At the outset of the MLB offseason when Craig Breslow was hired as the Boston Red Sox' new Chief Baseball Officer, Sox Chairman Tom Werner insisted that the organization would be going "full throttle" to build a competitive winner again.
As the offseason dragged on and the Sox did nothing to prove that statement, it was evident that the "full throttle" comment was a lie, or at least a gross misrepresentation of plans. On Monday, Sox CEO Sam Kennedy confirmed it, saying that Breslow is operating within parameters set by the organization.
Per Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald:
Regarding payroll, Sam Kennedy says they have “set parameters” and Craig Breslow is operating under those parameters.
Again, as the team traded away Chris Sale and didn't engage on Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, this was painfully obvious. They were also outbid for Teoscar Hernandez and Jorge Soler - even at modest prices. In fact, the only "splash" the Red Sox have made in free agency is signing Lucas Giolito as a bounceback candidate.
Kennedy's revelation continues to be in direct contrast to what we were all led to believe, and even what Breslow himself was perhaps led to believe. Speaking at his introductory press conference, Breslow said that he didn't believe that finances would be an issue for him. He also said he was convinced that ownership was committed to building the winner they spoke of:
"One thing that became clear through this process was the unwavering commitment to winning from ownership. I think the responsible, the prudent path of a front-office operation is to search all quarters for those opportunities, to overturn every stone and unearth every option. There are multiple pathways to building sustainable winners, and we need to be willing to run down all of those.”
The Red Sox have finished last in each of the last two seasons, and appear destined for a similar fate this year.
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