Craig Breslow not willing to compare previous two rosters

The Red Sox Opening Day lineup is going to look a lot different this March than it did in 2025, and despite losing some big names in Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow isn’t willing to compare the two teams. 

“I don’t know what we get out of trying to compare a roster before we’ve played a game with one that finished a season,” Breslow said. “We’re trying to build as competitive a roster as we can, and I think there are a lot of things that go into that.” 

Breslow’s offseason moves indicates that Boston will try and win most of its games with defense and pitching, and hope it doesn’t need to rely on producing big numbers offensively on a regular basis. His most recent signings in Caleb Durbin and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are good indicators of that play style. The two combined for 13 home runs in 2025, and are widely regarded as utility infielders. 

“I think we’re going to pitch really, really well,” Breslow said. “I think improved infield defense, and a lot of offensive upside. But to talk about it at this point, I’m not sure it does any good.” 

Breslow also claimed that the Red Sox are not trying to replace Devers and Bregman’s production with one-for-one moves, despite the organization saying it would reinvest the money it freed up when it traded Devers to the Giants. 

“I don’t think you look to replace one for one,” Breslow said. “Our goal as a team is to win more games, and I think there are a lot of different ways to do that and leaning into pitching and defense is certainly one.”

Throughout the offseason, the Red Sox have been “in” on a lot of power hitters, whether it’s Ketel Marte or Pete Alonso, but none truly came close to fruition. 

“We don’t think it’s much of a secret, we pursued opportunities to bring in slug,” Brewslow said. “When those didn’t play out we kind of looked at other opportunities to improve the team. That's the thing that we need to work backwards from is how do we put the best team on the field possible.” 

Despite not being able to replace high-caliber hitters that anchored its lineup last season, Breslow still believes that the Red Sox have ambitious goals of what they can accomplish this season. 

“We have ambitious goals,” Breslow said. “I think the fan base in Boston rightfully demands that the Red Sox are World Series or bust teams. We’re a super competitive front office, a very competitive coaching staff and player group. That’s where we have our sights set every year.”