The Red Sox have a new leader in their baseball operations department, but the familiar question remains: Will Boston buy or sell before the MLB trade deadline?
Teams still have time to plan their strategies, with the deadline set for July 30. Many clubs might attempt to both buy and sell, aiming to improve in the short term without sacrificing future prospects.
The Red Sox’s approach will be particularly scrutinized. As a historic, big-market team with a new front-office head, their recent strong performance is raising expectations for 2024.
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“It’s difficult and one thing that I’ve pointed to is it’s extraordinarily difficult to try to accomplish both,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey in Toronto, referring to balancing short-term additions with long-term building. “So there are meaningful games to play between now and the deadline. Every time we set foot on the field, we’ll learn something new. I think what we have to be careful of is trying to straddle the line. But I think the most important thing to come out of our play last week is that there’s a really exciting group of players that are taking the field every night. So I think we can all see the reasons for optimism. Exactly how that materializes over the next five weeks or so, six weeks, remains to be seen. But I think, irrespective of that, it’s an exciting time to be in this organization. I think it’s an exciting time to be a fan of the organization. And we’re going to learn more and be realistic and also be decisive.”
The Red Sox have a 40-35 record and have won five in a row, including a sweep of the Blue Jays. They held their own against the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees, the best teams in the National League and American League. An AL wild-card spot is within reach, enticing after two last-place finishes.
Former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom faced similar decisions in recent seasons. Now, it’s Breslow’s turn to navigate these challenges, aware of the competing variables and relying on the players to make a strong case for investing in this year’s team.
“I don’t know that it makes sense to say anything is off the table or anything is off-limits,” Breslow told McCaffrey about potential moves. “If we have an opportunity potentially to improve the organization in the short term, in the long term, like we always have to be able to have those conversations. I’ve been on the other side of this. Like I’ve been in the clubhouse and the job of the 26 guys on the team and the coaching staff is to make it as hard as possible to do anything other than add to this team. I respect the heck out of that. And my decision is to try to balance all of the competing interests and do what I believe is best for the organization.”
Expectations for the Red Sox were modest this season, but their performance is changing the narrative. It remains to be seen how this will influence Breslow’s decisions in the coming weeks.
