The mute button sure would have done wonders.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow fired former scouting supervisor Carl Moesche earlier this year after the latter said, “Thanks, Bres, you f–king stiff,” following a Zoom meeting, according to Yahoo.
The scene highlighted what the article pointed to as an example of the “dysfunction” that played a role in the organization’s controversial decision to trade superstar Rafael Devers to the Giants.
“An absolute s–tshow,” one team staffer told Yahoo when describing the sweep of the Yankees this past weekend, then making a franchise-altering trade of a beloved superstar.
It will take years to determine a winner in this blockbuster trade that came out of nowhere, but the Yahoo piece painted the picture of a front office that is not functioning on all cylinders.
Breslow, who joined the organization before the 2024 season to replace Chaim Bloom, “has grown increasingly insulated,” according to the report.
Longtime staffers who played a role in previous regimes that won championships in 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018 reportedly “feel shut out of the operation.”
“The collaborative spirit that once defined Red Sox baseball operations has frayed,” Yahoo contributor Joon Lee wrote.
Boston reportedly hired Sportsology, a sports consulting firm, last May for an audit of the organization with the purpose of helping align baseball operations.
It led to several individuals being fired and the “marginalization” of several respected voices.
Moesche, whose LinkedIn profile says he joined the franchise in December 2017, reportedly made his comment earlier this year after believing a Zoom meeting had ended, two team sources told Yahoo.
Breslow has reportedly also clashed with manager Alex Cora, with Cora emphasizing winning now while Breslow is looking more toward the future.
With Boston having made the playoffs once since 2018, Cora is trying to return to October. That can leak into how he manages games and divvies up playing time, which can go against the preferences Bloom and the front office have regarding what they believe should be prioritized.
“The coaching staff has grown frustrated with the state of player development, specifically how much emphasis is placed on swing mechanics and hitting data, often at the expense of fundamentals,” Lee wrote.
The Red Sox (38-36) began the post-Devers era with a second straight 2-0 win, this time at Seattle.
They are now in sole possession of the third Wild Card spot and just 5 1/2 games back of the reeling Yankees in the AL East.