Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow was frustrated that he wasn’t able to do more at the trade deadline.
The Red Sox are battling for a playoff spot, but had a lackluster trade deadline as Boston didn’t get any big names. The Red Sox fell short in adding an impact starter, which was a need, and Breslow admits he understands the frustration from fans.
“I understand the frustration and the disappointment. There’s not a lot of sympathy for how hard we tried to get deals across the line. I understand that,” Breslow told reporters in a conference call. “We believe that we have a really young, exciting, talented team and one that is capable of continuing to perform at this level and get to the postseason. That’s what our focus is on.”
Breslow claims he and the front office put in a ton of aggressive offers, but those deals couldn’t get over the finish line.
“If fans were in the office during this deadline, they would see that guys we didn’t expect to be willing to talk about going into these conversations, we made available,” Breslow added. “We tried to put the most aggressive offers we could in hopes they were going to end in deals.”
The Red Sox were ‘uncomfortably aggressive’ in talks for potential blockbuster deals, according to Breslow, but that still wasn’t enough to get it over the finish line.
Ultimately, the Red Sox added back-end starter Dustin May from the Los Angeles Dodgers and swingman Steven Matz. The moves made Boston better, but didn’t push them over the top as many fans had wanted.
Breslow Happy With Additions for Red Sox
Although Breslow didn’t land any big-name players, he is still happy with what he acquired.
May will add to the Red Sox rotation and be a back-end starter, while Matz will likely go to the bullpen.
“I’m happy with the guys we brought in. But we also pursued real impact players we felt could improve our team in 2025 and beyond. We were uncomfortably aggressive in the players we were willing to put into deals. It wasn’t from a lack of effort,” Breslow said. “It wasn’t about an unwillingness to talk about our full system.”
Although Breslow is happy with the two additions, he says he tried hard to acquire another impact bat for the lineup. The Red Sox executive says no one was off limits, but still couldn’t pull off any moves.
“We went into this deadline feeling like in order to accomplish what we needed to accomplish — what we hope to accomplish … we couldn’t go into this with untouchables. And we didn’t,” he said. “We were willing to talk about all of our guys in the name of improving the team. It just didn’t work out.”
Boston is 59-51 and holding onto a Wild Card spot.
Red Sox Saw Other Teams Improve
Boston did see other teams they are chasing get better, most notably the New York Yankees.
The Yankees made some major changes to their bullpen, and they are just 1.5 games up on Boston. Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners who are chasing the Red Sox, added Eugenio Suarez to be an impact bat.
“We can’t ignore what other teams are doing,” Breslow said. “Ultimately, we’re all going to be defined by what happens from tomorrow through our last game of the season, and eventually the playoffs.”
The Texas Rangers, who are also chasing the Red Sox, made big moves to acquire the likes of Merrill Kelly, Phil Maton, and Danny Coulombe to bolster their pitching staff.
For now, the Red Sox will turn their attention back to the field.
Red Sox Executive Explains Lackluster Trade Deadline: ‘We Tried’