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Craig Breslow has full faith in manager Alex Cora (right) and his coaching staff. Barry Chin\/Globe Staff<\/p>\nGet Starting Point<\/p>\n
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Yet behind all of that, there is a difference in the organization\u2019s priorities and mission. The Sox under Bloom were building methodically towards (and rarely willing to compromise) the future.<\/p>\n
But with the farm system now bearing fruit at the big league level, Breslow sees his job as taking place at a different point in \u201cthe evolution \u2026 [and] lifecycle of a baseball operation\u201d than his predecessor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think most of Chaim\u2019s tenure was really spent trying to improve the state of the system, to have some eye on the future,\u201d said Breslow. \u201cAnd we are kind of now in a place where we\u2019re prioritizing wins in the present.\u201d<\/p>\n
Given that reality \u2014 one that led Breslow and the Sox to work with Bloom on multiple trades this offseason, with the Sox acquiring Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras from St. Louis in separate deals in exchange for Richard Fitts, Hunter Dobbins, and four minor league pitching prospects \u2014 what\u2019s an appropriate response to the way the team has played?<\/p>\n
The Sox began the year with losses in eight of their first 10 games, matching the worst start in franchise history. Did Breslow consider benching players or changing their roles? Issuing ultimatums demanding improved performance? Staff shakeups?<\/p>\n
Not so much. While there have been plenty of internal conversations at Fenway Park about the specific struggles of both the team as a whole and individual players, Breslow and his front office remain committed to a patient view.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think decisions made at the height of emotion are generally bad decisions,\u201d Breslow said Thursday, downplaying both the team\u2019s slide out of the gate and its two-game win streak to improve to 4-8. \u201cWe want to think about, is there anything here that we\u2019re missing? Are there underlying trends that lead us to believe that, hey, maybe this isn\u2019t just a small sample and we\u2019re going to positively progress at some point here soon? We don\u2019t want to be irresponsible in terms of looking at the players, looking at the roster, thinking about how these things come together. \u2026 I think in my role, in [manager Alex Cora\u2019s] role, through these types of swings, you keep things as normal and ordinary as possible. <\/p>\n
\u201cPlayers know that they have to play better. Us pointing that out isn\u2019t going to do anything. We believe in the players. We believe in the roster. There isn\u2019t something that\u2019s going to happen over the course of the first 12 games that\u2019s going to change that. So I think the most important thing is just to make sure that the work that we believe is going to be productive in spring training and into the season continues.\u201d<\/p>\n
That view extends to the field staff. Breslow isn\u2019t a believer in early-season firings as a catalyst.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe coaches that got us to the playoffs last year, six months ago, our belief in them has not changed because we got off to a 10-game stretch that was underwhelming,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we believed in a practice, method, piece of information, insight two weeks ago, we still need to believe it today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Craig Breslow has full faith in manager Alex Cora (right) and his coaching staff. Barry Chin\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n
Breslow said the Sox simply need to play with more consistency. They\u2019ve seen glimpses that, yes, there is a path for them to succeed if they pitch well, play strong defense, and put the ball in play. The club is 4-0 when getting six innings from a starter, and 0-8 when they fail to hit that mark. They\u2019re 0-4 in games where errors yield unearned runs, and 4-4 when they don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
For now, the team needs sharper execution in every facet to prove that the poor start is an aberration. Of course, it\u2019s fair to wonder if some of these early deficiencies are reflective of the roster.<\/p>\n
If the rotation (4.55 ERA, 23rd in the big leagues) ends the year as one of MLB\u2019s least effective, that would qualify as a surprise. If the team\u2019s lack of power \u2014 with nine homers, the Sox entered Thursday as one of seven teams that hadn\u2019t reached double digits yet \u2014 continues after Breslow\u2019s self-described \u201cpivot\u201d from pursuing power to emphasizing pitching and defense, he will sit in a dunk tank.<\/p>\n
Breslow expresses little concern about the team\u2019s lack of thump. Though the Sox as a team have posted a .356 slugging mark that ranks 17th in the big leagues, he remains convinced of the lineup\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo grab any 12-game stretch and question the slugging feels kind of arbitrary,\u201d said Breslow. \u201cOur guys are very capable of doing damage \u2014 of hitting the ball hard, getting extra-base hits and home runs. Those will come. We\u2019ve just got to give ourselves as many good opportunities to score as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even so, the persistent questions surrounding the lineup make Breslow\u2019s willingness to shift his offseason course fascinating. The Sox wanted to deepen their lineup by not only trading for Contreras in December but also re-signing Alex Bregman. When Bregman instead accepted a better offer with the Cubs, Breslow and the Sox quickly signed free agent lefty starter Ranger Suarez.<\/p>\n
Breslow has frequently cited the ability to remain strategically nimble as one of his foremost lessons since taking this job. But given that he\u2019d identified upgraded power as a key offseason focus, might a more meaningful lesson be the need to extend further beyond the team\u2019s comfort (in dollars, prospect cost, or both) to shore up an admitting shortcoming?<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a clear answer. I think the answer is both,\u201d said Breslow. \u201cYou are constantly solving, working backwards from building a team that wins the greatest number of games. And there are times where you can move past whatever your comfort level was, because there\u2019s something that fits your roster so well, particularly relative to the alternatives. And then there are times where you say, \u2018OK, I\u2019m comfortable pivoting, looking at alternatives, walking away, because the other options that are here are going to enable us to build a net better team.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Breslow\u2019s offseason will be evaluated not on a 12-game stretch, but where the Sox finish the year in the standings. There is time for his approach to succeed \u2014 or to be subjected to relentless scrutiny.<\/p>\n
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @alexspeier<\/a>.<\/p>\n