why and how Craig Breslow became a top candidate for Red Sox GM job

One of the more intriguing names thrown around since word of the Red Sox’s search for a new head of baseball operations started to circulate is Craig Breslow.

Following reports on Wednesday night from Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, Breslow is reportedly in advanced talks to join Boston’s front office.
Breslow is the assistant general manager and senior vice president of pitching for the Chicago Cubs, and he was a pitcher for the Red Sox before joining the team.

It remains to be seen if those talks will ultimately be fruitful, and it’s unclear if Breslow would take over as the No. 1 or No. 2 in the new baseball operations president’s hands.
In either case, Breslow, 43, seems to have a strong chance.

For those who feel like Breslow was pitching out of the Red Sox bullpen yesterday, that may come as a surprise, but the lefty has always been considered one of the smartest players in the game.
He became a rising star as soon as he made the transition to the front office, and it’s obvious that he has a bright future regardless of where he ends up—in Boston, Chicago, or elsewhere.

extreme praise.

Breslow was a left-handed reliever in the major leagues for 12 seasons, spending five of those seasons with the Red Sox.
He was born in 2005.
As a vital component of Boston’s World Series-winning team in 2013, he had his best season, pitching 61 times and recording a 1.81 ERA over 59.2 innings.

Theo Epstein approached Breslow to join the Cubs front office after he retired, and since then, he has been actively involved in the team’s endeavors to restructure its pitching development program.
Breslow’s efforts have yielded a wave of talented pitchers who are already making an impact in the majors, and where the Cubs previously struggled to develop homegrown arms, he was elevated to director of pitching and later to his current role as assistant general manager.

Examine the progress achieved by Jordan Wicks, a 2021 first-round selection, and Justin Steele, a contender for the Cy Young Award, this year.
Breslow’s credentials are clearly appealing to a team like Boston, which has had difficulty consistently producing elite pitching talent.

appropriate time and location.

During the search process, we have frequently heard that prospective candidates have said no to the Red Sox position because of family obligations.

The family factor may actually benefit Boston in Breslow’s case.

Breslow, who still resides close to Fenway Park and is originally from Connecticut, has strong ties to the region.
Despite the fact that many candidates have refused to move their families to Boston, Breslow’s circumstances make the position particularly appealing. The Yale graduate has worked remotely from his Newton home on numerous occasions since joining the Cubs front office.

Additionally, Breslow has probably a solid grasp of the organization’s workings and a history of dealing with the majority of the front office from his playing days. If Breslow is hired, his experience may enable him to get started right away and make the adjustments he believes will help the Red Sox reach their full potential.

Valued at risk?

However, Breslow lacks a great deal of experience in the front office compared to many other recently retired players who have made a smooth transition.
Breslow isn’t the Cubs’ best or even their number one decision-maker. 2 man, and thus far he has prospered in a relatively limited capacity with fewer duties associated with carrying out transactions, negotiating contracts, and overseeing a baseball operations department overall.

Even so, Breslow would take over a front office that was already well-established, with executive vice president of baseball operations Brian O’Halloran and assistant general managers Eddie Romero, Raquel Ferreira, and Michael Groopman to assist with it all.
As an alternative, the Red Sox might appoint Breslow to general manager, which would still be a significant advancement from his current position in Chicago, and promote Romero or another outside candidate to president of baseball operations.

It’s also not hard to find evidence that someone with Breslow’s experience can succeed in the big chair.

Chris Young, general manager of the Texas Rangers and a recent MLB pitcher who graduated from the Ivy League, was only 41 years old when he was hired in late 2020.
Now that Texas is back in the ALCS for the first time since 2011, it’s because of the aggressive way the Rangers have surrounded their homegrown core with elite outside talent under his direction.

Keep his finger on the clubhouse pulse: This is one area where Young has thrived and where former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom frequently took criticism. Red Sox players have been expressing frustration over the team’s lack of activity at the trade deadline for the past couple of summers, which could have played a part in the team’s second-half collapses.

Former player Young swung several major deals that kept the Rangers afloat, realizing that waiting for the team to heal would send the wrong message.
Breslow is perhaps more qualified than most to handle life as Boston’s baseball manager because he is familiar with these clubhouse dynamics and has already won a World Series here.

It will be interesting to watch whether the Red Sox ultimately give Breslow the ball because, if nothing else, he has already demonstrated enough to merit serious consideration.