Red Sox executive Craig Breslow states need for 'consistent, stabilizing voice' in explaining Alex Cora firing

1 month ago 9

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and team CEO Sam Kennedy met with reporters on Sunday morning in Baltimore following Saturday’s firing of manager Alex Cora and five coaches.

Kennedy said the decision was made to dismiss Cora and the coaches on Saturday morning, after which he and Breslow traveled to Baltimore to inform them of the change.

Breslow took responsibility for the Red Sox’s disappointing performance thus far with a 10-17 record and last-place standing in the American League East division, saying it falls upon him and acknowledged that he gave Cora “a challenging roster to manage,” particularly with the everyday lineup.

However, Breslow stated his belief in the players on the roster and hinted that Cora may have had difficulty communicating with a young team, praising new interim manager Chad Tracy for being a “consistent, stabilizing voice” for the players.

As manager of the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Worcester since 2022, Tracy worked with several of the young players now on Boston’s major-league roster including Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Marcelo Mayer and Brayan Bello.

“He’s familiar with meaningful relationships with the majority of our roster, given the young players that we do have,” Breslow said. “He’s demonstrated an ability to get the most out of that group.”

Kennedy called the Red Sox “a front office-led baseball operation,” indicating that Breslow drove the decision to fire Cora and the coaches. Breslow viewed making the change now as a “fresh start,” with 135 games remaining giving the team “almost a full season’s worth of run.”

Breslow said he will stay with the Red Sox to meet with players during the remainder of their road trip, which concludes Wednesday in Toronto. However, when he and Tracy met with the team on Sunday morning, there were no opportunities for players to ask questions.

“They made it very clear that we get paid to play baseball and we need to just focus on playing baseball,” pitcher Garrett Whitlock said, via the Boston Herald’s Tim Healey.

Red Sox have had mixed success during Breslow’s tenure

Breslow, 45, has been the Red Sox’s chief baseball officer since October 2023, when he replaced Chaim Bloom (now the St. Louis Cardinals’ president of baseball operations). Prior to joining the Boston front office, he spent five years with the Chicago Cubs, eventually becoming assistant general manager.

In his two seasons leading Boston’s baseball operations, the Red Sox have had two third-place finishes and made the postseason last year as a wild card with an 89-73 record.

His history with the Red Sox goes back to his MLB playing career, when he pitched for the team during two separate stints. In 2006, he compiled a 3.75 ERA in 13 appearances. He returned to the team in a 2012 trade and re-signed with Boston as a free agent in 2015. During his second tour with the Red Sox, Breslow’s best season was 2013, when he registered a 1.81 ERA in 61 games.

Kennedy has been with the Red Sox since 2002, first working in sales before becoming the team’s chief marketing officer, then chief operating officer. In 2016, he succeeded Larry Lucchino as team president and eventually became the franchise’s CEO a year later. Before he joined the Red Sox, Kennedy also worked with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres.

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