John Henry Reveals Why Red Sox Hired Craig Breslow As Chief Baseball Officer
The Boston Red Sox officially named Craig Breslow the team’s newest chief baseball officer Wednesday evening, taking over following the departure of Chaim Bloom’s three-year run.
Breslow, who formerly pitched for the Red Sox during his 17-year playing career, returns to Boston with a tough task at hand. The organization has finished dead last in the American League East in three of its last four seasons with areas for improvement all across the board in order to get back to its winning ways.
And with that in mind, Red Sox owner John Henry firmly believes that Breslow is the man for the job.
“We feel strongly that Craig is the right person at the right time to lead our baseball department,” Henry said, per a team-provided press release. “Craig’s understanding of the game is remarkable. What convinced us to bring him aboard in this capacity was his highly strategic philosophy and his grasp of what it takes operationally in today’s evolving game to excel at the highest level in player acquisition, development, and execution at the major league level. We are excited to welcome him back.”
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Since last winning the World Series in 2018, the Red Sox have made just one following postseason appearance — in 2021. They’ve undergone struggles with health, role stability, and most notably, failing to compete up to par when facing fellow AL East teams throughout the season.
That’s uncharacteristic for a team that’s won four titles — the most of any team in the division — in the past two decades.
“Each year, one baseball club emerges with a championship,” Henry continued. “Our organizations continues to have significantly high standards and expectations with a goal of being able to compete annually for that coveted privilege.”
Breslow’s qualifications go beyond a playing career. The 43-year-old spent five seasons with the Chicago Cubs, first hired as their Director of Strategic Initiatives for Baseball Operations, then promoted to assistant general manager in 2020. He also helped win the World Series with Boston in 20213.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, look to follow up a 78-84 campaign in 2023 with a much-needed response moving forward.