It was an awkward moment during the press conference among all the madness that unfolded over the weekend. Not long after Craig Breslow had tried to say that the idea to fire Alex Cora and the rest of the coaches was a joint decision by himself and ownership, Sam Kennedy, answering a different question, said that the whole thing came from Breslow's recommendation.
We'll never know if that was Breslow trying to deflect some of the blame and hold on to any good graces from the fanbase remaining or something else, but one thing it sure did was put a big target on his back.
Alex Cora had never been shy about making his feelings known about the Red Sox situation during his tenure. While he never would outright say he was unhappy or that something was wrong, it didn't take a lot of reading between the lines to see when he was placing blame on front office choices.
Whether right or wrong, those not-so-subtle digs made it clear that the Red Sox's former manager didn't always agree with certain things being passed down from the top, and suggested that, at times, there were two different philosophies in play in the Red Sox clubhouse.
LIVE - Red Sox Craig Breslow, Sam Kennedy Address Decision to Part Ways with Alex Cora https://t.co/peAmnwGuTE
— NESN (@NESN) April 26, 2026
Craig Breslow pushed all the Red Sox chips in on himself
Now, Breslow can't claim that anymore. Most of the coaching staff that was brought in pre-Breslow was relieved of their duties over the weekend. Those were all Cora's guys, and the ones who likely rebuffed Breslow's way of thinking the most. Breslow now has a chance to put in place a coaching staff who will follow his philosophies, something he hadn't been able to do in his tenure as Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox.
That's where the target comes from. Before April 25, Breslow could claim that the reason things weren't going right was that Cora and his guys were pushing back against what he wanted. Now, he should be able to operate with no resistance, for better or for worse. Any successes or failures that come now are purely on Breslow.
The post-Cora era of Red Sox baseball has started well. It's impossible to tell right now whether that's tied to the firing or not, but by the end of the season, everybody will know if it was worth it or not. Breslow claimed that this squad could still make the playoffs. Surely ownership will be holding him to that. If the Sox aren't competitive the rest of the season, Breslow can kiss his job goodbye. The clock is ticking for Breslow — he'd better hope he can make the most of his latest moves.
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