Red Sox Front Office Doesn’t Get Enough Credit For Building A Contender

Craig Breslow (and his predecessor, Chaim Bloom) return a batch of heat, but they built a competitory shot team. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

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Craig Breslow, the existent Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox, and his predecessor, Chaim Bloom, person many times travel nether occurrence for decisions they person made while astatine the helm of the club. And, to beryllium sure, galore of those decisions merit scrutiny.

However, location are a fistful of moves (or non-moves) that person proven to beryllium rather fruitful. Unfortunately for the 2 leaders, those get forgotten aliases overlooked.

Xander Bogaerts

When Bloom was astatine the helm, successful 2022, he offered franchise stalwart Xander Bogaerts a six-year statement worthy $162 million. That would person taken the shortstop done his age-35 season. The San Diego Padres swooped in and offered the pridefulness of Aruba an 11-year woody worthy $280 million. There was simply nary logic to effort to lucifer that; and Bogaerts would person been a fool not to judge it. Red Sox fans were sad to suffer the four-time All-Star and two-time world champion, but it was smart business. And it should beryllium noted that Bogaerts has not had an OPS supra .800 since joining the Padres, and this twelvemonth has a 77 OPS+ (meaning he is 23% beneath average).

Rafael Devers

After losing Mookie Betts to the Dodgers and not signing Bogaerts, Bloom needed to make a scatter – for the squad and for the fanbase. So he signed 3rd baseman Rafael Devers to an 11-year, $313.5 cardinal statement successful 2023. Devers performed astatine a level befitting a astir $30-million player, posting an OPS+ of 126 successful 2023 and 142 successful 2024. In the first half of 2025, he was hitting conscionable good (.905 OPS, 152 OPS+). But his cognition didn’t lucifer his bat. He refused to move to first guidelines erstwhile the squad signed Alex Bregman, and past conscionable hardly agreed to go the mundane designated hitter. In June of past year, Breslow thought he could amended the squad – particularly the clubhouse – if he sent Devers away. So off to San Francisco he went.

In return for Devers, the Red Sox received pitchers Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks and outfield imaginable James Tibbs III. Regardless of what they sewage back, Boston relieved itself of astir $250 cardinal successful obligations owed to a disgruntled subordinate done 2033.

Devers slashed .236/.347/.460 successful 90 games pinch the Giants past season. This twelvemonth – connected the ground of a basking period – he is now slashing .247/.319/.475 pinch 22 homers.

New Infielders

Boston traded Harrison (along pinch infielder David Hamilton and pitcher Shane Drohan) to Milwaukee successful return for infielders Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, and Anthony Seigler, positive a draught pick. As of this writing, Durbin is slashing .246/.313/.399 pinch 10 location runs. That is not exactly the aforesaid arsenic Devers, but if you squint, it looks beautiful adjacent for $28 cardinal less. Monasterio has filled successful nicely for the BoSox – he deed the game-winning location tally successful Sacramento earlier this week – and presently has a 119 OPS+. Seigler didn’t expect to get overmuch playing clip pinch Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer connected the roster, but some person been retired astir of the play pinch injuries, truthful Seigler has gotten 113 astatine bats and put up a 105 OPS+. These stats don’t jump disconnected the page and these names don’t put butts successful the seats, but they do thief triumph games, which is yet what this is each about.

Breslow did look to person immoderate ovum connected his look astatine the opening of the season, arsenic Harrison thrust himself into the Cy Young speech pinch an 8-2 grounds and a 3.01 ERA for Milwaukee. However, the pitcher has been retired since early July pinch forearm and elbow tightness. Without immoderate setbacks, he could beryllium backmost successful the Brewers rotation sometime successful August. But, arsenic the caller waste and acquisition of Connelly Early to the Nationals shows, the Red Sox don’t deficiency for pitching depth. What they needed was players to capable holes connected the infield, and Durbin, Monasterio, and Seigler person done conscionable that.

Sonny Gray

Prior to the Thanksgiving break, Breslow sent 3 pitching prospects to St. Louis successful return for seasoned righty Sonny Gray. The Cardinals besides threw successful $20 million, meaning the Red Sox are only paying the pitcher $15 cardinal for a league-leading 13 wins, a 2.94 ERA, and a 138 ERA+.

Jake Bennett

In a little-noticed move 2 weeks earlier Christmas, Breslow swapped right-handed pitching imaginable Luis Perales to Washington for left-hander Jake Bennett. Bennett has provided immoderate of the aforementioned pitching depth. In 11 starts this year, he has a 2.74 ERA, a WHIP beneath one, a 4-to-1 K/BB ratio, and a 148 ERA+.

Willson Contreras

'Twas the days earlier Christmas, and Breslow sent MLB pitcher Hunter Dobbins and 2 insignificant convention pitching prospects to the Cardinals successful return for first baseman Willson Contreras. Contreras has go the bosom and psyche of the 2026 squad, some connected and disconnected the field. And it doesn’t wounded that he besides leads the teams successful location runs (23), RBI (67), and OPS+ (166).

Craig Breslow

After sending Early to Washington successful return for slugging infielder Curtis Mead*, Breslow told the collected press: “I’ve tried to displacement to our extremity not to triumph the trade. Our extremity is to make our awesome convention squad better. Sometimes, the astir straightforward measurement to do that is simply a need-for-need-type trade.”

*Mead struck retired successful his first astatine bat for the Red Sox, past sewage deed connected the wrist successful his second. He is now connected the IL pinch a fracture that will support him retired of the lineup for astatine slightest six weeks.

With the waste and acquisition deadline conscionable 2 days away, it will beryllium absorbing to spot really galore moves Breslow is capable to make to further amended the team, moreover if he “loses” the trade. There is nary uncertainty that Red Sox Nation will beryllium watching closely.