2015 was pretty cool, actually. If we are coming around on a rebuild that you can actually see happening, I'll watch. If the kids suck and we are going nowhere, that's another story. tbd
Craig Breslow: Red Sox CBO
- Thread starter soxhop411
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Back in the good old days Theo would say that their guiding principle was to build a team that was expected to win 90-something-or-other games (92? 95? Can’t recall) this coming year. I preferred that simplicity.
Yeah outside of Ohtani or Yamamoto there isn't a lot to generate buzz I agree. I get why they weren't in on him (in terms of what we could offer and what our priorities are) but Soto would have been a fun addition. So I am hoping Breslow can put together a complete roster that can compete and win games.
Hopefully Mayer, Teel, and Anthony all turn into great players. But the odds of all three becoming those types of players are low I'd imagine. Plus after (REDACTED) was traded fans probably still don't trust that ownership won't jettison the next homegrown great players once they get expensive.
This could have gone in a few threads, but I figured this one was appropriate:
An interesting BBC article on FSG, Boston and Liverpool: Glory and fury - Liverpool, Boston and a tale of two teams
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/67546307
An interesting BBC article on FSG, Boston and Liverpool: Glory and fury - Liverpool, Boston and a tale of two teams
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/67546307
I wasn't sure quite where to post this. This seemed like the most appropriate spot.
I was a big Bloom guy. One of the few who thought the Mookie trade was a good idea (at least at the time). I like what he was doing, and I was looking forward to seeing his plan come to fruition. I was bummed to see him let go.
But looking back, especially after seeing what Breslow has done, has me thinking differently. His moves in isolation looked good, but Breslow seems to be moving more deliberately in a direction. He's trading away players or contracts that are in one way or the other kind of meh for young, cost controlled talent with a high ceiling, and a strong emphasis on pitching. I liked the Verdugo trade a lot, but it wasn't until after the Sale trade that I realized his MO. I immediately thought "who's next?" and the names that popped into my head were Kenley, Story, and Yoshida. I think Yoshida sticks around because we'd be selling kinda low on him but we all know that rumors are swirling around Kenley. I don't think Story is on the block, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was our next surprise (heh heh), and his days are probably numbered with the kids coming up (unless he really starts hitting the ball again). Although I just checked his trade value and it was like negative a million...
Long story short, I like what the new guy is doing. And just out of curiosity, is there anyone out there who doesn't?
I was a big Bloom guy. One of the few who thought the Mookie trade was a good idea (at least at the time). I like what he was doing, and I was looking forward to seeing his plan come to fruition. I was bummed to see him let go.
But looking back, especially after seeing what Breslow has done, has me thinking differently. His moves in isolation looked good, but Breslow seems to be moving more deliberately in a direction. He's trading away players or contracts that are in one way or the other kind of meh for young, cost controlled talent with a high ceiling, and a strong emphasis on pitching. I liked the Verdugo trade a lot, but it wasn't until after the Sale trade that I realized his MO. I immediately thought "who's next?" and the names that popped into my head were Kenley, Story, and Yoshida. I think Yoshida sticks around because we'd be selling kinda low on him but we all know that rumors are swirling around Kenley. I don't think Story is on the block, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was our next surprise (heh heh), and his days are probably numbered with the kids coming up (unless he really starts hitting the ball again). Although I just checked his trade value and it was like negative a million...
Long story short, I like what the new guy is doing. And just out of curiosity, is there anyone out there who doesn't?
View: https://twitter.com/alexspeier/status/1744896553649594382?s=46&t=Tl7uNH0-pxEyJtNj1BktDA
Breslow promotes Paul Toboni, previously VP of amateur scouting, to senior vice president and assistant GM.
He's now on par with fellow assistant GMs Eddie Romero, Raquel Ferreira and Mike Groopman.
Breslow promotes Paul Toboni, previously VP of amateur scouting, to senior vice president and assistant GM.
He's now on par with fellow assistant GMs Eddie Romero, Raquel Ferreira and Mike Groopman.
You know what just doesn’t pass the smell test? Cora having any influence on front office decisions.
He has one year left, he is most likely gone, NONE of the recent moves scream of a manager wanting to produce now. It makes no sense.
I
It was an example of the questions in the minds of many in the industry last fall which likely affected who actually interviewed for the top job here. Cora had made some statements in Sept/Oct that got people's attention MLB-wide. Short leash on recent GMs and scope of authority are legitimate concerns. In the end, I'm excited about Breslow at the helm.
Interesting, I wonder which teams have been leading in that area.
Lots of good stuff in that article. I really appreciate how open Bailey and Breslow seem to be to talking baseball and process. The previous pitching coaches seem pretty anonymous by comparison.
Lots of good stuff in that article. I really appreciate how open Bailey and Breslow seem to be to talking baseball and process. The previous pitching coaches seem pretty anonymous by comparison.
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I agree this is encouraging. I appreciated this additional quote:
“I don’t think there have been enough clearly defined goals,” he said. “I think we’ve been slow to appreciate that spring training means something different for every player. There are players who are there to (just) prepare for the season and they know what that looks like; there are players there to get experience in spring training and get exposure to the major league staff; and there are players in-between who are there to compete for roster spots.
“But every players serves to get better in spring training, and for so long, it’s been, ‘Oh, we’re going to work on defense.’ Or ‘What are you looking to get better at?’ ‘Pitching’ Or “Hitting.’ Well, that’s not good enough. We have technology, we have data that allows us to pinpoint precisely how we need to get better on defense or how we can get better as a pitcher or as a hitter.
“So creating really well-defined goals and development plans around every player and ensuring that we’ve got our hitting, pitching, baserunning and defense coaches aligned with those plans, but also our medical staff, our strength and conditioning staff, our analytics staff, all speaking the same language so that we can ensure that every contribution is additive and not either diluting or worse yet, confusing.”
That’s both completely awesome and a pretty stinging critique of the prior regime. Wonder how he views Blooms work there.
Would also be curious how Cora + the front office holdovers who have been here for a long time feel about it.
Yes and no, is my guess. There hasn't been any time since Breslow came on board to deal with a Cora extension, has there? Like if you're a new GM you need time to decide what you think about the manager -- though Breslow probably knew a fair amount about him beforehand -- and then decide? Seems like the subject of a Cora extension should be dealt with during spring training regardless, once the roster stuff is settled. Hell, they might even put it off til May or so.
That’s totally fair, but the types of observations he made seem even above the big league managers mandate, but perhaps I don’t understand the role properly. I’m referring to a system across all the levels and even into draft and IFA.