Less than a month ago, the Boston Red Sox were the worst team in the American League. An embarrassing series loss to the Colorado Rockies was rock bottom, and any talk of a potential turnaround was laughable.
But through it all, Craig Breslow preached patience. Even while his seat was scorching and his optimism was openly mocked, he stayed consistent.
After losing two of three to the lowly Rockies, Breslow faced the music during his weekly appearance on WEEI’s Greg Hill Show. He remained hopeful despite his club being dead last in the AL East and five games back of the third Wild Card spot with a 33-46 record.
“We have to win a lot of baseball games and we don’t have a ton of time to do it,” Breslow said during the June 26 interview. “I believe that we’re capable of doing it. It’s going to require more consistent play on the field. But I see no reason that with the pitching that we have and the consistency of the starting pitching, with the strength of the backend of the bullpen, we can’t get ourselves in a position where we do win these games.”
Hill, matching the energy of a live audience that loudly booed Breslow, scoffed at the chief baseball officer’s positivity.
“I feel like I’m more likely to go on a run than this team is,” he quipped, drawing laughs from the crowd.
Hill made another snarky comment after Breslow said the front office is “constantly assessing where we are relative to the rest of the league” to determine its trade deadline approach.
“Well, where you are with regard to the rest of the league unfortunately is last, so…” Hill replied.
Well, Hill wasn’t wrong, but Breslow has gotten the last laugh.
Since that interview, the Red Sox are 13-2. They pulled off a four-game sweep of the New York Yankees before crashing back to earth with a series loss to the Washington Nationals. From there, they went 9-0 on their road trip, with sweeps of the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox, and New York Mets.
As Breslow predicted, pitching has powered Boston’s recent surge. The starting rotation allowed only nine earned runs during the 9-0 road trip, and the bullpen gave up just five.
Take a closer look, and you’ll notice that it’s the “Breslow Guys” who have led the way. Sonny Gray belongs in the All-Star Game with a rotation-leading 2.54 ERA across 17 starts. Ranger Suarez has a 3.15 ERA in 17 starts. Rookie Jake Bennett has been a revelation with a 2.64 ERA in eight starts, and Aroldis Chapman was named to the All-Star squad amid another remarkable season as Boston’s closer.
The same can be said of Breslow’s offensive acquisitions. Willson Contreras made the All-Star team as one of the best hitters in all of baseball. Caleb Durbin has been among the best hitters in the AL since June 1. Anthony Seigler, who arrived with Durbin via Milwaukee in the offseason, has provided a tremendous spark since joining the lineup on June 20.
As a result, the Red Sox have miraculously entered the All-Star break just a half-game back of a playoff spot at 46-48. Breslow’s seat is considerably cooler as he weighs his trade deadline options, and with the American League wide open, a fire sale suddenly seems off the table.
Gray, Chapman, and Contreras have been considered the club’s top trade candidates. Before the hot streak, we argued in favor of capitalizing on Gray and Chapman’s sky-high values but holding on to Contreras.
Now, it feels like all three will be key to maintaining momentum and clinching a postseason spot. If Breslow was hesitant to sell before the 13-2 stretch, it’s hard to believe he’ll do it before the Aug. 3 deadline unless the team struggles mightily out of the break, or he’s overwhelmed by an offer he’d be foolish to refuse.
It’s a spot that virtually no one except Breslow expected the club to be in at this time last month, and if you’re still skeptical of Breslow going forward, that’s more than understandable. His two trade deadlines as Boston’s front-office leader won’t inspire any confidence that he’ll push the right buttons this time around.
Even so, the primary criticism of Breslow hasn’t been his roster moves. Rather, it’s been his poor communication skills that have contributed to the organization reeking of dysfunction throughout the first half. It’s been a clear issue, and it still feels as though a playoff berth is a must if he hopes to keep his job for at least another season.
For now, though, Breslow deserves praise for staying patient and sticking to his guns. And although his “run prevention” roster-building strategy was scrutinized amid the offense’s struggles, it has finally paid dividends, getting the club back into playoff contention and putting it in a position to buy before what should be a fascinating deadline.
When the Red Sox return to action, their win streak will be tested out of the gate with a four-game set against the first-place Tampa Bay Rays. They’ll also face the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, Athletics, and Los Angeles Dodgers before Aug. 3.
