Winter Weekend Recap: Breslow emphasizes that developing pitching is key to championship contention
The last few months have been full of change for the Red Sox. They have been busy in the trade market and dealt veterans such as Alex Verdugo and Chris Sale for younger pieces. However, the roster still needs upgrades, with frustration in the fanbase growing by the hour. On Friday, Craig Breslow gave insight into what the future holds.
At Red Sox Winter Weekend, Craig Breslow was asked how the team will return to championship contention. The new Chief of Baseball Officer emphasized pitching in his response.
“ I think there is the combination of adding pitching talent and building out a pitching infrastructure that gets the most out of the guys we have,” Breslow said.
That has been reflected in how Breslow has reshaped the personal. That includes the hires of pitching coach Andrew Bailey, director of pitching Justin Willard and advisor Kyle Buddy. The talented trio has been brought in to help create a new vision for the pitching staff.
While the roster will change in the coming weeks, Bailey, Willard and Buddy will get to work with an intriguing mix of talent. That includes young pitchers such as Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck. They will also play critical roles in the development of Luis Perales and Winkelman Gonzalez.
Although there are still talented options in free agency, Breslow has made it clear that the Red Sox's success will hinge on creating a minor league system that consistently produces quality pitching. He has already taken the first steps by bringing in people he trusts.
"There's so much uncertainty around the development of pitchers, especially the development of starting pitchers," Breslow told reporters on Friday. "I think there's a ton of alignment from me through that group. One thing as I saw those guys this week that I can say is that they're physically imposing. There's some real raw ingredients that we're looking to harness. The chance for them to get on the mound in front of the staff is really encouraging. There's been a ton of positive feedback."
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