Every wolf pack needs a leader, and the Boston Red Sox lost theirs during the offseason. Craig Breslow and Boston's front office somehow fumbled their No. 1 winter priority, and Alex Bregman ended up signing with the Chicago Cubs.
It was a mistake that left Bregman unimpressed with Boston's front office. And now that some time has passed — and there's been a major shakeup among the Red Sox leadership group — it's become clear that the mistake may have also doomed Breslow.
Speaking to the Boston media in the days before his surprise firing, former Red Sox manager Alex Cora insinuated that Boston's young players leaned on Bregman to help establish winning routines and habits. Bregman was the head of the snake when it came to all things preparation.
Alex Cora comments suggest that Alex Bregman's departure left a void
Between this quote/everything Cora said on radio yesterday about players learning to carry the routines they learned from guys like Bregman, it feels pretty clear there's a real void on that front. Cora also acknowledged he's had to be more involved in preparation overall. https://t.co/dbkJe5hGIl
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) April 24, 2026
Bregman was the perfect bridge connecting Boston's young talent to MLB success, and guys like Roman Anthony benefited immensely from walking across that bridge. Anthony himself has spoken many times about how his own development was enhanced directly by Bregman's presence.
Now that Boston's "bridge" is gone, young guys like Anthony and Marcelo Mayer — despite their immense talent — have fallen into the water and will have to swim on their own to safety. Anthony's .673 OPS in 27 games is quite a regression from his sensational rookie season, not to mention a far cry from the MVP-type numbers Boston desperately needs him to put up to survive (an unfair expectation). But this is the position that Breslow's offseason moves put Anthony in.
Red Sox season was ruined as soon as they let Alex Bregman walk
Red Sox fans tried to approach the head-scratching offseason with optimism, but that optimism may have been chased with too heavy a dose of delusion. Everyone tried to act like the offense would be good enough (knowing deep down it wouldn't), just as everyone tried to act like Trevor Story and Willson Contreras would be able to replace Bregman's veteran presence in the clubhouse.
With all due respect to Story and Contreras (the latter of whom has been producing), neither of them brings what Bregman brought to the Red Sox, which is this — the leadership needed to guide young, inexperienced talent in the direction of immediate wins.
With Bregman gone, the Red Sox's young roster is being exposed for what it truly is: a collection of highly talented players who are still a few years away from seriously contending, led by a manager who didn't seem to have the patience for that timeline.
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