
This is something I think people miss with Bao.
They lost either way.
It didn't matter if his individual numbers were good out of the bullpen, he screwed over the whole team, and whatever opener had to open for him where they gave up three, four runs a night.
And then he came in with no pressure and he mowed through a team that probably took their foot off the accelerator a little bit.
So if he's emotional, good.
You belong in Worcester.
I actually think it was a huge step forward for the organization to get him out of here, just so we don't have to watch him every fifth day.
And if he's upset riding the bus to wherever he's going, upstate New York or wherever else, that's on him.
I, I don't know who else he wants to blame for that.
You know, I respect you as a dad too, because I can only see the way you talk to your kids if they mess up.
You deserve it.
You deserve it and you're gonna learn from this.
That's, that's- Good stuff pretty much it, yeah.
