Following one of the most miraculous turnarounds in recent baseball history, the Boston Red Sox rewarded the men who orchestrated it. The organization on September 22 announced it has triggered two options on Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow's contract and signed Chad Tracy as manager on a three-year deal.
While the Breslow news shows serious trust in him from Red Sox ownership, the removal of Tracy's "interim" tag has a bigger impact on the team in the immediate future. Tracy is beloved by his players and Boston pledged its faith in him at a pivotal time with October right around the corner.
The Red Sox have rallied around Tracy already, including during their franchise history-tying 15-game winning streak in July. They must do it again to go into the playoffs hot.
The Red Sox have faltered in September. The pitching staff is showing signs of exhaustion and the offense has seriously stalled — Boston has a .221 batting average in September, the second-lowest metric in the league, and a .179 average with runners in scoring position this month. But the Sox have the chance to make Tracy's first season in charge more memorable than it already is by taking this vote of confidence from the front office to beat the New York Yankees and go on a longer playoff run than they did last year.
Red Sox should use Chad Tracy's promotion to full-blown manager as motivation in their playoff chase
It took some time after Alex Cora's firing for Boston to get going, but Tracy was one of the catalysts for it's surge. Some underperforming players finally showed up at the plate following Tracy and his coaching staff's teachings. Tracy's preexisting relationships with the players who passed through Triple-A, whether it be as prospects or on a rehab assignment, and his even-keeled style of communication make him easy to work with and easy to root for.
The removal of Tracy's "interim" tag should have the Red Sox excited and confident about the team's future. The players' ability in July and August to rattle off win after win is what got Tracy to this spot in the first place — they should be eager to kick-start the trend again following the announcement of the new title they helped him earn.
No team with a worse 75-game start (the Sox had a 31-44 record) has ever made the playoffs and Tracy was a key part of pulling Boston out of that funk. The Red Sox helped Tracy earn the trust of the club's front office and ownership and they must validate that decision with postseason success.
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