The MLB trade deadlines are less than a month away, and the Red Sox are slipping. A once-promising 2025 season start now stands at a fourth-place AL West spot, with a 42-44 record, including a recent defeat by the Blue Jays. In these circumstances, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has commented on restructuring the roster—and it’s food for thought.
Although this is only Breslow’s second season as Chief Baseball Officer, he has experienced his fair share of turbulence. He has earned a ton of negative press based on decisions made since he arrived, most notably the controversial Rafael Devers trade. The fandom has resorted to calling him names, such as the term ‘stiff,’ and deep-rooted issues in the front office have fueled skepticism over whether Breslow’s vision will really lead the Red Sox any closer to success.
Breslow himself seems confident in the franchise’s future, stating: “[…] Fortunately, there’s a lot of games left between now and the deadline. But we came into this season with a very aggressive mindset, and we believe that we’re putting together a team that’s capable of making the postseason. We still believe that’s the case.” It’s an optimistic stance, especially considering the storm of criticism surrounding his midseason roster reshuffling decisions, the team’s subsequent skid. But Breslow is doubling down.
“Our heads right now are trying to figure out how we can improve this team and how we add in places to bolster the roster so that we can make that deep playoff run that we had anticipated.”
Craig Breslow on the 2025 MLB trade deadline. pic.twitter.com/CROvUzn1s0
— NESN (@NESN) July 1, 2025
He comments further: “Our heads right now are trying to figure out how we can improve this team, and how we add in places to bolster the roster so that we can make that deep playoff run that we had anticipated.” Speaking of the roster, Breslow may just be in his second season as Chief, but his “aggressive” overhaul for the Red Sox has created significant internal (and external) tension.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan stated that he has made large front office cuts. Approximately 50 jobs have been eliminated, particularly from the scouting department, with disproportionate reliance on analytics. One source was especially blunt, stating: “There are definitely turncoats who are internally conspiring against Bres.” Besides roster and clubhouse woes, rumors of John Henry taking any opportunity to avoid paying the market rate are afoot.
Red Sox’s lineup lacks power after Rafael Devers’ exit
So no, it’s not looking good for Boston. But how did it get here? In a nutshell, the recent trades. Devers, in particular, was recently traded to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, and two other prospects. Since that deal, the Red Sox have gone 4-8, including a disastrous 3-6 West Coast road trip. A strong offense has collapsed in the hitter’s absence: in the last 10 games following the trade, Boston has just 2.8 runs per game with a .182 batting average, compared to 4.8 runs and .253 AVG prior to the trade.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently labeled Boston’s decision to trade Devers as the “biggest failure of the 2025 MLB season,” and it’s hard to argue otherwise. Trading away a 27-year-old franchise cornerstone, especially one on a team-friendly 10-year, $313.5 million contract, was not the smartest move.
According to the fans, Devers himself may not have helped resolve the conflict in ideas during his final months, but Breslow’s communication failures and overall management were the nail in the coffin. And the trade returns aren’t great—some fans are cautiously optimistic about James Tibbs III, but the rest, including Harrison, now an inconsistent starter, Jordan Hicks, a reliever in place of, and Jose Bello, a low-minors prospect, are simply not up to the mark. Even if, say, Masataka Yoshida is healthy enough to be reintegrated into the lineup after the All-Star break, the offense desperately needs a dependable power threat. It all comes down to decisions.
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