Count me pleasantly surprised by a little accountability, finally, from the Red Sox front office. In the annual end-of-season press conference on Monday, Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, while proud to have reached the postseason, was also clear about the team’s shortcomings.
Breslow said that for a deeper drive into the postseason, the Sox can’t be complacent this off-season, saying there’s no guarantee the 2026 team will “just pick up where we left off.” Acknowledging that Boston was a Top 10 team for scoring runs, getting on base, and slugging, Breslow also pointed to problems with defense and situational hitting, including leading the Major Leagues for strikeouts with runners in scoring position.
Tossed a softball about whether the team’s elimination in the 3-game American League Wild Card Series represented too small a sample size from which to draw conclusions, Breslow offered a refreshingly candid take. “I think it’s a factor for sure. I think the worst time to make a decision is kind of in the immediate aftermath of some emotional outcome, and getting knocked out of the playoffs is certainly that,” he said. But then added that other team deficiencies have been evident for a while, “I don’t think that those are reactions to a small sample.”
Breslow accurately called Red Sox defensive field play “not good enough,” noting the team’s MLB-worst 116 errors, though later in the morning, Manager Alex Cora, sitting right beside his boss, said that despite the errors, the team had improved defensively. “You ask around the industry, and we were one of the best defensive teams in the big leagues,” Cora said, pointing to 31 Defensive Runs Saved. Boston ranked 11th of the 30 Major League teams this season for DRS. In 2024, Boston’s 49 DRS ranked 11th-best in the sport.
A few other points…
- With regard to Alex Bregman, Breslow declined to answer whether any negotiations would be underway on an extension before Bregman’s deadline to test free agency. “I will not miss an opportunity to talk about his contributions on the field, in the clubhouse, to the coaching staff, to the front office,” Breslow said. “Every conversation we’ve had, I learned something. I think that impact and influence has rubbed off on his teammates. And by all accounts, he’s loved his time in Boston as well.”
- On Triston Casas, Breslow says “He’s moving around really well, load-bearing, squatting. So we anticipate a full recovery.”
- On any off-season surgeries plan, Breslow says Carlos Narváez “will have his meniscus cleaned up this week,” saying he expected Narváez will be a “full go” at spring training.
- Of Kristian Campbell, Breslow said “I’ve got a ton of confidence both in the work he’s going to commit to this offseason and what he’s going to mean for this organization,” but like all players discussed today, Breslow wouldn’t discuss any specific role for Campbell.
- Manager Cora talked a bit about rookie pitcher Connelly Early, saying “I have no doubt that this guy is going to contribute in the future.” Cora said he talked to Early after his Game 3 start in the American League Wild Card series, “The goal is to get stronger and keep getting better. He had a taste of what it is to pitch in October and in Yankee Stadium in a win-or-go-home game, right? So what better experience do we want for a young kid to have?”