- 2 days ago
Grading the team, 'mental lapses', Roman Anthony update, Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow joins live!
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00:00We are at the Parrot and Hull, and folks, we are joined now by the Chief Baseball Officer of the
00:11Boston Red Sox, Craig Breslow.
00:18Craig, good morning, Craig.
00:22Good morning, how are you doing?
00:26We got people here in Hull, Craig. Say hello to the people in Hull.
00:33How's everybody doing this morning?
00:36They're doing good. They're doing good.
00:40We're going to try to control these people, Craig.
00:45I'm sure you're feeling good this morning after starting this Yankee series off with a win last night.
00:51Well, the morning after a win is always better than after a loss, but it doesn't hide how disappointing the
01:00season has been to date.
01:03You said Monday to Tim Healy that you still think the ship can be righted.
01:09We had Sam Kennedy doing this a couple weeks ago on this show and said, you know, we have a
01:15couple weeks here before we need to pivot, which would be – that would be now.
01:22Is there a disconnect between you guys, or where are you on kind of the philosophy going forward here?
01:30No, there's no disconnect. Sam and I are talking every day or multiple times a day, and we're constantly assessing
01:38where we are both in terms of what's happening, you know, at Senway Park and with our team on the
01:45field and then what's happening around us.
01:47But we have to be realistic about where we are, and it's true that we can believe in the roster
01:53that we have.
01:54We can believe in our players and know that we're capable of playing better baseball and also that we're not
01:59where we expect it to be.
02:01That's incredibly frustrating and disappointing, and we're going to have to be realistic about what is best for the organization.
02:08But, I mean, in order for the ship to be righted, you really have to win a whole bunch of
02:14baseball games here.
02:15Are you honestly believing that this team can do that at this point?
02:22Yes, and you're exactly right.
02:24We have to win a lot of baseball games, and we don't have a ton of time to do it.
02:28I believe that we're capable of doing it.
02:30It's going to require more consistent play on the field.
02:36But I see no reason that with the pitching that we have, with the consistency of the starting pitching, with
02:44the strength of the back end of the bullpen,
02:46that we can't put ourselves in a position where we do win those games, but we've got to go out
02:51and do it.
02:52That's the reality of, you know, approaching July, being in last place in the division, not having won as many
02:59games as we thought we were going to heading into this point.
03:04I mean, I feel like I'm more likely to go on a run than this team is, Craig.
03:09Oh, jeez.
03:14Not a runner.
03:15Yeah, I haven't seen you throw a pitch or take a swing.
03:20Oh, God.
03:21How about a couple injury situations here, just for update perspective.
03:28What's going on with Roman Anthony?
03:30I know Chad Tracy said the other day, still can't swing a bat.
03:34Like, what's the update there?
03:36Yeah, not much to report, unfortunately, in terms of change.
03:40Roman's working hard to get back as soon as he can, but we're just not seeing progress as quickly as
03:46we would hope.
03:47He is getting better.
03:48He gets a little bit better every day.
03:50It's just been a very long process for him.
03:53Craig, why is this team almost identical with two different managers?
03:57One was seven games under.
03:58Chad Tracy, I believe, is six games under.
04:00If the manager was the problem, why are they the same?
04:05I mean, our performance has not been what we would have hoped, and ultimately, the accountability for that falls on
04:12me.
04:14But I also think that, you know, we've consistently pitched really well over the last two months or so.
04:21We've seen, you know, some guys put together more consistent at-bats.
04:25We've seen guys continue to perform.
04:28Ultimately, where we're falling short, and I will be the first person to acknowledge that and own it, is we're
04:31not winning baseball games.
04:32But I would say the accountability actually fell on Cora.
04:36He's out of a job, and you're here, so how is that the case?
04:42I'm not totally sure I follow the question.
04:45You know, every time I'm faced with a difficult decision, I do what I believe to be best for the
04:51organization.
04:52I will continue to do that for as long as I have this position.
04:56And, you know, ultimately, it's my responsibility to do everything that I possibly can to put a team on the
05:02field, you know,
05:03that meets the expectations of our fan base, meets the expectation of the organization,
05:07and that's why I can compete for World Series championships.
05:10Craig, when you look at this roster, do you feel like you did everything in your power to put together
05:16the best roster leading up until the season?
05:20You know, I think we improved our roster relative to the team that finished the season in 2025.
05:26But ultimately, again, you know, this comes down to what happens on the field.
05:31This is the big leagues, and, you know, we're measured by the success that we have on the field,
05:37and right now we're falling short.
05:38So, you know, we can believe in the players.
05:41We can believe in the roster.
05:43But ultimately, we have to, you know, we have to look back at decisions that we made
05:46and question where we might have been able to do things better.
05:49We talked a lot on the show, and we really, we're not there, so we just don't know.
05:53So we always kind of speculate.
05:55Be great to hear about Kyle Boddy leaving and how involved he was.
06:03Is there a change when it comes inside the organization, how much you are going to or do rely on
06:13Driveline?
06:15Sure.
06:16So Kyle was a consultant for the last two years.
06:22His responsibilities within the organization had diminished over time.
06:27There was another opportunity that he wanted to pursue, and, you know,
06:32it made sense for him to do that based on the work that he was doing here versus what he
06:37had in front of him.
06:38You know, I think if I were to talk about how he contributed over the last year or so,
06:45he worked with members of our, what we call baseball sciences,
06:49but it's the sports science and biomechanics.
06:52And that department, just given the exposure that he has to some of the newest technology
07:00that players use to train, and so he was able to contribute in that space.
07:06Craig, what would you, how would you describe the team's fundamental inability to understand the basics of baseball?
07:13Like, with two outs, you're turning a double play, you're throwing to the wrong cutoff man.
07:19Like, it just has, even aesthetically, it's been a tough watch.
07:23Why is that, why would you say that that's happening on a big league club?
07:27Yeah, I think some of those, I'll call them, you know, mental lapses,
07:34they come when there's frustration around performance, when guys are putting pressure on themselves
07:38and maybe trying to do a little bit too much or focused on the next thing instead of the thing
07:43that's directly in front of them.
07:45You know, and we've made some changes to the way that we approach teaching the fundamentals of baseball
07:50throughout the organization to address those types of things.
07:53You know, things like how to, you know, how to be the best base running team we possibly can,
08:01how to have situational awareness and, you know, really teach gameplay
08:06so that when guys get to the big leagues, you know, no matter how much pressure they feel,
08:11no matter what their performance is on the other side of the ball,
08:14they're able to handle those things.
08:15Are you currently actively engaging when it comes to talking to other teams about deals
08:24that they might want to make when it comes to players on this team?
08:28This is the time of year where a lot of those conversations start taking place.
08:34You know, they tend to be pretty exploratory in nature at this point,
08:38but we've been having conversations throughout the season looking at what we can do to improve our outlook.
08:43But, you know, today is no different.
08:46Craig, when you talk about little things, you know, basic errors, lack of focus,
08:54and the team not playing as well as they are, how much or do you look at possibly that some
09:01guys might be checked out?
09:03And if so, how do you make sure you get those guys not to just be looking at,
09:08all right, when is this season going to be over?
09:11Yeah, I would push back strongly on the notion that guys are checked out.
09:17You know, I actually think the opposite is what's happening.
09:19If you spend any time in the clubhouse with these guys, they're focused on preparing for the game.
09:25They're working incredibly hard.
09:27They're talking about baseball.
09:29They are the furthest thing from checked out.
09:32Actually, you know, in the clubhouse, the focus is on what they can do to get better,
09:37to prepare, and to win that night's game, and that's the reality when you walk in.
09:42Do you talk to John Henry about your own job?
09:46There was a story yesterday by Ken Rosenthal in The Athletic that said after Cora, you were next.
09:53Is this – I don't know how you would handle that internally when you see something like that in the
09:59newspaper and The Athletic.
10:02I don't.
10:03I don't have conversations with John about my job.
10:06My focus is on doing the things that I was brought in here to do,
10:10things like build a strong internal pitching development pipeline to try and work through the defensive struggles that we've had
10:21where we've led baseball in errors for, you know, for three or four years straight to modernize the front office
10:27and make sure that we can compete with 29 other teams and doing everything that we can to put our
10:32players in a position
10:33to win Major League Baseball games.
10:36Well, we were talking a lot yesterday about some of the younger guys.
10:40Marcelo Meyer, Romans injured, but, you know, Christian Campbell.
10:47And you were just talking about kind of your role and kind of overseeing the whole organization.
10:53Do you feel like the organization has done the best that it can do with those young guys to get
10:59them ready
11:01for where the team needs them to be to be up here at this point?
11:06You know, I think we're doing everything that we can to prepare these guys.
11:10I think Boston is a unique market and it presents unique challenges.
11:13We have to be aware of that.
11:15But while we think that we're doing everything we can to prepare these guys,
11:18we also have to look at, you know, how the transition is going for players and ask questions about what
11:25we might be missing.
11:26We talk to our players, especially players that are going through that transition,
11:30and look for feedback around where they think that they were well-prepared
11:34and where they think that we can do a better job.
11:37And so, you know, I think both of those things can be true,
11:39that we are focused on doing everything we possibly can.
11:41And also, we've got to keep asking questions about how we can do better.
11:45Craig, I remember when I played in the NFL, it was a long time ago.
11:48We as a team, and I know they do it a lot of sports,
11:51would give ourselves like mid-season grades on what we were doing, what we could be doing better.
11:57When you look at your team, you're almost through the halfway point of the season.
12:00What would you grade yourself and your team,
12:04and where do you think you can get better in maybe potentially changing some of those grades?
12:11Sure.
12:12Well, I mean, I think given where we are in the standings,
12:16given the record as we sit here on June 26th, we can't give ourselves high marks overall.
12:22I can't give myself a high mark.
12:24That doesn't mean that we aren't doing some things particularly well, though.
12:28We talked all off-season about pitching being the strength of this team.
12:33And over the last two months, I think we've really seen that.
12:36We've gotten consistently strong starting pitching.
12:39The back end of the bullpen, despite maybe a couple blips here recently,
12:43has been able to lock down wins for us.
12:48Our infield defense, outfield defense have been consistently excellent.
12:52And I know a lot has been made, and I think fairly, of the inconsistency to our offense.
12:57And so as we think about what the second half can bring, we need to preserve the things that we
13:01do well.
13:02We need to make sure that we're getting consistent starting pitching, which keeps us in games every night.
13:06And we need to score more runs.
13:08And we're going to score more runs by having consistently quality at-bats,
13:12understanding what the strengths are of each individual hitter
13:15and how they can go out and use those skills to contribute to runs.
13:21And I think that will include things like locking in when we have runners in scoring position,
13:26having a two-strike approach to battle and put the ball in play,
13:30and identifying the pitches in and at-bat before we get to two strikes,
13:34where we can get our best swings off and try to do some damage.
13:37Craig, has there sort of an organizational sit-down where you'll decide whether you're going in one way or the
13:44other?
13:45And who is a part of those conversations within the walls of Fenway Park in terms of the trade deadline?
13:51Yeah, sure, sure.
13:53I think the conversations are pretty regular and fluid,
13:59and we're constantly assessing where we are relative to the rest of the league.
14:05But, you know, in terms of a direction, I will make a recommendation,
14:09the one that I think is best for the organization,
14:11and sit down with Sam, John, Tom, Mike Gordon, Theo,
14:18and kind of state the case for why I think One Direction is the right one for us.
14:24Well, where you are with regard to the rest of the league, unfortunately, is last.
14:31So, but listen, things can change.
14:34I think that's your message today, right?
14:37Well, I think things can change.
14:40We've seen that things can change.
14:41I think more than that, though, is, you know,
14:44we've got a group of players and coaches that are committed to doing what we can to give ourselves a
14:50chance for that to change.
14:51You know, and if you walk through the clubhouse, if you walk through the coaches' room,
14:57that's what you see.
14:58It's guys who feel like it's an honor and a privilege to put on a Red Sox uniform,
15:02who want to go out and compete at a level that makes the fan base proud,
15:07and that's something that I share with them.
15:09All right, appreciate you taking the time.
15:11That is Craig Breslow, the Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox.
15:16There, Meg, you can't hear it.
15:18You can't hear it, but they're cheering for you.
15:20It sounds, it sounds.
15:21They're chewing.
15:23Craig, thanks for taking the time.
15:24We appreciate it.
15:26You got it.
15:26Take care.
15:27All right, there you go.
15:28There he is.
15:29That's Craig Breslow.
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