There are a good many things that Craig Breslow deserves blame for, and closing the book on the Rafael Devers-Alex Bregman saga in the worst way possible is chief among them. But sometimes the chief baseball officer catches arrows from Boston Red Sox fans that prove to be off target.
Case in point, the No. 2 starter debate. The Red Sox executive set out this winter with one of his chief objectives being to acquire a legitimate No. 2 starter to slot in behind Garrett Crochet. Shortly thereafter, he pulled the trigger on an expensive deal to import Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Mission accomplished, right? That's the way it seemed at the time, and there were legitimate concerns as to whether or not a 36-year-old right-hander with a 4.28 ERA actually qualified as the Robin to Crochet's Batman.
In a vacuum, Gray was a worthwhile addition, but in that context, he was a letdown. Now we can see that the criticism was wrong, as the Red Sox have agreed to a five-year, $130 million contract for a true frontline starter in Ranger Suárez.
The Ranger Suárez signing proves that not all criticism that Craig Breslow receives from Red Sox fans is warranted
Suárez isn't without concerns, having never made 30 starts or reached 160 innings in a single season, his durability will be something to watch. However, when he has been on the mound, he's proven to be every bit of the top-of-the-line starting pitcher fans have been hoping for.
The southpaw posted a 3.20 ERA in 2025 and owns a 3.38 mark for his career. He does a little bit of everything, generating above-average ground ball rates, stellar walk rates, and just enough strikeouts to be considered better than average.
The 30-year-old excels at generating soft contact. His 31.1% hard hit rate in 2025 was a 98th percentile performance, while his 86.5 miles per hour average exit velocity and his 5.5% barrel percentage ranked in the 95th and 89th percentiles, respectively.
So criticize Breslow for his unserious pursuit of Pete Alonso. Lambast him for refusing to capitalize on the outfield logjam and use those assets to better balance the team. Demonize him for his lack of tact in dealing with players, which is what caused the Devers powderkeg to detonate in the first place.
But don't blast him for not delivering a No. 2 starter as he promised, because he found one in Suárez.