Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer, Craig Breslow, joins the show! What positions and specific players were the Red Sox targeting? Breslow: "I think we'll have a really strong bullpen." How did he think Paxton faired yesterday?
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00:00And the Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox, Craig Breslow, joins us this morning.
00:06Our guy Bradfoe, Craig, our guy Bradfoe reported that you only got a couple hours sleep heading
00:14into trade deadline day.
00:15Were you able to catch up and get eight hours last night?
00:21Not quite eight, but certainly more than the last few nights, and I don't think I'm alone
00:26there, but hopefully we'll be able to catch up on some sleep soon.
00:30Oh, good.
00:32We were talking before having you on this morning, and there were a lot of us who said
00:38that we wanted this team to be buyers and to do something, and you did, and you made
00:44some moves.
00:45I know Wiggy is a fan of the fact that you guys did some stuff, and when you take a look
00:52at a couple of these guys that you got bullpen-depth-wise, what was it about those deals that made you
01:02want to do them?
01:04Yeah, so I think we talked about over the last couple of weeks the bullpen being an
01:10opportunity for us to improve the team, especially when you look at both the performance but
01:15also how thin we got down there pretty quickly, and so coming into the deadline, that was
01:21a real target for us, and in Sims, we think we got a guy with real swing and miss, dominating
01:26breaking ball, and then in Luis Garcia, a guy who's been a really good setup man in
01:32this league for a really long time.
01:33He's been on a particularly good stretch over the last month or so, and I think that both
01:39guys can come in and help ease the workload in the back end, give Alex some more options,
01:44and when we look up and we get Martin back and Slayton back, and Liam hopefully is pitching
01:49here soon, combined with Kenley and the rest of the group, we think we'll have a really
01:52strong bullpen.
01:54What did you see from James Paxton last night?
01:57Yeah, I thought he threw the ball really well.
02:01Obviously not the cleanest game on the defensive side, but gave us very much a chance to win.
02:06I think we saw the ability to throw a swing and miss curveball, registered his thousandth
02:12career strikeout, somebody who's around the league long enough to get a thousand strikeouts
02:16doing something right.
02:17And I think the other thing is, given that our rotation was completely right-handed prior
02:21to that, it gives us a different look, and if we get that type of start, I think we're
02:25going to be pretty good down the stretch.
02:27Craig, when you look at the way everything shakes up during trade deadline, I think fans
02:32always go, it's about the sexy names and those superstar players that everybody looks at.
02:41How do you balance that act of trying to get guys that can help you today and for the
02:47future versus maybe looking at guys that might have a sexier name but might only be rental
02:52players?
02:53Yeah, it's a really hard balance in a perfect world.
02:58We're getting controllable players that can help us in 2024 and beyond.
03:03I think in some cases we were able to do that.
03:06Looking at the trade for Quinn Priester, we think he's a guy that's going to help us in
03:10the rotation for a number of years.
03:13At the same time, we've talked about how well this team had played in the first half.
03:18Today, I guess, we're two games out of a wildcard spot, but very much in the picture and needed
03:23to do something to help address some of our weaknesses right now, and if that meant getting
03:29a rental, then we had to do that.
03:31Fortunately, I think we had some minor league areas of depth from which we could deal and
03:37know that we were giving up good players but wouldn't potentially impact our future.
03:43I think we were able to strike that right balance, but you don't really know until the
03:48opportunities are in front of you.
03:49Craig, a name that a lot of people kept bringing up leading up to the trade deadline that they
03:53thought you were going to trade was Nick Pavetta due to his success in the beginning of this
03:58season.
03:59How happy are you that you were able to hold on to him and what went into that decision?
04:03Yeah, obviously really, really happy.
04:06We are a much better team with Nick Pavetta on it and pitching in our rotation.
04:10I think we saw that two nights ago.
04:13I think what we needed to do was anchor ourselves to what was best for the organization.
04:18If there was a team that thought Nick and the return got to a level where it was going
04:27to be a benefit to the organization in the short term, in the longer term, and something
04:32that we simply couldn't walk past, then we would need to do that.
04:35But I think we set an appropriately high bar given how important he is, and we're certainly
04:41happier to hold on to him because he's on our team right now.
04:43He's going to help us win over the next two months.
04:45I'm sure in all of these cases it's about the overall value of the player, but in the
04:52case of Jansen, was that about potentially adding a right-handed bat?
05:00Yeah, so we did not go into this deadline activity thinking, hey, we should be actively
05:07looking to upgrade at catcher.
05:10We felt like another right-handed bat was something that the offense could use.
05:14It just happened to come at catcher.
05:18In looking for the right guys to bring in, you also try to look at not just fits for
05:23your team, but fits for your park and complementary skill sets to what you have.
05:28Danny hits the ball really hard, he hits the ball in the air, and he pulls it, and that's
05:31a really good recipe for success at Fenway Park.
05:35Craig, what role, if any, did Alex Cora have at the deadline?
05:42He was a great thought partner, somebody who I would pop down and ask how he saw things,
05:49how if we were able to get certain guys, how they might be used, wanted to make sure that
05:55we're on the same page, if we're going to go out and do what we can to improve the team,
05:59I want to make sure that Alex thinks that those are areas of need.
06:04We had conversations probably every few hours, but I think one thing that Alex deserves a
06:11ton of credit for over the last two or three weeks is keeping the staff and keeping the
06:16players focused on their jobs, which is trying to win games on the field, and allowing the
06:20front office to do our jobs, which is trying to find the players who can impact the team.
06:25You know, I think it was a really good partnership over the last two weeks.
06:28How much of the negotiation with Alex regarding the contract that he signed involved his involvement
06:35in voice being heard when it came to the construction of the roster?
06:42I mean, that was not explicitly a leverage point in the negotiations.
06:48I think if anyone in my seat believes that they have the right manager in place,
06:55then they invite that conversation, right?
06:57So Alex is in the trenches with the players every single day.
07:03He sees things and picks up on things that we can't, you know, operating from the office.
07:09And so when we talk about how we think certain pieces might complement the roster or how we
07:14envision playing time could be allocated, and he talks through some of the concerns
07:19or whether or not he feels like it makes sense.
07:21Those are great conversations.
07:22And, you know, I don't think that they were explicitly part of negotiating an extension.
07:28I think those are conversations that have been ongoing since from training.
07:31When you look at the moves that you made in light of the division specifically,
07:36Yankees got better as well.
07:40Were you in on a player like Chisholm, for instance?
07:45You know, without speaking kind of specifically about particular players, I do feel like one of
07:51the strengths of this team is the versatility, especially, you know, left-handed depth.
07:58And so, you know, there are certain targets that wouldn't necessarily make a ton of sense for us.
08:05But, you know, at the same time, like, you're right, you know, everyone who has a chance of
08:09making it to the postseason tries to improve the team.
08:14And, you know, as it relates to the Boston Red Sox, we did that as well.
08:19Take us behind the curtain a little bit or behind the scenes.
08:22What's the most difficult part that you have to deal with,
08:25especially when it comes to the trade deadline?
08:30Yeah, I think, you know, it's trying to balance the opportunities you have to bring good players
08:36into the organization with knowing that you are trading guys away that, you know, often in
08:43the buy scenarios are young prospects.
08:47And for as much as we do know about prospects, especially our own prospects,
08:51there's still a ton of uncertainty.
08:53And, you know, you always think a little bit about what happens when you look up in three
08:57years or five years and the guy that you traded away, you know, for someone to help the team over
09:02two months is a star.
09:03But that's kind of the price that you have to pay to play.
09:08You know, the more transactions you make, the more trades that you make,
09:11the more likely it is that you're going to give up really good players.
09:13And that's OK.
09:15We went into this saying our major league team deserved a chance to get better, to get stronger.
09:20And that means we have to give up good players to do that.
09:23Were there anybody that you had calls on that are just totally
09:28off the board in terms of immovable prospects that you have on in your reform system?
09:34I think we probably stop a sliver short of saying someone is completely immovable.
09:41You know, I think what we try to do is balance the impact that some of our
09:47premium prospects who are very close to reaching the big leagues would provide to us versus what
09:52they could potentially bring back.
09:54And nothing just nothing came close to meeting the level of that making sense.
09:59And that's a good thing, because I think we're going to see some homegrown talent
10:02impacting our our major league team in the near term.
10:07How involved when it comes to these decisions trade deadline wise?
10:12How involved is John Henry?
10:14Does he sign off on it or is that something that he lets you do yourself?
10:21Yeah, no, I think John is very, very supportive.
10:25He's very in tune with, you know, with the players across the league,
10:30with our prospects, with the needs of our major league team.
10:34And I very much keep him up to date on the conversations that we're having.
10:39If he has thoughts, he'll share them.
10:40But I think I've come to appreciate that I was hired to be the
10:47chief baseball decision maker, and he allows me to do that.
10:50OK, Craig, I don't like to talk about people coming back from injury ahead of the trade
10:54deadline because we've had to do that in years past as that being the acquisition.
10:59But Tristan made his rehab start yesterday.
11:02How's he feeling?
11:03And when do you see him getting back to Fenway?
11:08Yeah, I think a huge, huge milestone for us yesterday, getting Tristan back into games.
11:15And I haven't had a chance to catch up with him this morning.
11:17I think understanding how he feels the day after
11:20his first game is going to be really important.
11:22But, you know, from the medical side, I think we are
11:26pretty comfortable with where he is in terms of overall health.
11:30So at some point here soon, this is going to become a baseball decision and figuring out
11:34when he feels like he's ready to contribute at the big league level.
11:37Obviously, the sooner the better.
11:39It's a pretty significant bat that we've added to the lineup, but also wouldn't want to ignore
11:45what Dom has done over the last month or so and how he's really stepped up.
11:51All right, Craig, thanks for taking the time.
11:52We will talk to you again soon.
11:54Sounds good.
11:55Thanks.
11:55All right.
11:56There is Craig Breslow, chief baseball officer of the Boston Red Sox.
11:59Got a crazy, juicy nugget.
12:01What?
12:02You got a nugget?
12:02I got a nugget there.
12:04The fact that I you asked the question, very good question about John Henry's involvement
12:11and was like, John lets me do what it is I want to do.
12:17And that's what he brought me here for, because he kept saying, I think John means
12:23like he's making decisions without having to really ask John.
12:28That's what I got from what somebody says.
12:30I think.
12:30Does that mean John Henry's attention is focused elsewhere?
12:33No, it means that he's saying, hey, I'm hiring baseball people to do baseball things.
12:37So do you want a meddling owner or do you want an owner who allows?
12:41I want an owner that spends money.
12:43And John Henry gives him a budget and says, do the best you can.
12:47I don't know if he does that.
12:49He says, let's him do what he allows me to do.
12:51Oh, so you think that he could have acquired any kind of money at the deadline without
12:55John Henry's approval?
12:56I think he would have been.
12:57I think he could have acquired a guy that he felt like would be a good acquisition to this
13:02team.
13:02And if that costs money, John Henry would be okay.
13:05Just say he'd be no problem.
13:06Just spend away.
13:07If the guys work, I don't know what you want.
13:11You don't want to meddle.
13:12What do you have to hide it under another budget item?
13:16About this for no reason.
13:18I'm not being bad.
13:19Of course, there's a big chasm between meddling owner and owner that spends.
13:23I know when here's what I've learned to do is when you hear what people say, they use
13:29specific words.
13:30When he says, I think John Henry, that means he doesn't know he he's he's allowed to do
13:37what it is.
13:38And John Henry's not breathing down the back of his neck, right?
13:40As long as you keep it within a certain budget, like our dinner at that place and down in
13:45the Cape, then we're okay.
13:46But if it goes over, then Ken's mad.
13:48No, no.
13:48Because you would know you would know, hey, here's what I have to spend because the owner
13:54is telling me, okay, and saying, I can't go over this budget.
13:56So, right.
13:57So we'll bring in a couple of relief pitchers.
13:58When you drop the word thinking there, that tells me that John's like, go ahead, do what
14:03you got to do.
14:04I'm going to step back and just, hey, run stuff by me when you, you know, when you feel
14:09like it needs to be.
14:10Curtis, is it not amazing?
14:11Sometimes the price at which someone can be bought, it is not in this case.
14:16It was just a bag of merch spring training.
14:19It was about how you, it was just a simple bag of merch economy, right?
14:25It's really about Greg and I were walking on a Fenway at like 1am the other night.
14:30And we were saying, man, I would love one of those sweatshirts.
14:32We could be bought and paid more.
14:34Just like this economy.
14:35I bought this one.
14:36It's really about what, when people speak and you listen to the little subliminal words
14:43that they drop, that tells you what they're really on the record here.
14:47So you think Craig Breslow has a blank check with which do you operate from?
14:52I'm basing it off.
14:53I'm just asking you a question.
14:55Yes.
14:55Okay.
14:56There we go.
14:56I think the evidence would suggest otherwise.
14:59What's the evidence?
15:00The roster, the amount of money they're spending on the roster.
15:03They were in on Yamamoto.
15:07So they were willing to pay him the money, right?
15:10And Greg was in on Blake Lively.
15:16Well, that we know, we know that from the baseball people.
15:18All right.
15:21Well, they made moves at least.