The Boston Red Sox are an organization that seems headed in the wrong direction.
After winning the 2018 World Series, it seemed like the Red Sox were destined to become a dynasty in the American League East. Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, Chris Sale and Xander Bogaerts form a young, talented core at key positions. They have a large, dedicated fan base, a home stadium that often sells out, and a large market to spend on top players.
Instead, within a few years, all those players were gone. Bet on the Dodgers. Devers is in San Francisco after a disagreement with the team’s new front office, sales continue to perform well in Atlanta, and Bogaerts signed a lucrative contract with the San Diego Padres.
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Still, Boston felt that a strong farm system and targeted free agent signings would maintain the level of success Red Sox fans had become accustomed to. However, the team has only played two games into the 2018 postseason, and has not won a playoff series since 2021.
John Henry is facing calls to sell the club. The new front office, helmed by former reliever and Yale grad Craig Breslow, received mixed reviews from fans, and less than mixed reviews from players.
Disagreements, inefficiencies and a slow start came to a head when Breslow fired manager Alex Cora. As well as a number of other coaches employed by the previous regime. And a new report on what happened behind the scenes suggested that Breslow may have tied the shooting to just one player’s performance.
Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox argues with umpire Jordan Baker during the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park in Boston on September 1, 2025. (Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
Craig Breslow is remodeling a former Boston office in his own image
Athletic reported this week about changes in Boston’s management and coaching staff, which included firing Cora, as well as the team’s hitting coach Pete Fatse, third base coach Kyle Hudson, bench coach Ramon Vazquez, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson and major league hitting coach Joe Cronin. Basically, cleaning the house.
Breslow reportedly made the decision based on the belief that the team’s hitting was not up to par with its pitching. Why? In part because of the underperformance of top prospect Kristian Campbell.
Campbell entered the 2025 season as one of the top 10 consensus young players in baseball, with FanGraphs ranking him as the No. 7 prospect in baseball. He signed a $60 million extension after playing just five MLB games.
But through 67 games in 2025, he was a hitter. He hasn’t played in the majors since June 2025. The Athletic reported that this was a major factor in Breslow’s decision to fire these coaches: “Many people have also pointed to Campbell’s struggles as the source of Breslow’s frustration with the slamming door.”
For his part, Breslow said that was “a stretch,” though he didn’t deny that Campbell’s underperformance played a big role.
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Boston Red Sox general manager Craig Breslow speaks to the media at JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Fla., on Feb. 11, 2026. (Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
“I think it’s probably easier to connect those dots,” Breslow said. “This is the 2026 big league season. Now, when we’re evaluating players, and trying to figure out how we can help them reach their potential, we’re always questioning everything we do.”
Another source told them that this was Breslow’s attempt to reshape the coaching staff in his image. “He wanted to fire everyone who was there before he got here,” said the source. “That’s what he has now.”
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It’s easy to see both sides of this. It’s not surprising that a new head of baseball operations would want to replace the current coaching staff with a staff more aligned with his goals and vision. On the other hand, prospects often don’t pan out, and blaming the coaching staff sounds like an excuse rather than a thorough, process-driven explanation.
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora watches from the dugout during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Md., on April 24, 2026. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Breslow suggested two experienced hitting coaches at Driveline Baseball, an organization that has used cutting-edge biomechanics, analytics and data-driven tracking and instruction to change swings and improve pitches and speeds. If it works, great, and it will solidify Breslow’s place in Boston. If not, where does he enter his second year on the job? They are 12-19 and tied for 23rd in runs scored. If that doesn’t turn around by the end of the year, does Breslow commit? Or does Henry make another change? Those are questions that need to be answered, and there won’t be a coaching staff there to lay the blame.
