Red Sox Receive Major Backing From Craig Breslow Amid Struggles

The Boston Red Sox aren't going to be selling off pieces just yet.

Mar 12, 2022; Mesa, AZ, USA; Boston Red Sox executive Craig Breslow arrives during a spring training workout at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

While the standings may tell one story, the Boston Red Sox are thinking in a different way.

If you look at the American League standings right now, it doesn't tell a pretty story about the Red Sox. Boston is 10 games below .500 at 27-37. Boston has the fourth-worst record in the American League right now, ahead of just the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Angels. Boston is now 4 1/2 games out of an American League Wild Card spot after losing against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night, 3-1.

If you just looked at the standings, it would be safe to assume that the club is trending towards being sellers ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline in August. But the Red Sox aren't ready to make that call. In fact, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey that he's not viewing this roster as a group that has to "prove" anything to get reinforcements. Instead, he still has a lot of confidence in the group.

The Red Sox Aren't Ready To Wave The White Flag

Dec 9, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow speaks with the media at the Hilton Anatole during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

“I don’t think it’s a ‘prove’ type thing,” Breslow said to McCaffrey. “I have a lot of confidence in the players that we have. I’ve seen the way that they’ve grown together, that they’ve taken to the work. They’re committed to doing everything they can to turn this around in the same way that we are.”

Confidence is positive, but soon enough, it will have to turn results to warrant staying the course. This isn't to say Boston should sell right now and give up on the 2026 season. In a perfect world, Boston will turn this ship around. But it's also important to be realistic. Right now, Boston is 10 games below .500 with 98 games to go. Over the next 98 games, Boston needs to play 10 games above .500 just to break even. That's possible, of course, but if the club doesn't start trending in the right direction soon, then the clock is going to start ticking.

Arguably, Boston should be better than it has been. Even without Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet, this team is much more talented than you'd expect for a team that is 10 games under .500. But when you have a handful of guys batting around .200, that's just not going to cut it. Carlos Narváez is batting .209, Caleb Durbin is batting .190, Jarren Duran is batting .208, and Marcelo Mayer is batting .222. Boston needs more.