Boston Red Sox Offseason: Craig Breslow Makes Plan Clear Ahead of GM Meetings

On Monday, 30 heads of baseball operations will head to Las Vegas for the annual GM Meetings. Unlike most years, when the meetings are seen as a place to lay the groundwork for deals that will come together later in the offseason, this may be the only chance for executives to meet face-to-face and work out deals ahead of the impending lockout. 

Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow spoke with MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam on Friday about his team’s offseason plan leading up to the lockout and the area he may look to add to the roster. 

Here’s what you need to know. 

“If we try to operate as though we know exactly where this is going to land, the one thing I feel confident is that we will be wrong. It’s probably best to just make prudent decisions under the current framework,” Breslow told McAdam about the team’s approach ahead of the Dec. 2 lockout. “All of the other details that we have to work through... there’s too much uncertainty to try and craft a strategy or approach that we can be completely confident in. The simple solution here is the best one: where are there some holes in our roster that we need to shore up? Let’s find the way to do that and try to put together the best roster we can for 2027,” he continued. 

Dating back to the trade deadline, the team’s messaging has been consistent regarding a potential work stoppage: We can’t control what’s going to happen, so the best we can do is operate with what we do know, which is the current framework in place. 

However, that’s easier said than done. The Red Sox already have $268 million committed to the 2027 roster prior to making any additions, which would require them to cut $10 million in salary to get under the proposed cap. However, thanks to a provision in the owners' latest proposal, they would have until the 2028 season, when the cap kicks in, to make those cuts. 

The projected salary figure already places the Red Sox above the current second luxury tax threshold. A third season over the second luxury tax threshold triggers additional penalties for ownership, including a 50 percent charge for every dollar spent over the luxury tax, plus at least a 12 percent surcharge for being over the second threshold. The team hasn’t gone over the luxury tax threshold in three consecutive years since 2004-07. 

It seems almost impossible that the team would be able to shed the $24 million needed to get under the threshold and reset the tax, at least before the season starts (luxury tax penalties aren't determined until the season ends, so a theoretical trade deadline sell-off could get the team under the threshold) and still build off back-to-back wild card appearances. 

However, Breslow clearly isn’t concerned about getting the green light from ownership, telling McAdam, “When there are opportunities that I think improve our roster, I take them to ownership, we discuss them, and more times than not, overwhelmingly, we’ve got the support to proceed with them. I don’t expect that to change.” 

Breslow’s ability to take on more salary in the face of uncertainty is certainly aided by the league’s latest proposal, which pushed implementation of a salary cap to 2028 to give teams more time to prepare. With more than $50 million coming off the books after 2027, the team could have a ready-made solution to getting under the cap, while still adding to the 2027 roster. 

Breslow has been open about the team's need to add offense after the team limped to the finish line at the plate in each of the last two seasons. However, he also saw the pitching staff as a place that could use reinforcement. "You never have too much of that, whether that is being able to develop an impact our own major league team, whether it’s to acquire it and then use it to address other holes in the roster that surface down the road. We see how injuries can impact a team in the rotation and the bullpen," Breslow said. “So while we sit here today and say that we feel good about our rotation and bringing back our entire bullpen, having flexibility and optionable pitching depth is incredibly valuable. We’ll certainly be on the lookout for ways to improve there," he continued. 

After opting out of his mutual option for the 2027 season, it seems unlikely, at least for now, that Sonny Gray will be back in a Red Sox uniform after a career year in Boston. However, after trading away starters Connelly Early and Anthony Eyanson at the trade deadline, and Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck being relative unknowns after extended injury absences, the team's pitching depth is a bit depleted. 

Last offseason, Breslow swung a pair of trades for controllable arms. First, with the Pittsburgh Pirates, landing Johan Oviedo and then, with the Washington Nationals, acquired Jake Bennett. He also acquired Gray in a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals and signed All-Star left-hander Ranger Suarez to a five-year, $130 million contract. 

A move like the one that brought Suarez to Boston seems unlikely with so many holes on offense. But a deal similar to the Bennett trade feels almost inevitable. Breslow's bread and butter has been identifying underrated pitchers, bringing them into Boston's pitching infrastructure, and elevating them.  

The GM Meetings take place from Nov. 9-12 at the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas.