Boston Red Sox news and rumors have been flying since the start of the GM Meetings in Las Vegas. Though nothing major went down, there was a good amount to talk about, and it starts up top for the Sox.
The team announced a promotion for Craig Breslow. Heading into his fourth season at the helm for the Red Sox, Breslow will now hold the title of President of Baseball Operations. That title was last held by Dave Dombrowski. Breslow's former title was Chief Baseball Officer.
Craig Breslow gets another vote of confidence from Red Sox with promotion
Breslow's three years running the Red Sox have been a roller coaster ride. The highs include ending a three-year playoff drought and then making back-to-back playoff appearances in addition to major acquisitions and internal prospect development. The lows are just as notable, though. Drama with Rafael Devers ending with him being traded just one and a half seasons into a 10-year contract, firing Alex Cora, not re-signing Alex Bregman, and losing to the Yankees handily in the playoffs in back-to-back seasons certainly didn't help fan morale.
The Sox have stayed the course with their guy, though, picking up his contract options midseason. Breslow said the change in title doesn't mean he is going to do anything different. "From a responsibility standpoint, I’m still going to do everything I can to build the best team and best organization possible.”
Former Red Sox reliever Chris Martin retires
Veteran relief pitcher Chris Martin has decided to call it quits. The 40-year-old righty spent 11 seasons in MLB, plus two more in Japan. Martin was a member of the Red Sox in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, he was one of the most dominant relievers in baseball, even though he was the team's setup man. He made 55 appearances that season, finishing with a 1.05 ERA and earning a fifth-place Cy Young Award vote.
Martin made his MLB debut at 28 with the Colorado Rockies in 2014 and spent 2015 with the Yankees before heading to NPB. He came back to MLB with the Rangers in 2018 and then was dealt to the Braves during the 2019 season, playing for them for the next two years. In 2022, the journeyman signed with the Cubs and then was traded to the Dodgers. The next offseason signed with the Red Sox. He spent the final two seasons of his career back in his home state of Texas with the Rangers.
Martin made 434 appearances in his MLB career for seven different clubs. He finished his career with a 3.53 ERA and 409 strikeouts in 403 innings.
Scott Boras' Red Sox comments should excite fans
Having one of his annual press conferences at the GM Meetings, super agent Scott Boras was asked about the Red Sox, and his answers shed a positive light on the direction of the front office this winter.
"I think that’s very clear that they want to make their team better and add to it," Boras said. He added, "All I know is the communication has been heavy, and there is a real understanding from the ownership on down that they want to advance [past the Wild Card round]”.
Boras is the agent to many of the top free agents in this year's class, as he usually his. Those include the likes of Tarik Skubal, Randy Arozarena, and Ryan Jeffers.
Who will the Sox chase? That remains to be seen. And though conversations with Boras are typically standard for big market teams, it's at least nice to hear the agent name-drop Boston as we wait for a flurry of transactions before Dec. 1.
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