One month after Rafael Devers called out the Boston Red Sox front office for its lack of action this offseason, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has publicly responded.
On the most recent episode of the "Baseball isn't Boring" podcast, host Rob Bradford questioned Breslow about the goings-on at Red Sox spring training, his outlook for the club, and the sentiment from the players and staff with everything that's transpired.
Devers has begun to take up a position as a leader in Boston's clubhouse. He openly critiqued the front office for going yet another offseason without addressing the team's needs and manager Alex Cora backed him up.
Breslow commended Devers for stepping up — a star player sharing his concerns speaks to his investment in the team and his personal commitment to winning.
Craig Breslow responds to Rafael Devers' call to action, Red Sox pitching depth questions
". . . I have to listen. I have to understand, kind of, collectively, where the head of the team is," Breslow said. "And that doesn't always mean that there's a response or a transaction that follows."
Breslow shared that he and Devers have had multiple conversations about what the team would need to succeed and that he's had similar meetings with Cora. He admitted that they have their finger on the pulse of what's going on with the club. Yet, the front office still does not see the need for any big-ticket moves to address their concerns, despite the perspective from players "living it every day" on a lackluster roster.
However, Breslow did concede that some moves may be coming, just not the ones anyone wants the club to make. He knows the Sox are desperate for pitching depth, and he said adding to it is "something that's on mind."
"This is the time of year when that type of depth potentially becomes available. I also think there will be guys who will step forward, guys who will emerge, who maybe aren't even in big-league camp right now, as big-league depth at some point through the season," Breslow added. "And we need to do everything that we can to accelerate that timeline and push it, but we also need to be pretty aggressive in identifying who else is available that could provide depth."
It certainly sounds like Breslow is referring to players being dropped from other clubs as a solution to Boston's depth issues. He also may be referring to up-and-coming arms in the Red Sox's farm system — the very same system that ranks 29th in the league for its pitching prospects.
If the Red Sox had any plans to be aggressive in the hunt for depth pitching options, they would've signed Jordan Montgomery weeks ago. His market is stalling, as the Rangers signed Michael Lorenzen late on March 20 and they were one of the last remaining teams with interest in the left-hander, but the waiting game only works for so long. It sounds increasingly more like Boston will wait for another club to swoop in and sign Montgomery so fans will get off the front office's backs.
Bradford believes Breslow is committed to the Red Sox's current plan to stick with what they have. Boston's pitching has been better than expected in Grapefruit League play, but the staff is yet to play a fully competent, big-league-caliber roster every day — the Red Sox staff's luck will run out, and probably sooner rather than later, especially without outside help.