Hear that thud?
It’s the sound of the Boston Red Sox’s performance at the Winter Meetings…
Craig Breslow’s formal introduction to the baseball world at large during this week’s league gathering in Nashville was nothing short of a dud. The new Chief Baseball Officer in Boston is leaving Tennessee with next to nothing to show for his efforts.
“In a perfect world, we're walking out of here with starting pitching and we feel really good about that. We've tried to advance the ball as much as possible,” Breslow told reporters. “We're probably not alone in being a little bit disappointed on that front.”
No, Craig… you’re not alone. An entire region of Red Sox fans are shaking their heads and starting to worry that your tenure will be more like Chaim Bloom 2.0.
Meanwhile, rival clubs in the AL East were hitting home runs in Nashville…
The New York Yankees made the biggest move of the offseason by acquiring superstar outfielder Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres on Wednesday. That came after Breslow essentially gifted an everyday player in Alex Verdugo to the Yankees to form a star-studded outfield alongside Aaron Judge.
The Toronto Blue Jays appear to be closing in on landing baseball’s biggest prize this offseason — and of all time — in Shohei Ohtani. Can you imagine a Jays lineup anchored by Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.?
As for the Red Sox? They got Justin Slater, Greg Weissert, Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice.
Get the duck boats ready…
Am I being a little overdramatic here? Admittedly, yes. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell remain unsigned — as does even Ohtani. The offseason is far from over and I still expect the Red Sox to land a significant starting pitching addition, although I’m starting to think it’s more likely to come via trade than through free agency.
The image of Breslow throwing up his hands and saying “we tried” while walking away with nothing is exactly what this fanbase feared.
And here’s the problem with that line of thinking, Craig. While it’s true there will be a “domino effect” once Ohtani and Yamamoto sign, there was nothing precluding you from stepping up to the plate and swinging for the fences by making coveted free agents an offer they cannot refuse.
You’re the Boston Red Sox — at least, you used to be. You really want someone? Go get them.
It’s the teams that set the market, not the players. Instead of sitting on their hands and waiting for somebody else to start a chain reaction, Breslow and the Red Sox’s front office could have been trendsetters.
Instead, they punted.
Now, Breslow no doubt has his marching orders from John Henry’s ownership group. What they are, we won’t really know until the dust has settled on the offseason.
And who knows, maybe the Red Sox are dotting the i's and crossing the t's on a big contract or trade as we speak. I would love to be made to look like a fool here. It certainly wouldn't be the first time...
But that whole “full throttle” offseason thing to return to contender status, Tom Werner?
Time is running out — very, very quickly.