The Boston Red Sox's underperformance has been the story of their season so far. The starting rotation has struggled to reach five-inning outings to avoid over-taxing the bullpen, the bats consistently go quiet with runners in scoring position and sloppy defense and baserunning persist, as in the previous three seasons.
The Red Sox's struggles are so deep that one player or position group can't take the blame. It's put management in the spotlight, mostly manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. Some fans have called for Cora's job, since Boston has been inadequate in many of the same areas for a few seasons running, but Breslow has attested that the Red Sox are committed to Cora. He reiterated that commitment in his weekly interview appearance on "The Greg Hill Show" on WEEI.
“We're always going to be anchored to what is best for the team, and we have a lot of confidence in Alex as the leader of this group," Breslow said on June 5. "He's won in Boston as a player. He's won in Boston as a manager. We have conversations daily about everything that we can do to get us back on track. That's where our focus is, and that's where it will remain.”
Breslow has reinforced Cora's job security before, but he did so less enthusiastically, which set off alarm bells for some fans. On May 31, he said the Red Sox "made a commitment to Alex," which the team plans to see through — not exactly a ringing endorsement of his managerial record this season.
Craig Breslow speaks about Alex Cora's job security, ongoing conversations with Rafael Devers on position change
Do the Red Sox have an identity? What does this team do well? Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow joins! Breslow: "We are struggling with that exact question" #MLB @WEEI pic.twitter.com/vz5iY3PbJK
— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) June 5, 2025
Cora is in the first season of a three-year, $21.75 million extension as Boston's manager, and it's hard to imagine him being fired so early in the deal. Not all of the Red Sox's issues can be pinned on Cora, like the flawed roster construction and lack of longevity from pitchers, but the constant defensive miscues and strikeouts haven't made the skipper look great this year. Still, Breslow has stated Cora is the best choice for the team.
On a related note, Breslow also spoke to "The Greg Hill Show" — or rather, declined to speak — about a potential position change for Rafael Devers. The CBO noted that conversations about Devers possibly moving to first base are ongoing, but kept the rest of his answers vague, including one about potential frustrations with the star because he refused to change positions.
"I think it's best to keep that opinion to myself and in conversations between Raffy and me," he said.
Regardless of whether Breslow is frustrated with Devers, his conversations with the designated hitter have blown up this season. Neither side has handled position change rumors well, and the stories about it overtake the news cycle whenever there is a new development. It's no surprise the Red Sox have decided to keep those conversations internal in the wake of the many public comments from Devers on the subject.
No matter where the conversations with Devers lie, the Red Sox need to make a change, and they're running dangerously close to the trade deadline to still be unsure how to fix their issues. Breslow and Cora have admitted that the team hasn't met expectations, but the urgency the team showed over the offseason when it signed Alex Bregman and traded for Garrett Crochet has disappeared. Whether the Sox are going to make a coaching change, convince Devers to move to first base to lengthen the lineup, or call up Roman Anthony, they need to decide sooner rather than later.