Amidst all of the he-said, she-said drama that has resulted from the Boston Red Sox's coaching staff purge, one topic of conversation remains painfully salient: Alex Cora and company weren't the best in the world at developing players.
Now, that's not to say that things were hopeless. Under Cora's watch, Jarren Duran became an All-Star, Roman Anthony exploded onto the scene as a rookie, Garrett Crochet nearly won a Cy Young Award, and Aroldis Chapman found the fountain of youth. That's not nothing.
But all too frequently in recent years, a player has left (or been discarded from) the organization and went on to perform better elsewhere. Exhibit A: Kyle Harrison's star-turn with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Kyle Harrison vs. Pirates:
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) April 26, 2026
6 IP
0 ER
12 K (career-high)
1 H
1 BB
23 Whiffs (career-high)
CC Sabathia is only LHP with more K through first 5 games with Brewers. pic.twitter.com/dKYXXYZZiP
Harrison has been a gem for the Brewers all year long; his 2.28 ERA is the best figure in the Crew's rotation. However, his latest outing was just the icing on the cake, as he tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out 12.
Meanwhile, Caleb Durbin (51 wRC+) and Andruw Monasterio (-0.1 fWAR) have been struggling mightily in Boston. This trade has been an outright disaster so far.
Kyle Harrison's breakout in Milwaukee is a reminder of Red Sox's recent roster failures
There's no denying who is to blame for the entirety of this saga. Trading Rafael Devers to make room for Alex Bregman, only to then lose Bregman in free agency and ship off most of the return for Devers is a disaster-class only Craig Breslow could concoct.
That being said, Harrison has top prospect pedigree, and he never seemed to earn the trust of the Red Sox coaching staff down the stretch of the 2025 season despite pitching well. Now, he's in the pitching lab in Milwaukee and looks like the ace he was once forecasted to become. What gives?
He's not the only one from that trade causing some regret, either. David Hamilton remains an overall liability at the plate, but he's walking more than ever and providing positive value to the Brewers while playing on a near-everyday basis. That never happened in Boston.
Of course, the fact Durbin's wRC+ has been slashed in half from last year is the most unforgivable part of this whole equation. Cora couldn't literally control what his hitters did at the plate, but it's an indictment on the now-gutted coaching staff that regression seemed to be such a common theme among newcomers.
There was a clear rift between Cora and Breslow about how to best outfit the roster to compete. It's no secret they often didn't see eye to eye on personnel moves. One of them is taking the fall for that division right now, but Breslow can't withstand too many more busts before he joins Cora on the outside looking in.
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