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The Red Sox are now 5-2, having just swept the A's thanks to a grind-it-out, 1-0 series finale win. Now with a day off, it seems like a good time to check in on the early returns from the 2024 version of the Sox.
The Red Sox' starters have not only managed the third-best ERA (1.89) of any group in Major League Baseball, but totaled 46 strikeouts with a mind-blowing three walks along the way. They have also pitched the fifth-most innings, which is a huge step in the right direction.
The relievers have been equally as good, coming in with a 1.03 ERA (second-best in MLB).
And while the offense hasn't offered the kind of shock-and-awe delivered by the pitchers, there is just enough intrigue to suggest it won't be a problem. Jarren Duran (.393 batting average, .862 OPS), Tyler O'Neill (1.145 OPS) and Trevor Story (3-for-5 with runners in scoring position and two outs) have supplied just enough optimism.
And then there is the unmeasurable, but equally as important. How chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora are vibing.
There are two parts of this conversation: 1. The functional back-and-forth, which helps present the on-the-field product, and 2. The longer-term impact that will or won't keep Cora with the Red Sox after the 2024 season.
Catching up with Breslow about the dynamic, he detailed how the first element has already unfolded and continues to unfold.
"It started in the offseason," Breslow told WEEI.com during an early-season interview. "We would meet each other for dinner every time he was in town. We talked every day, sometimes multiple times a day. Bounced ideas off each other. We tried to create some understanding what we wanted to see the operating rhythm to look like., We also understood that’s impossible until you’re living through it. And then we got together in spring training and we were in the same place, under the same roof for six or seven weeks with a lot of dense interactions and a lot of interactions and important decisions are being made. I encouraged honesty and candor and accountability and told him I would commit to those very same things. I respect he has strong beliefs about things and he will speak up. He will also say, ‘If I were making this decision by myself this is what I would do. I’m not making this decision by myself so let’s talk.’ It’s the exact approach I would want to take. He has had success here.
"One thing that I have seen is there is a willingness and fearlessness to find the best match-ups we can possibly have and put players in those situations that give us some marginal advantage to winning games. That’s really difficult to do when you’re dealing with established players and egos. And he also can connect with players, keeping them engaged and moving in the same direction. I think a lot of people can do one or the other. It’s really difficult to pull off both. Thus far it seems like he has. Now the season will offer a ton of emotion and ups and downs and we have to work through those things, but I feel like the foundation to be able to work through those things are established in spring training and now there is an honest and openness that we share that I think will be productive to handle conflict as it arises. ... You can’t simulate those. You have to live through them."
And then there is the contract situation.
Both Breslow and Cora have made it clear that it is too early for contract talks, with both sides getting to know each other. As the Red Sox' chief decision-maker pointed out, there are many more hurdles to jump over in the coming months, the likes of which are simply not prevalent throughout the offseason, spring training or the first seven games of the season.
"We will get together and talk through hypothetical scenarios as they play out," Breslow explained. "It’s not so much about determining what the right answer is. It’s really difficult. The projections and probable outcomes those are really difficult, but the ability to talk through those things and hold ourselves accountable to whatever decision-making systems we want to employ I think has been really, really impressive.
"There is so much that comes up through the course of a season because it’s long and it’s emotional and it’s grinding. The only way you can understand how you respond to certain situations is to live through them."
That's going to take time. Both men understand that. Fortunately, they have at least a few months.
But while there are no great leaps of faith when it comes to Cora's future, as is the case for most things with this team, the executive/manager dynamic can be classified thusly: So far, so good.
"There is no hidden agenda outside that it is so early," Breslow said.
"Obviously, it’s an important part of the conversation. I understand that. I’m sure Alex understands that. At the same time we are not allowing that to be a distraction and I think we are capable of that not becoming a distraction. Yes, we are aware (it’s a contract year). Alex and I have conversations in confidence and we are very comfortable with the situation and what we have in front of us and now that's a lot of games."