Cubs AGM Craig Breslow Among Many Names in Boston’s Search for New Baseball Ops Boss

Peter Gammons reported back in September that Cubs assistant GM and VP of Pitching Craig Breslow would be leaving to take a similar role with the Red Sox, though not everything really fit at the time. In addition to reports from Cubs beat writers that there hadn’t been contact, at least not formally, between the Sox and Breslow, but Boston had not even truly begun the search the search to replace the recently deposed Chaim Bloom as president of baseball operations.

Cubs executive Craig Breslow interviewed for Boston’s top job in baseball operations, as @alexspeier reported. Breslow, a Yale grad who won a World Series ring with the 2013 Red Sox, was recruited by Theo Epstein to join the Cubs front office and run the pitching department.

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) October 17, 2023

Now, however, Breslow’s name has once again been connected very firmly to his former team as he recently interviewed for the opportunity to replace Bloom. The former pitcher known as the “smartest man in baseball” isn’t alone, as Boston is casting a wide net both internally and externally. Twins GM Thad Levine and former Pirates GM Neal Huntington have both been interviewed, as have assistant GMs Eddie Romero and Mike Groopman and VP of amateur scouting and player development Paul Toboni.

Another interesting possibility that has not yet been mentioned beyond the timing of the situation is former Marlins GM Kim Ng, who opted not to return after ownership said she’d be second in command behind a PoBO. Not such a smart move when the GM just orchestrated an unlikely playoff run, but these are the Marlins we’re talking about. The Red Sox currently employ Raquel Ferreira as assistant GM — she opted not to interview for the promotion — so it would be awesome to see them target Ng for no other reason than pissing off a bunch of cavemen.

Shifting back to the main focus of this news as far as the Cubs are concerned, it feels like much more than a coincidence that Breslow is involved. The Gammons report, while inaccurate to an extent, now comes across not as blowing smoke but as the precursor of fire. Breslow spent parts of five seasons and logged 211 innings with the Red Sox, more than with any of the other six teams he pitched for, and he lives with his family just outside of Boston.

While his role is such that he doesn’t necessarily have to spend the whole season away from them, there’s surely a strong pull to be home pretty much all the time. The Cubs can’t match that, especially if Breslow is truly interested in running more than just the organization’s pitching infrastructure. We have already discussed how integral he’s been in what the Cubs have built from a developmental standpoint, so click that first link if you need a refresher. Suffice to say this would be a huge loss for the club.

Now, it’s also very possible Breslow won’t get the gig in Boston and will return to his position in Chicago with nary a hiccup. There’s no guarantee that other opportunities won’t come knocking in the future, however, so Jed Hoyer had better make damn sure he’s treating the front office just like the farm system and stocking up potential replacements.