Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Red Sox CBO addresses offseason woes ahead of spring training

By Lauren Higgins | Last updated 2/13/24

After the hiring of CBO Craig Breslow, many Boston Red Sox fans had hope that the team would make a turnaround after three last-place AL East finishes over four years. But with Opening Day less than two months away, that hope is slowly dwindling.

Breslow addressed the media Tuesday afternoon and admitted that the offseason has not gone according to plan.

"We can appreciate that things haven't come together in maybe a way that I anticipated," Breslow told reporters. "But, nonetheless it's not going to stop us from trying to pursue that vision of building this standard of quality and consistency I have spoken about."

Breslow says it’s “really, really difficult to say” how close the Red Sox are to having their Opening Day roster. He says the team remains engaged in free agency and trade markets.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) February 13, 2024

Since taking over, Breslow has made a handful of moves. The team has gained a second baseman in Vaughn Grissom and some bullpen depth, but the roster arguably has not improved since last year after losing a good amount of players to free agency and trades.

"We're comfortable with the group," Breslow said. "I think Tyler O'Neill adds a really valuable dynamic. We also have some young guys that we expect to take a step forward, but we're also going to continue to look, and if the opportunity presents itself, we'll certainly be willing to engage."

Breslow refused to comment on the possibility of adding free agents Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell to aid their weak starting rotation.

"There's some really talented players still available in the free-agent market," Breslow said. "So we need to be responsible and sensible."

I feel like Craig Breslow is answering the questions but he’s also not answering anything, just weird.
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) February 13, 2024

Fans are concerned about the playoff potential of the current roster, but Breslow believes you can't make that prediction right now.

"It's kind of foolish to make predictions like that," Breslow said. "I think this is going to be a very competitive team. I think it's going to be a team that is going to see its players take a meaningful full step forward, and I think there's a really exciting young core of players that we are really, really excited about, and I think that fans are going to fall in love with."

It looks as though the Red Sox won't go anywhere until ownership realizes they need to open their wallets in order to build a contending team.

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