After the Boston Red Sox's severely underwhelming first quarter of 2026, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow's trades and resource management have him in the hot seat. Whether Breslow should be permitted to buy at the upcoming trade deadline is a valid question, not just because of Boston's record, but because of the two trade deadlines he's butchered so far.
Even Breslow's best trade deadline move has recently garnered new scrutiny. The CBO began his long-term trading relationship with the St. Louis Cardinals by acquiring Steven Matz to bolster the Sox's bullpen last year.
Matz undeniably delivered on that front. He posted a 2.08 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 12 strikeouts, six holds and a save over 21.2 innings for Boston. He quickly emerged as one of their best lefty relievers (besides, of course, Aroldis Chapman in his rebound year).
Some Red Sox fans at the time of the Matz trade were disappointed to lose former top prospect Blaze Jordan to the Cardinals. Jordan had been one of the few corner infield prospects in the Red Sox's system (Boston likely didn't expect to need him after predicted offseason reunion with Alex Bregman and a signing or trade to land a first baseman) and he's now establishing himself as a legitimate prospect for the Cardinals.
Red Sox might be regretting trading corner infield prospect Blaze Jordan for two months of Steven Matz
Jordan is slashing .317/.380/.539 with 13 doubles, eight homers, 20 strikeouts and 14 walks over 43 games with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. In 35 of his games, Jordan has appeared at either first or third base (he's been the designated hitter all other times) and hasn't made a single error in the field.
Willson Contreras is saving the Red Sox from needing Jordan at first base this year, but he could've come up to play third base in Caleb Durbin's stead while he's severely struggled at the plate. Matz was a quality addition to the Sox's bullpen in the second half of last season, but Buster Olney posited that trading Jordan for two months of Matz might've been shortsighted by Breslow, and given the relatively small number of legitimate first base prospects in the Red Sox organization, he might be right.
Prospects can't keep contending teams from making the trades they need to win, and ultimately, Matz was a veteran, stabilizing presence in Boston's bullpen. The Red Sox have learned that there's always room for trade regret, however, and Chaim Bloom had his eyes on someone his former team could've used.
Add us as a preferred source on Google