A brief, late-May offensive surge suggested there might still be a glimmer of hope for the Boston Red Sox to save their season, but it didn't last long. A June 10 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays sent Boston spiraling to 12 games below .500 and down to the second-worst record in the American League (27-39) above only the Los Angeles Angels.
The chances that Boston buys ahead of the trade deadline are getting smaller and smaller. A team that began the year with playoff aspirations has been nothing short of a self-inflicted nightmare. The results so far this season have Red Sox fans calling for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow's job.
There's little to no chance they bail on him in the middle of the season — despite many valid arguments suggesting they should — and Red Sox CEO and president Sam Kennedy on June 11 appeared on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" to attest that Breslow's job is currently secure. That doesn't mean things won't change at the end of the season, but for now, the Sox are sticking with what they've got.
It's worth noting that Boston's font office claimed Chaim Bloom's job was safe a few months before he was dismissed in September 2023. They had to stand by their guy to avoid looking worse than they did after their multiple last-place finishes. Firing Bloom was no easy task, and firing Breslow, whenever that may occur, will only be harder.
Red Sox will be hard pressed to find a new CBO after Craig Breslow's seemingly inevitable firing
The Red Sox's management troubles and front office scandals have been widely publicized. Across the league, Boston is viewed as one of the most tumultuous front offices, with more turnover in high-level positions than most if not all other teams in the last two decades. Neither of Breslow's CBO predecessors held their jobs for more than four seasons.
Working for John Henry and Fenway Sports Group also seems like a nightmare. The Red Sox are one of the biggest markets in MLB but insist on operating like a mid-to-small-market team, seemingly only to maximize profit. Boston hasn't won a major free agent contract in years — Trevor Story signed a six-year, $140 million deal before the 2022 season, which has been a complete disaster — and is seemingly making no effort to do so.
Few execs in search of a new job will be willing to put themselves in the position Breslow currently holds, evidenced by the last round of interviews that resulted in Breslow's hiring. Boston interviewed multiple candidates, but several also declined requests to interview with the team, including Tampa Bay Rays senior advisor Jon Daniels, Toronto Blue Jays vice president of baseball strategy James Click and former Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng, according to a 2023 article by Ian Browne of MLB.com.
If no one wanted to work with the Red Sox three years ago, it's hard to imagine that's changed. Bostons' roster is poorly constructed and the organization has made horrible decision after horrible decision, from passing on free agents to the miscommunications that led to the Rafael Devers trade and more.
Holding onto Breslow for another season isn't a viable option if the Red Sox truly hope to improve — frankly, he shouldn't make it to the trade deadline in his current position. But finding someone to take Breslow's job after him could be a nearly impossible task because of the years of drama that have followed the Red Sox, on the field and off.
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