Big Swing? Red Sox’s Craig Breslow Clear On Approach To Trades

If the Red Sox hope to find their way back into contention, they’re going to have to get busy in chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s first offseason running the organization.

That’s easier said than done, but Boston certainly has the pieces to make a few splash moves.

In looking at ways for the Red Sox to improve their roster, it’s fairly clear the open market is a bit of a one-trick pony this offseason. There’s a wealth of pitching talent that will be available, which is great considering that’s Boston’s biggest need. There isn’t a ton of elite position-player talent in the free agency pool, however. We’ve seen that when looking at possible targets.

In upgrading the lineup, the Red Sox could pivot toward the trade market, as a number of big-name players reportedly are on the table. There’s no certainty Boston has any interest in pursuing trades for those players, but Breslow has already discussed how he’d approach parting ways with some of the organization’s young talent.

“I don’t have the emotional attachment of having been part of the decision to draft the guys or to acquire them,” Breslow said at Major League Baseball’s general managers meetings Tuesday, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. “With that, though, comes the possibility that I’m not seeing the total picture, though. The further away these guys are from the big leagues, the harder it is to project future performance. So that’s why we’ll lean into others who do know these players far more intimately than I do.”

It’s an unusual situation, for sure.

If there’s one thing Chaim Bloom did well in his tenure with the Red Sox, it’s building up the farm system. That means Breslow has a lot of talent to work with, and doesn’t seem to have an issue shipping any off in order to win games at the big-league level.

“I do think there are ways to meaningfully improve the team in the short term without sacrificing long-term wins,” he said. “I think it’s important not to lose sight that the goal of any organization is to win major league games. It’s not to have the greatest farm system. It’s not to have the most prospect depth. It’s to win games.”

It’s time for moves to start being made, the only question that remains is whether or not they’ll involve players already in the Red Sox’s system.