With the 2026 Red Sox stuck well below .500, Craig Breslow says the organization is not looking to tear down the roster, even as Boston weighs what to do at the trade deadline.
For a team already living in the discomfort of a months-long slump, the question hanging over the 2026 Red Sox has grown louder: do they sell pieces and reset, or keep trying to pull out of it?
Boston’s record tells the story. When Alex Cora was fired last month, the Red Sox were at 10-17. After Chad Tracy took over as interim manager, Boston “improved” to 12-14—still nine games below .500, with a 22-31 record on the year.
As the season drifts, the trade deadline market becomes a kind of pressure gauge. The Red Sox could decide to “wave the white flag. ” set the market early. and recoup prospects and other assets to make the most of a disappointing setback season. Boston does have veterans who could draw interest from win-now clubs. including Aroldis Chapman. Sonny Gray. Willson Contreras. Garrett Whitlock. and Jarren Duran.
But Craig Breslow, the Red Sox chief baseball officer, drew a line around that idea this week. Speaking to Chris Cotillo on Wednesday. Breslow said Boston is not looking to tear down its roster—especially not at this stage of the season. “Right now, we’re focused on doing everything we can to turn our season around,” Breslow told Cotillo. He added: “It’s a group I’ve got a lot of confidence in. I know we haven’t been playing up to what we’re capable of doing. That’s the focus.”.
Breslow’s confidence comes with a clear admission of what’s been missing. While Boston’s pitching and defense have largely supported the franchise’s stated goal of being a run-prevention club in 2026. the Red Sox have struggled to produce consistent offense. In a four-game stretch that included only losses, Boston scored 25 runs. The lack of proven bats, the team has found, puts it behind early and forces it to chase too often.
On Wednesday, Boston entered a home game against the Braves in last place in MLB in runs scored, totaling 220. Roman Anthony’s injury woes have added another complication to Boston’s offensive production this season. Yet the broader problem, Breslow said, is not just about one injured player. Boston’s approach is about finding impact regardless—whether that comes from within or from outside the organization.
Breslow emphasized that even with Boston choosing not to sell off at this point. the work of improving the roster is still on the table. “We need to score more runs,” Breslow said. “One way to do that is to get guys that are here to play up to what we think they can be. Another is to obviously look at guys outside the organization.”.
He also pointed to the nature of the current market—how compressed the league is and how teams keep believing they’re closer than their records suggest. Breslow said his outreach has been aggressive, focused on identifying players who can help. He framed it as a two-sided trade reality: while some teams with poor performance are still thinking about moving players because the gap doesn’t look insurmountable. other teams that are not playing well may be telling themselves they’re “not that far out of it.”.
So even as Boston’s record sits in the same uncomfortable range as it did when the season first started to wobble, Breslow’s stance is steady: the Red Sox are trying to turn the season around rather than strip it for parts.
Boston Red Sox Craig Breslow trade deadline Alex Cora Chad Tracy Aroldis Chapman Sonny Gray Willson Contreras Garrett Whitlock Jarren Duran MLB runs scored Roman Anthony