The Boston Red Sox's second foray into the playoffs under Craig Breslow was an utter flop. The team was embarrassed by the New York Yankees, being outscored 18-2 in the two-game set. After the heights of the mid-season, Red Sox Nation is deep in the gutter.
Fans had hoped that the magic the team captured in the summer would translate through the rest of the season and into the playoffs, but that didn't happen. The team stumbled through September, scoring the fewest runs of any team in MLB in the final month. Despite the poor form, the Red Sox announced a week before the first playoff game that Chad Tracy had been signed on as manager for the next three seasons (with an option for a fourth), and Craig Breslow had two options in his contract picked up, keeping him under contract through 2030.
At the time, it felt like the right decision, at least on Tracy’s end. The team was headed back to the playoffs for the second year in a row, Tracy had managed an epic in-season turnaround, and Breslow seemingly pushed the right buttons to get there. Now, it feels like those could have been premature.
There were too many negatives in the Wild Card for the Red Sox to feel extremely confident in the team's leadership in 2027
Tracy’s lack of any major league experience showed in the two games. His mismanagement of the bullpen hurt the team and was actively out-managed by Aaron Boone.
The offense that Breslow was so confident in disappeared. The Red Sox could do nothing against Cam Schlittler in Game 1, and Game 2 was two measly solo homers.
Talking to reporters after the Game 2 loss, multiple players also had negative things to say about the organization. Sonny Gray was unhappy being pulled from his start early. Willson Contreras made pointed comments on the organization’s overreliance on analytics.
The only thing that truly goes in Tracy and Breslow's favor was the injuries piling up. In the bullpen, the Red Sox lost two leverage arms in the final month: Justin Slaten and Tyron Guerrero, which changed who Tracy could rely on late in the game. On offense, the Sox lost Mickey Gasper, didn't have Ceddanne Rafaela or Contreras at 100%, then lost Roman Anthony during Game 1.
The results of the Wild Card certainly have Red Sox Nation questioning the decisions to extend the team's CBO and Manager. While Tracy probably deserved the extension for what he did with the squad, both moves don't look nearly as strong as they did in the moment.
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