BOSTON – The Red Sox set themselves up for foundational stability in the front office and the manager’s office in one fell swoop on Tuesday.
Chad Tracy, who guided the Red Sox to one of the best in-season turnarounds in the history of the club, had the interim label removed from his title. That means that Tracy, whose squad clinched a postseason berth on Sunday, is now the 49th manager in club history after agreeing to a three-year deal through the 2029 season that includes an option for ‘30.
Meanwhile, Craig Breslow, who became Boston’s chief baseball officer in the fall of 2023, had his ‘29 and ‘30 options picked up.
“Today is a great day for the Boston Red Sox organization,” said Red Sox president/CEO Sam Kennedy. “We couldn't be more pleased with the news of earlier today. We've had a roller coaster of a year and a season, and we are just so pleased to make these announcements.”
It was yet another example of how the Sox were able to stabilize themselves after a rocky first three months of the season, in which the team started 32-46.
Before things got that dire, Breslow acted decisively, dismissing long-time manager Alex Cora and five of his coaches following the team’s 10-17 start.
“I think the thing that they share most in common, at least recently, is that the Red Sox asked them both to do very difficult things,” said Kennedy. “Bres, you came in 2023 to get the Red Sox baseball operation on a path to sustained success, back into a position where we could be competing for World Series championships. We have a lot of work left to do, but we couldn't be more pleased with the trajectory of the organization under your leadership. And Chad, you came into what was an incredibly difficult situation in April and provided stability and leadership when this organization needed most.”
It was a particularly gratifying day for Tracy, 41, who never got to the Majors as a player after grinding it out in the Minors from 2006-2014. Then came his next mission, which started in 2015, to get to the Majors as a coach or manager.
Perseverance paid off.
“Yeah, quite a bit, 22 years to be exact, playing and coaching,” said Tracy. “That's a long time, so I loved every minute of it. I was pretty committed to trying to achieve this as a player, and was committed to it from like high school. ‘I'm gonna play baseball and I'm gonna become a big league player’ and worked and gave everything I possibly could to try to make that happen. Different obstacles got in the way that didn't allow it.
“And then I made the choice that I'm gonna go start all over at the very lowest level and do it all as a coach because I love the game of baseball and I love sharing knowledge with players, and I love being a part of a locker room, and I love being around baseball players. Along that journey, as you get down the road with that a bit, you certainly feel like getting to this point would be awesome.”
The true version of awesome for Tracy took place prior to the press conference celebrating the announcement when he was able to share the moment with his players, many of whom he managed in the Minors in his four-plus-year stint with Triple-A Worcester.
“I choked up a little bit,” said Tracy. “Because, if you stand there in the moment and think about the journey, and you also look around at the faces of guys that I've had – quite a few of them – along for five years. So to look around at the players in the room and being able to have that announcement with some players that I've grown very, very close with was a cool moment.
“I did tell them I'm looking forward to ditching a jacket, getting my uniform on today, getting back to work and having the focus on them and what we're gonna do in October, but it was special, particularly with our group.”
It was a group that defied all expectations with a 32-5 run that started on June 25.
Before all those wins, Breslow was scrutinized because his manager and coaching changes didn’t initially make much of a difference in the standings. But as his ownership continued to support him privately, Breslow tuned out the outside noise.
“I think the honest way to answer that is that I and the rest of the front office were so consumed with thinking about how we get the team back on track, how we win more games, how to get players to perform up to their capabilities that it didn’t leave a lot of time for wondering what was going to happen to me. As a baseball operation, we were obsessed with, ‘How do we turn this around?’ That's the priority, and that's what we gave our time to.”
Up next for Tracy and Breslow will be getting the Red Sox prepared for an AL Wild Card Series that starts on Sept. 29 – most likely at Yankee Stadium.
“I think that as we go forward here, and as we head for October baseball, this organization is on solid footing,” said Kennedy. “And our baseball operations now has continuity and stability. And we are very optimistic about the road ahead in our ability to give the best fans in baseball what they deserve, which is the opportunity to play for championships.”