BOSTON — Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he met with a number of front-office executives as Boston took part in an extensive seven-week search for its new chief baseball officer. And Cora, similar to president Sam Kennedy, believes Craig Breslow is the right man for the job.
Cora met with reporters at Fenway Park on Thursday after the Red Sox introduced Breslow as its new chief baseball officer. Breslow, who was officially hired Oct. 25, will take over the job previously held by Chaim Bloom.
“It’s great. Obviously, he’s a very smart individual,” Cora said. “He has a great vision. I do believe the fact that he played here, he’s from here, it’s gonna benefit him in a way. We had some good conversations the last few weeks about the vision and what we are trying to accomplish here. He’s very clear (in) what he wants to do. He was part of it as a baseball player, as a fan. Just like what he said, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Cora specified one aspect that impressed him was Breslow’s impact on the pitching staff when he worked in the Chicago Cubs front office. Breslow has been lauded for helping develop that position group, and Cora sees it translating well in Boston.
“I was talking to a lot of people throughout the process, met a lot of good baseball people throughout. A lot of different visions,” Cora said. “I think one of the things that actually, you know, was a point of discussion throughout the process, it was the whole pitching philosophy, pitching structure.”
It was something that stood out to Red Sox owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner as well, Cora said.
“They were great candidates, but at the end this is decision the organization made, and I think it’s the right one,” Cora added.
Kennedy spoke on three things that stood out to the Boston’s front office during the process. They included Breslow’s vision for the baseball operations department, his baseball intelligence and his on-field experience.
The hiring of Breslow, who played 12 seasons in the MLB including a stint and 2013 World Series with the Red Sox, now means the franchise has both a CBO and manager who previously played in the majors.
Cora hasn’t had that during his tenure, which included working under former president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and Bloom.
“We’re about to see,” Cora responded when asked if there’s a benefit to having a former player in that front-office role. “Talking to some people with the Cubs, he (Breslow) understands the whole clubhouse, playing, the struggles, the family side of it. That’s something that you cannot replicate. You have to live it. There’s a lot of sacrifices that we have made throughout our careers as baseball players and that’s something Craig, he understands.”
Breslow will have to make more decisions now than during his playing days, of course. But that is something Breslow and others believe he is more than capable of doing.
