“We have ambitious goals,” Breslow said. “I think the fan base in Boston rightfully demands that the Red Sox are kind of World Series-or-bust teams. We’re a super competitive front office, a very competitive coaching staff and player group. So that’s where we’ve got our sights set every year.”
Here are four highlights/takeaways from Breslow’s comments:
⋅ Breslow is taking on more responsibility in the front office. Before last season even ended, the Red Sox lost a key higher-up, assistant general manager Paul Toboni. He oversaw a department the club calls fundamental and physical development — on- and off-field development, in the majors and minors. The Nationals hired him as president of baseball operations.
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To replace Toboni, Breslow hired … nobody. Instead, a group of officials is absorbing what had been Toboni’s responsibility. That includes Breslow taking a more hands-on approach in certain areas.
“I’ve leaned into that a little bit more, and I think we’ll use the next six months or so to evaluate,” he said. “We feel really good about the development group that we have … The success of player development speaks to that … Amplifying the voices of those who are capable of doing more is a really important thing for our organization.”
He highlighted Brian Abraham, senior director of player development, and Chris Stasio, director of major league development, as handling more than they had previously.
The only upper-level front-office addition was Ryan Otero, a special assistant to Breslow, who used to be his boss with the Cubs. Otero is functioning as a pitching-minded utility executive of sorts. He has, for example, helped Ben Buck settle into his new role as director of pitching, having served in that role with the Cubs. And he’ll be involved in pitching acquisitions at all levels of the organization.
“We’ve been forced in some ways, I suppose, to shuffle some of our leadership group,” Breslow said. “But also there were opportunities for people to step up. I’m really excited about the team that we have in place.”
Willson Contreras was the Red Sox’ most notable acquisition of the offseason in terms of slugging ability.Gregory Bull/Associated Press
⋅ The Red Sox wanted to add power to their lineup. They did not. That was among Breslow’s primary offseason goals, clearly defined at the outset.
But first baseman Willson Contreras is the only bona fide above-average bat they brought in. As a hitter, he is a de facto replacement for Alex Bregman.
“Don’t think it’s much of a secret: We pursued opportunities to bring in slug, and when those didn’t play out, we kind of looked at other opportunities,” Breslow said. “That said, we’re talking about a large majority of a team coming back that was a top-10 offensive team in baseball, with opportunities for guys to take steps forward.
“So we may have someone who hits over 20 home runs. We may not. Ultimately, we need to win more games.”
⋅ More long-term contracts for young players are possible. This is a popular time of year to explore contract extensions with players who are, in some cases, far from free agency. Already, the Red Sox have Roman Anthony, Garrett Crochet, Ceddanne Rafaela, Kristian Campbell, and Brayan Bello locked up.
“We’re always trying to think about trying to identify those cornerstone pieces and preserve them as long as possible,” Breslow said. “We’ll see if anything is able to get over the line. But it’s always something that’s part of our strategy for building a sustainable, winning organization.”
Among those without lengthy guarantees: Wilyer Abreu, Caleb Durbin, Carlos Narváez, Connelly Early, and Payton Tolle.
⋅ Breslow says it’s OK for Red Sox fans to love again. The franchise that wound up keeping none of Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, or Rafael Devers long term is trying again with a new generation of fan favorites and potential stars, a group fronted by Anthony and Crochet.
“Whether we think about Roman, Ceddanne, Garrett, and many others, there’s a group of position players and pitchers that are going to be here for a long time that fans can attach themselves to and watch develop,” Breslow said. “For the most part, the best years of players’ careers are still in front of them. So there’s this really exciting, young, athletic core that’s going to be a part of a championship contender for a long time.”
Tim Healey can be reached at timothy.healey@globe.com. Follow him @timbhealey.