00:00and maybe even a bigger weekend for the Chicago Cubs
00:04because they got their guy, Alex Bregman,
00:10who unfortunately will not be in a Red Sox uniform this season.
00:16How was your winter weekend experience with the Red Sox, Curtis?
00:20I'm glad you asked.
00:21So it was lovely.
00:22Saturday, Ken said, get here at 9 because we might have to tape some interviews.
00:26Okay, I got there at 9.15.
00:28And right before the top of the hour, we're literally about to go on air.
00:33Thankfully, Doug's finally quieting down.
00:35And one of the Red Sox media people says,
00:38we're going to do Craig right now.
00:40We have five minutes.
00:41Five minutes with Breslow.
00:43So mind you, we have been seated in this building for 45 minutes together,
00:47doing nothing.
00:49And they knew we were here because they requested that we get there
00:51so that we could be flexible with getting guests on.
00:55And Ken said, well, can we do it later?
00:57Like, you know, when we don't have five minutes, we're opening a show
00:59that's literally never done.
01:01They're like, no, this is all we can do.
01:03And it was just so symbolic about what they're worried about
01:07and what they're not.
01:08And there's many things you can say about me.
01:11Many people have said all of them.
01:13But I don't accept spin.
01:15Spin is the one thing that I feel is such an indictment on who you are
01:19and an offense to the people that you are trying to talk to being your fans.
01:24And it was noteworthy that Breslow was so quick.
01:28So, you know, get me out of here.
01:29I don't want to answer any questions.
01:30And then Sam came on and, you know, was obstinate, a little aggressive.
01:37I saw Mrs. Pizzuti.
01:38She came down and was watching.
01:40Do you think that they believed at that point that they were still in on Bregman
01:48and that they were going to get him at five years, $161 million,
01:54when the actual deal was five years, $175 million?
01:58No.
01:59So if you were to ask me what is more important to John Henry,
02:02a salary cap or winning a World Series, a salary cap by $1,000.
02:07And they didn't mention Bregman.
02:09He was a free agent.
02:10I asked Sam or Ken asked Sam, and Sam said,
02:13I can't talk about players on teams.
02:15He's not on a team.
02:16And last year, the whole buildup, we noted how crazy it was
02:22that they were so open about Bregman, and he hadn't even signed here yet.
02:26And so Sam Kennedy sits down, and he's talking to me
02:30and saying that he's correcting me.
02:32I don't know if we have the audio shine, but I was talking about the offseason
02:34because my first comment to Breslau was that we didn't have much time,
02:37but I said, I guess that's fine because we could talk about all the signings
02:40you made in the five minutes.
02:42He didn't like that very much.
02:43But here is what my conversation sounded like with Sam Kennedy.
02:47You need to be litigious or argumentative.
02:51My parents wanted to correct me.
02:53You mentioned, I think, $250 million.
02:56So if you go back to this time last year, this organization has taken on,
03:01I did the math just because I was going to be prepared for this line of question.
03:05I think it's about $498 million of contractual commitments
03:09that this organization has taken on.
03:13You mentioned Garrett Crochet.
03:14You mentioned Roman Anthony.
03:16You mentioned Christian Campbell.
03:17We did the Bregman deal last year.
03:19So it totals $498 million.
03:21And again, our fans, there's a lot of media talk about dollars and $250 million,
03:26and I'm throwing out $498 million.
03:28It doesn't matter.
03:29We need to win baseball games.
03:30It doesn't matter.
03:31Stop it there.
03:31So you literally said you prepared for the interview
03:34by creating some nonsensical Fugazi stat about what the money is
03:38that you're going to be paying for 15 years.
03:40And then you say, but it doesn't matter.
03:43Like, in that one clip, you hear the two faces of the Red Sox.
03:47Can't both be true.
03:48And it's just, I just find it offensive for the fans of this team
03:54where somebody in that building told Will Fleming something.
03:57It's not Will Fleming's fault.
03:59Will Fleming reported what somebody told him,
04:01that they were going to have an aggressive start to the winter meetings.
04:04Yeah.
04:04And it's quite the opposite.
04:06It's the opposite.
04:06And so from my perspective, I didn't experience what you went through,
04:11and I don't – but as a fan, it is bothersome to me
04:17that you ruined your relationship with Raphael Devers.
04:22Right.
04:22You brought Alex Bregman in.
04:26That caused a rift there.
04:29So you got to get rid of Devers.
04:31Fine.
04:32I was in – you know, I was on the record at the time as saying
04:37that that was an upside when it came to the fellas
04:41and the way they went about their business, I felt like.
04:45But you did not replace that player,
04:50and you lost Alex Bregman over a no-trade clause that he wanted
04:57and you wouldn't do, and 15 million bucks.
05:02I mean, that's the difference there is from 100 –
05:05if the Red Sox were in on five years and 160 million,
05:10as was being reported, then it's $15 million
05:13and your unwillingness to give him a no-trade.
05:18And so it's a fail.
05:21That's an epic fail by Craig Breslow.
05:25Yeah, there's no contingency plan.
05:27There's not – there's not.
05:28It's an epic fail by everybody, though.
05:30You're so right because you can't go through an entire season
05:32after getting rid of Rafi Devers
05:34and going on this campaign for Alex Bregman
05:37and how great he is for the clubhouse,
05:39how he's the future for this team.
05:41You can't light up cigars and post that on social media.
05:44And then just less than a year later, he's out of town.
05:47And you have no replacement for a guy that wanted to be here
05:50for the long haul in Rafi Devers.
05:51Their biggest issue is really not about not re-signing Bregman.
05:56It's about not having a replacement or a contingency plan.
06:00I disagree with you.
06:01It's about not re-signing Bregman.
06:03But if you signed Kyle Schwab or Pete Alonzo,
06:08you put yourself in a position to be like,
06:10okay, this is where we are.
06:11Well, I know, but we're not doing ifs.
06:13Right, so you have – that's my point.
06:15You have no contingency plan.
06:16But I didn't – I wasn't willing for them to exchange those two things.
06:21They needed to sign Alex Bregman and go out and get Pete Alonzo,
06:27Schwab's – you know, the next thing is going to be,
06:29hey, we're all in on Bo Bichette.
06:31We're going to add a bat with Bo Bichette.
06:33And you're going to go, oh, this is great.
06:35They're all in on Bo Bichette.
06:37But you've got to stop getting those guys.
06:39They're not getting them.
06:40They're not.
06:41They're not.
06:42One of the most brilliant things that Bill Belichick did
06:44in this building for 20-plus years was doing business
06:48as business is being done.
06:49And this ownership group did their business.
06:52They did a great job.
06:53And now they're trying to live off of what they did
06:55instead of what they're going to do.
06:57And one thing that was so important for me to get across with those guys,
07:01they made the playoffs thanks to the creation of another playoff spot.
07:08They won 89 games and would have missed the playoffs
07:11if it wasn't for these new rules making everybody better.
07:14And they're acting like they're taller,
07:16but the requirement just got shorter.
07:18And the other thing is that if this were the Red Sox with Larry Lucchino
07:22and they lost to a local kid that turned on the city in game three
07:27of a three-game wild card at Yankee Stadium,
07:30they would address the offseason the next day.
07:33They'd be saying, this is not acceptable.
07:35We need to beat the Yankees.
07:36It's not a choice.
07:38We have to fix the team.
07:39Well, I just don't think – I mean, their clear intention is to be the one team,
07:46apparently, that's going to be focused on the salary cap at a disadvantage to their fans.
07:52And if that's what you're going to do, then fine.
07:56Own it.
07:57Tell everybody about it.
07:59Let everybody know.
08:00I mean, the team is not – I heard you talking about this, I think, briefly on Saturday, Curtis.
08:07The team, they have not improved the baseball team.
08:11Yes, you added – when it comes to pitching, you added somebody that's –
08:17if that's going to be your two, that's probably better than the two you had.
08:20If Giolito was your two, then you added somebody who's –
08:24Sonny Gray's potential is to be better, I guess.
08:27But you're a worse team.
08:28You're a worse team.
08:29But you are not – you were a wild card team last year,
08:33and you have done nothing to improve the team.
08:37And if it's all because of money, then just tell us that.
08:41If it's all because of some fakakta, you know, one-man mission to change the length of deals
08:48and the salaries that are paid – like, great.
08:51But be the guy who stands up and owns that.
08:54Right.
08:54What do they say to you when you say, well, listen, you are a worse team right now
08:58than where you were at – well, not necessarily at this point last year, but when –
09:03They told me about Contreras.
09:05They told me about Sonny Gray.
09:06But I mean, I'm talking about from the standpoint of hitting.
09:10Pitching, maybe you might be better.
09:12But from the standpoint of hitting, you're a worse team because you did lose Devers
09:16and you did lose Bregman.
09:17They say that they're going to – there's free agents out there.
09:20There's a bat out there.
09:21There's a Bo Bichette bat out there.
09:23That's what they're going to tell you until in a week and a half or two weeks,
09:26they're not going to get Bo Bichette.
09:28But the last thing on this, Greg, it's very important to me.
09:31I think that this Bregman signing at the end of a day where Red Sox fans heard nothing but spin
09:37may be what tilts this.
09:40It feels much stronger in its head.
09:44Did you see Alex Corr at all?
09:45No.
09:46He must be pissed.
09:47That's where my mind is.
09:48I'm sure he is.
09:48Yeah, that's a great point, Courtney.
09:50He didn't join us this year, and he's joined us every other year before that.
09:52But does he go to them and say, listen, you know, he's tight with Bregman.
09:57Does he go and say, pound his fist and say, give him what he wants?
10:01They have the same agent.
10:03Cora and Bregman both are represented by Boris, so I'm sure he knew about it.
10:06All right.
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