This Craig Breslow confidant may have inside track to become Red Sox's next manager

In one of the most shocking moves in franchise history, the Boston Red Sox fired five members of the coaching staff in one fell swoop. Among the group was manager Alex Cora.

Worcester Red Sox manager Chad Tracy was named interim manager. There is a chance this becomes Tracy’s job long-term. The 40-year-old is known as a developer, which could be useful for the Sox's very young core. But there is another internal option who could get a serious look.

When looking at the group who was fired, a pattern emerges: it was all Alex Cora guys. Ramon Vazquez, Pete Fatse, and Kyle Hudson were all coaches brought in pre-Breslow. The entire pitching staff, which has been reshaped by Breslow, was left untouched.

Pitching coach Andrew Bailey is now one of the most tenured coaches on the Sox staff. The team did not announce any changes to his role among all the coaching changes, but that doesn't mean he won't get a real shot at the manager job at the end of the season.

Could Craig Breslow's relationship with Andrew Bailey shape Red Sox's future?

When Breslow was brought in as CBO, it felt inevitable that Bailey was going to be brought along as pitching coach. Their relationship was widely known, and less than a month after Breslow's hiring, Bailey was hired. Once Bailey was brought in, multiple outlets chronicled their relationship, which started in their playing days. The two were members of the 2012 and 2013 Red Sox bullpen, during which they talked about running a baseball team together. 

Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald wrote the day of Bailey's hiring, “Back in their playing days, Craig Breslow and Andrew Bailey used to sit in the bullpen talking about life after retirement. Even then, Breslow imagined himself running a team, and Bailey would say he could be his bullpen coach, pitching coach or manager. 

Breslow didn't give Bailey his shot at manager yet. Whether they didn't want to rearrange the coaching staff that much or feared the optics of firing Cora and immediately naming Breslow's guy weren't favorable, it likely won't last long. 

Tracy will almost definitely get through the rest of the season at the helm. It would be odd to give him the interim title and not give him the proper runway. Interim skippers don't always get the full-time job, though, so don't be shocked if Bailey is the next manager of the Red Sox if the front office isn't fully convinced with what they see for the remainder of 2026.

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