Craig Breslow Admits This Was Red Sox’s Deadline ‘Preference’

The Red Sox played the hand they were dealt leading up to the MLB trade deadline.

Boston was an active buyer before 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, as it made five trades that addressed a variety of needs. Four of those players acquired by Craig Breslow and company are on expiring contracts, which made them more expendable. The quartet of newcomers is poised to provide a legitimate boost to the Red Sox for their playoff push, but Breslow on Tuesday admitted rentals weren’t the club’s most sought-after targets.

“Yeah, I wasn’t alone in seeking controllable players,” Breslow told reporters, per WEEI. “It turns out I think, unsurprisingly a lot of what happens over the deadline is dictated by the opportunities in front of us. I think I was pretty clear that we didn’t want to walk out of the deadline without addressing the bullpen, the rotation and getting a right-handed bat. Our preference would have been to bring in controllable pieces but in the event that those didn’t exist, we needed to get rentals.”

Red Sox fans probably should be content with Breslow’s pre-deadline work. The first-year chief baseball officer provided Alex Cora and company with reinforcements without ravaging the farm system. Boston has a great shot at reaching the 2024 playoffs and its future remains very bright.

That said, the Red Sox might end up realizing they need to make a monster move in order to become a legitimate World Series contender. So, it will be fascinating to see how Breslow operates this winter.