Craig Breslow has, by and large, done a solid job putting together a team at the major league level since he took over as General Manager of the Boston Red Sox. He has identified high level talent to fill in spots on the roster, including Alex Bregman and Garrett Crochet this off-season. Other players have shown growth and improvements under his front offices leadership and development, including Jarren Duran, Tanner Houck, Wilyer Abreu, and Kristian Campbell.
Perhaps most impressive so far has been Breslow’s ability to improve the state of the Red Sox farm system. Previous General Manager Chaim Bloom did a good job bringing in talented prospects, but Breslow has not only continued strong scouting but also improved development, especially on the pitching side. A team that has not been known for developing pitching in over a decade suddenly has three pitchers in the Top 100 prospect rankings (Luis Perales, Brandon Clarke, and Payton Tolle), with several others on the cusp.
Many of these improvements are being overshadowed right now by recent controversy, specifically around star former third-baseman-turned-DH, Rafael Devers. The season started rocky when Devers and the team had some disagreement around him moving off of 3B to DH. With first baseman Triston Casas hurt for the season, the controversy has resurfaced again, with Devers sharing his frustration at being asked to try out 1B. Do these situations reflect on Breslow as a GM?
There is plenty of blame to go around for the tension that appears to be building up between Rafael Devers and the front office. It is also worth noting that some of the tension is spurred on and overblown by the Boston media as well, which does not help matters. Nevertheless, it appears that Craig Breslow has at least in part mismanaged the personalities in the clubhouse.
First off, both positions on the argument have their validity. Rafael Devers has a right to feel frustrated. He went through the spring training situation that ultimately moved him off of defense and into a full-time DH role. That was an adjustment for him as a player, and not even one month into the season, the team is asking him to adjust again to a position he has never played before. To do so in season is even more of a challenge when every game matters.
On the flip side, Craig Breslow has every right to ask Devers to fill in. The fact is, the circumstances are extenuating. Triston Casas is out for the season, and there are not many internal options left, especially with Romy Gonzalez also going down with an injury as well. An outside addition could be possible, but would require moving pieces that the front office may not what to overspend with right now. Thus, searching for an internal option makes sense.
Both parties have also made some mistakes. Devers can be more of a team player and recognize the situation the team is in, and be willing to help as much as he can. Even if he does not want to play the position, the comments he made to the media draw unnecessary negative attention to the team. He could have offered a much more measured response, or simply said that it is between himself and the team. The way he went about it can hurt team cohesion, and veteran players have said as much.
The topic of this article, though, is Craig Breslow, and it is he who has made the most mistakes here. At the end of the day, a general manager’s job is not just to assemble a team, but also to nurture the personalities within it. One could argue that Breslow should have had better depth to begin with, and that is fair. Even without that, though, he needs to be more aware of how to manage people.
Players are not emotionless robots. They are human beings who have different personalities and different needs. While yes, it is Craig Breslow’s job to assemble the team, he needs to do so with the human behind the player in mind. Knowing how Devers reacted to his first move, anyone with a pulse could have predicted his reaction here. Especially if it is true that he was promised he would be purely a DH.
If Breslow was going to suggest this, he needed to do so with far more tact, and also should have made it clear during the original move to DH that there could be a future time they need him in a different role. This does not mean that he has lost the clubhouse, but it also does not foster a feeling of loyalty either. Teams succeed when the play on the field is in sync with the front office off of it. Breslow needs to work to establish that level of synchronicity between him and the team if he wants to have their trust and rapport.
Craig Breslow has done a fantastic job building the team up on paper in his limited time as the Red Sox general manager. The results have not been there yet on the field, though, indicating there is still work to do. Most players still appear to support him and have his back, but when one of the team’s superstars is publicly voicing grievances, it makes it hard for the group to work in harmony. Boston expects championships, and Breslow needs to deliver not just a championship roster but culture as well.
I like what Breslow has accomplished thus far, but I fear he has limited people management skills. If that is the case, he needs to learn on the fly. A GM does not need to be the most charismatic or personable person in the organization, but he needs to be supportive, trustworthy, and establish a positive culture. He has not broken any of those expectations yet, but he also has not established them. Hopefully, he will have the opportunity to do so soon.
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