Craig Breslow ‘Emerges as Favorite’ for Red Sox FO Gig

Update: The Boston Globe is reporting that Breslow has indeed landed the gig as head of baseball ops in Boston.

According to a report from Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, Cubs assistant GM Craig Breslow “is the clear frontrunner in the search for the search to lead the (Red) Sox baseball operations department.” Breslow was one of at least eight candidates in the first round of interviews and was informed Monday that he was advancing to the next round. Speier subsequently tweeted that at least one internal candidate is also believed to remain in contention, though the initial report noted that Twins GM Thad Levine has not moved on in spite of being viewed as an early favorite.

The whole situation is still very much in flux, as it’s uncertain whether Breslow is indeed in line to run the whole show or come aboard as GM with another candidate serving as president of baseball ops. That latter scenario seems to make more sense from a logistical standpoint simply because Breslow has very little experience in running an entire organization, but the best leaders have a great support team helping them in areas of weakness.

Regardless of the specifics, this latest report further solidifies what already seemed like a foregone conclusion. It’s just a really good thing the Cubs have done most of the heavy lifting when it comes to revamping their pitching development.