The Boston Sunday Sports Section
Craig Breslow: The Devil’s Advocate Case
Craig Breslow has become the local piñata with everybody and their brother, me included, taking their whacks at him, especially this week. Yes, John Henry and Sam Kennedy have gotten their share of grief as well, but Breslow is the face of the operation.
It is often said with disdain that Craig Breslow acts like he is the smartest guy in the room. He wants to get the upper hand on every transaction. He can micromanage. He relies on analytics instead of scouts.
But let’s take the contrarian view. What if Breslow is the smartest guy in the room? I am going to play devil’s advocate and make the contrarian case FOR keeping Breslow.
The case has three primary arguments:
- He has made some legitimately good moves.
- The power bats fans wanted him to keep, trade for, or sign as free agents are not performing well either (with one notable exception).
- It was better to act sooner than later on Cora. The team needed a new voice, and the young roster was not a good fit for Cora’s strengths.
Let’s dig into each one of these.
Argument 1 — Breslow Has Made Some Legitimately Good Moves
The crown jewel here is the Crochet trade. While Crochet is currently on the IL and has gotten off to a rough start, he was dominant last year, finished second in the Cy Young voting, and had an ace performance in the playoffs against the Yankees.
Heading into the season, he was neck and neck with Skubal and Skenes for the title of best pitcher in baseball and one of a handful of no-doubt aces in baseball. And at least so far, the players he gave up for Crochet have not done all that much at the Major League level.
And not only did Breslow trade for Crochet, but he also signed him to an extension that would appear to be well below market, given the price of pitching. In the table below, I would take the Crochet contract over any of the others, hands down, given both performance and age.
| Pitcher | Team | Age | Total Value | Term | AAV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Framber Valdez | DET | 31 | $115M | 3 Yrs | $38.33M |
| Dylan Cease | TOR | 30 | $210M | 7 Yrs | $30.00M |
| Garrett Crochet | BOS | 26 | $170M | 6 Yrs | $28.33M |
| Ranger Suárez | BOS | 30 | $130M | 5 Yrs | $26.00M |
* Boston’s two entries highlighted. Crochet is the youngest of the four by five years.
In addition, Breslow has also done the following:
- Aggressively locked up the team’s young core: Signed Roman Anthony to an 8-year, $130M extension and Ceddanne Rafaela to a well below market 8-year, $50M extension.
- Traded for Willson Contreras. Contreras has been the team’s best hitter and only power threat so far this year. He also plays good defense and seems capable of handling the pressure in Boston.
- Signed Ranger Suárez and Aroldis Chapman. Suárez has rebounded after a rough start. Chapman may be the more underrated signing — many thought he was done after a mixed bag of a 2024 season with the Pirates. The Red Sox have one of the top closers in baseball (perhaps the top one in 2025) for a reasonable deal.
Argument 2 — The Power Hitters Fans Wanted Are Not Performing Well Either
| Player | Fan Sentiment | Team | HR | OPS | WAR | AAV / Yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rafael Devers | Keep | SF | 2 | .537 | -1.0 | $31M 8 yrs |
| Alex Bregman | Keep | CHC | 3 | .721 | 0.6 | $35M 5 yrs |
| Pete Alonso | Sign as FA | BAL | 4 | .668 | 0.5 | $31M 5 yrs |
| Kyle Schwarber | Sign as FA | PHI | 11 | .976 | 1.1 | $30M 5 yrs |
| Bo Bichette | Sign as FA | NYM | 2 | .590 | -0.3 | $42M 3 yrs |
| Eugenio Suárez | Sign as FA | CIN | 3 | .663 | -0.1 | $15M 1 yrs |
| Ketel Marte | Trade For | ARZ | 5 | .682 | 0.3 | $18M 6 yrs |
| Aggregate Avg. | All above | — | 4 | .691 | 0.2 | $29M 5 yrs |
| Willson Contreras | Breslow Trade | BOS | 7 | .861 | 1.3 | $18M 2 yrs |
Notes: Devers refused to play 1B for Boston. Bregman has significant leadership and coach-like value beyond his stats. Marte would have cost Connelly Early or Payton Tolle in a trade.
Argument 3 — It Was Better to Act Sooner Than Later on Cora
The team needed a new voice, and the young roster was not a good fit for Cora’s strengths.
The Cora firing generated a great baseball quote. Former Red Sox hurler Josh Beckett texted Red Sox reporter and podcaster Rob Bradford, ‘It’s like shitting your pants and changing your shirt.’
Unfortunately, the shirt was tucked into the pants. It is now apparent that Cora and Breslow were not on the same page about a number of things, and that had seeped into the clubhouse. Cora almost seemed to be daring Breslow to fire him, texting ‘I’m happy’ to some reporters afterward.
Once a relationship goes that far south, and is impacting the team, better to end it; typically, the GM wins out over the coach — a recent case in point from football being Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott of the Bills.
On the Fenway Rundown podcast, Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam discussed young players moping in the clubhouse and Wilson Contreras calling on several occasions for the Red Sox to play with more energy. The manager bears some responsibility there.
There is also a fair argument to be made against the hitting coaches, given the team’s offensive struggles (the Jason Varitek move is harder to defend).
The team also kept making many of the same mistakes from last year and even from years before that — lapses in defensive focus, too many strikeouts, not driving in runners in scoring position, poor fundamentals like bunting, baserunning mistakes, just to name a few.
Young players like Marcelo Mayer seemed to frustrate Cora, and by platooning so much, the organization was not getting the sink-or-swim type of information it needed on Mayer as an everyday player.
I said last week that I believe Chad Tracy will do a really good job. He is a strong communicator, has the core of the team’s trust, and has coaches who have focused on player development, which is still a need even at the big-league level given the youth of the Red Sox core.
This may be glass-half-full thinking. I think they have the talent to turn things around and be a wildcard team, especially since the rest of the AL is struggling so much — incredibly, after Friday night’s win over Houston, they were only 2.5 games out of the wild card.
We will now return to your regularly scheduled program.
When They Prevent Runs, They Win. When They Don’t, They Can’t.
The Red Sox pivoted this offseason from pursuing a power bat to a run-prevention strategy. The data through 32 games tells you exactly how that is playing out.
| Runs Allowed | In Wins (13) | In Losses (19) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 4 | — |
| 1 | 3 | — |
| 2 | 2 | — |
| 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | — | 4 |
| 5 | 1 | — |
| 6 | 1 | 4 |
| 7+ | — | 7 |
| Total | 13 | 19 |
9 of 13 wins (69%) came allowing 2 runs or fewer. When allowing 3 or more they are 4-19.
The results so far have been fairly predictable. When they prevent runs they win, when they don’t they are not capable of winning even a kids table slugfest.
The defense is actually second in baseball in runs saved with 23, behind only the Dodgers. But with Crochet and Gray on the shelf, and Bello broken, they are now relying on Ranger Suárez and three rookies for that run prevention.
The offense better get it going for this team to have any chance.
His Worcester track record, his relationships with the young core, and the family moment hiding inside his debut — everything you need to know about the new man in the dugout.
Tracy in his own words on the baserunning philosophy — and why a team short on power needs to manufacture runs the old-fashioned way.
Tracy making tough in-game decisions quickly — and what his handling of Bello tells you about how he’ll manage this staff going forward.
▶ Fenway Rundown Ep. 417 — More Fallout From the Cora Firing — YouTube. Cotillo and McAdam with the freshest take — more Cora firing fallout, the Crochet injury update, and what to make of the road trip to Toronto. Published May 1.
▶ Roger Clemens Tells the Story of His 20-Strikeout Game — MLB Network. The Rocket himself on the most dominant pitching performance in Fenway history. A good reminder of what elite run prevention looks like.
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A Good Season. A Predictable Ending.
The Bruins are done. Buffalo eliminated Boston 4-1 in Game 6 Friday night at TD Garden, winning the series four games to two and advancing to the second round for the first time since 2007.
Let’s be honest about what this was. The Bruins entered this series as a wild card team given roughly a one-in-three chance by oddsmakers. Buffalo won the Atlantic Division, and they played like it. “Buffalo, there’s a reason they won the division,” Pastrnak said after the game. “A lot of skill and speed that’s over there. Their defense is very active. So, yeah, they were better.”
Hard to argue.
The game script was painfully familiar. Alex Tuch gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead just 3:25 into the first period, quieting what had been a loud TD Garden crowd. Mattias Samuelsson made it 2-0 before the period was out, and the Bruins never led. Pastrnak scored his third goal of the series early in the second to make it 2-1, bringing the crowd back briefly.
Then Josh Doan poked the puck away from two Bruins in the corner and found a wide-open Zach Benson, who beat Swayman to make it 3-1 early in the third, and that was effectively the ballgame. Josh Norris added an empty netter.
Charlie McAvoy summed it up bluntly: “It’s not acceptable. We can talk a big game in here about how excited we are, but for whatever reason we were awesome at home this year and we didn’t do it when it mattered the most.”
The Bruins finished the regular season tied for the most home wins in the NHL — 29 — and lost all three home games in the series, scoring just five goals over their final four games combined. They have now lost six consecutive home playoff games.
This marks the third first-round exit in the last five years for Boston. The offseason questions are real — goaltending, the aging core, and what this roster looks like heading into next year. But in the proper context, the Bruins exceeded expectations this season under first-year coach Marco Sturm.
As Sturm said after the game: “It hurts, absolutely, it hurts. But I also reminded them of what kind of season they played. No one really thought we would be in the mix in the playoffs.”
The result was not a surprise. The manner of it — giving up home ice completely — is the thing worth examining this summer. The Bruins have an unwanted jump-start on answering some difficult questions.
The definitive game recap — Pastrnak’s postgame quote, the full game flow, and the series context that frames what this loss means.
The home ice stat, the series offensive numbers, and the McAvoy quote that says everything about how this team will spend its summer.
The offseason questions are already forming. What does this core look like heading into next year — and who might not be back?
▶ Pastrnak Taunts Buffalo Fans After Game 5 OT Winner — B/R Open Ice. Short, punchy, and a reminder of what this series felt like before it all went sideways.
Before You Buy That A.J. Brown Jersey
A.J. Brown is like a shiny gold watch in a jewelry store window. The shiny object part is his undeniable talent. He can be dominant on contested catches and has top-tier yards-after-catch ability. He would give the Patriots a true WR1 opponents would need to game-plan around — something they have not really had since Randy Moss.
Some would argue the Patriots’ passing game needs Brown. I would argue that, like that shiny store window watch, it’s best to window shop and move on.
Below are the three P’s as to why the Patriots should pass on Brown.
Price — the cost in draft capital is high.
Production — still good, but no longer elite, and trending in the wrong direction.
Problems — a demonstrated track record in Philadelphia of causing problems when things go sideways.
Let’s go deeper on each one.
Price — The Cost in Draft Picks Is Steep
Adam Schefter told the Pat McAfee Show last week he expects a deal around June 1, with Philadelphia likely seeking a 2028 first-round pick in return. Chad Graff of The Athletic, the closest Patriots reporter to this story, laid out the two most likely frameworks: a 2028 first-round pick outright, or a 2027 second-round pick plus receiver Kayshon Boutte.
Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston has heard from league executives that Howie Roseman will want roughly what Denver gave for Jaylen Waddle — a first and a third. That is a significant price for a team that just traded up twice in the draft and is still building its roster.
Production — Going in the Wrong Direction
Brown is entering his age-29 season. His receiving yards have declined in each of the last two years. Drake Maye is a more skilled and accurate passer than Jalen Hurts, so this trend could certainly reverse — but it bears scrutiny.
| Season | Rec | Yards | TD | Yds/Game | Yds/Catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 (Eagles Year 1) | 88 | 1,496 | 11 | 93.5 | 17.0 |
| 2023 | 106 | 1,456 | 7 | 85.6 | 13.7 |
| 2024 | 67 | 1,079 | 7 | 71.9 | 16.1 |
| 2025 | 78 | 1,003 | 7 | 66.9 | 12.9 ↓ |
Source: Baseball Reference / PFF. 2024 affected by hamstring injury. 2025 career-low in yards per game and yards per catch.
Problems — A Documented Track Record
This is the one that concerns me the most. And I think it is fair to say Vrabel and the Patriots don’t need any more distractions right now.
- September 2025 — The Bible verse tweet. Brown posted Mark 6:11 on social media after a one-catch, eight-yard Week 1: “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene.”
- October 2025 — The Instagram post. Brown captioned a photo: “Using me but not using me.”
- November 2025 — The Twitch stream. On a live stream with a friend: “Family’s good. Everything else? No. It’s a shit show. I’ve been struggling brother.” He also said: “If you got me on fantasy, man, get rid of me.” The next day he refused to apologize.
- The Lions game. Overhead video showed Brown jogging on a deep route as the ball sailed past him. He said afterward he couldn’t get to it. The video suggests otherwise.
- Anonymous Eagles veteran — Philadelphia Inquirer. “Any time you have bad body language from a leader like that, other guys see it, and it’s not good.”
- The Barkley callout. When asked if he had regressed, Brown deflected: “I guess Saquon ain’t the same player either.”
- Teammates confirmed the tension. Offensive tackle Jordan Mailata: “Have we addressed it as teammates? Yes, but we’re going to keep that in-house.”
In fairness: Brown consistently said his frustration was about wanting the offense to be better, not about personal targets. His PFF overall grade of 83.0 in 2025 still ranked 13th among all wide receivers.
I would also be personally better off if they traded Boutte. Some friends and I started texting “Boutte call” whenever Boutte scored a touchdown last year. I then accidentally shouted it out while watching a game with my ten-year-old son Jackson.
Then, of course, Jackson shouted it out the next time Boutte scored — I am pretty sure he does not know the meaning. Then we picked Boutte up on our jointly managed fantasy team, and he started shouting it for every catch.
It would be best if Boutte were part of a trade before we get a call this fall from Beverly Middle School.
I am such a good dad.
But back to Brown. The playoff game that ended his Eagles tenure encapsulates everything.
In the Eagles’ 23-19 Wild Card loss to San Francisco, Brown caught just three of seven targets for 25 yards. After a drop on a very catchable ball in the first half, he took his time getting off the field and got into a heated sideline exchange with Sirianni that had to be broken up.
Sirianni tried to wave it off at halftime as playoff emotions. It didn’t look like nothing.
Brown was also credited with a brutal drop on a key third down late that helped kill the Eagles’ final drive. Afterward, he declined to speak to reporters, shook hands with a few teammates, and left.
That was the season in one game — production and attitude issues, on the biggest stage, in a loss the Eagles may well have won with a healthy contribution from their highest-paid receiver.
When someone shows you who they really are, believe them.
The drops, the sideline blowup with Sirianni, and what it all means heading into the offseason. The most honest Eagles-side account of what actually happened.
The Athletic’s Chad Graff breaks down the two most likely trade frameworks — and why the price may be higher than it looks.
“We’re here for Coach, we love Coach.” Maye, Spillane, and Henry all weigh in on the Vrabel situation — and what the locker room is actually focused on.
▶ Dianna Russini on A.J. Brown’s Unhappiness After the Twitch Video — ESPN. The national perspective on what was really going on inside the Eagles’ locker room.
▶ Exclusive Caleb Lomu Interview + 2026 NFL Draft Recap — Patriots All Access. First-round pick Lomu on being drafted — including the family member who predicted it — plus Ryan Cowden recaps the full draft haul.
Come Monday
I attended Game 7, and rather than burning the midnight oil postgame to produce something mediocre, you will get the full rundown in Monday’s Boston Daily Sports Recap.
Plus, I don’t really want to talk about it.
One place. Every game. Every network. No hunting.
| Sun 5/3 |
Mon 5/4 |
Tue 5/5 |
Wed 5/6 |
Thu 5/7 |
Fri 5/8 |
Sat 5/9 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⚾ Red Sox | vs. HOU 1:35 PM · NESN |
@ DET 6:40 PM · NESN |
@ DET 6:40 PM · NESN |
@ DET 6:40 PM · NESN |
vs. TB 7:10 PM · ESPN |
vs. TB 7:10 PM · NESN |
vs. TB 4:10 PM · NESN |
| 🏈 Patriots | Off-season | — | — | — | — | — | — |
The Baseball Lifer Gets His Shot
Chad Tracy got a phone call at midnight. By 1:30 AM he was at the team hotel in Baltimore. By 1 PM Sunday he was managing a Major League Baseball game at Camden Yards. His father Jim — who managed in the big leagues for 11 seasons — was in the stands to watch.
It was Chad’s 500th win as a manager, counting the minor leagues. The Red Sox players gave him a beer shower and a shaving cream pie. The clubhouse attendant handed him the official lineup card as a keepsake.
This is the story of how a baseball lifer finally got to the show — and what it means for a young Red Sox roster that already knows him.
▶ Read the full story at MLB.com — free (~4 min) →Thanks for reading Issue 4 of The Boston Sunday Sports Section. If you’re not yet a subscriber, we’d love to have you. And if you enjoyed it, please share it with your fellow Boston sports fans.