When asked by a reporter Tuesday during the general managers’ meetings about the challenges that come with a job like this in a city like this — and whether they sometimes become too difficult to be worth it — Breslow said laughed.
“Man, I’ve only been at work a few days,” he said.
“They’re difficult. They’re massive. They’re all-consuming at times,” he continued. “But they’re just incredibly rewarding and challenging in different ways. The chance to work alongside talented people to make an impact on the product that we can put on the field, to have the feeling of contributing to building something bigger than ourselves, all these things are worth it.
A few meters away, in the shadows created by the crush of journalists and cameras after a failed season, Brian Cashman of the New York Yankees launched a passionate combination of curses and explanations.
“I am proud of our people. I am proud of our process. This does not mean that we are operating at full capacity. That doesn’t mean we’re best in class,” the longtime general manager said. “But I think we’re pretty good personally. I’m proud of our people and I’m also looking forward to ’24 being a better year than ’23.
This is the reality of these general managers meetings, the annual start of the MLB offseason, on the rare occasions when the Red Sox and Yankees participate after missing the playoffs.
The Red Sox made a change, hiring Breslow, a former pitcher and Yale graduate with an aptitude for numbers, as well as Chaim Bloom’s replacement, whose tenure was defined as much by mediocrity as by owners’ reluctance to spend to get by. Breslow has yet to establish a direction for his Red Sox era, which will almost certainly include more stressful nights than sunny afternoons like Tuesday’s.
After missing the playoffs with a roster seemingly stronger than the one that had entered the American League Championship Series the previous year, the Yankees brought in outside consultants and held three days of organizational meetings which owner Hal Steinbrenner said would lead to “big changes.”
“There are going to be some changes that some people might not consider important, but (Aaron) Judge and I might do it because we do this every day,” Steinbrenner told reporters before ultimately suggesting that Bunting should be a larger part of the team’s minor league. development.
Soon after, Cashman defended at length the methods that led his team to three consecutive World Series titles from 1998 to 2000, but only one since and a few seasons of personnel decisions that never seemed to go right. He defended the circumstances and process that led to failed acquisitions like Joey Gallo and Frankie Montas, and he made the creaky nature of an injury-prone roster look like bad luck.
He also disputed the idea that his team was too focused on analysis and that the human element had been lost in the desire to be the smartest organization in the game.
“We have the smallest analytics department in the American League East. We have the largest professional scouting department in all of baseball. Is this a shock to you guys? He asked. “That shouldn’t be the case. But no one does in-depth research. They just throw ammo and bulls…”
Cashman didn’t deny that the Yankees needed starting pitchers — much like the Red Sox and like almost every competitive team. He said they needed a starting center fielder and a right fielder, preferably left-handed, because too few of the left-handed bats he had relied on in recent years seemed to stick around. Steinbrenner indicated the team would be willing to spend. Cashman said the only change he could promise was to the roster.
“I am proud of our operation. I think we have a great group of baseball players. I think we have a very solid process that has served us well until what happened this particular season,” he said. “Certainly, that (was a reason) for evaluation (and) self-reflection. No matter what, it will always be the case, even when we are flying high.”
Cashman knows that in jobs like these, flying high is relative and anything short of making the World Series equals failure. His team will almost certainly be a competitor for high-end starters such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto; Cashman flew to Japan to see him throw in person. Left-hander Blake Snell and third baseman Matt Chapman could also help.
They could also help the Red Sox, who recently embarked on their quest for elite free agents. Breslow, who smiled with each response, used words that suggest he understands the pressure he has inherited. Perhaps, as Cashman’s frenzied diatribes after a quarter-century of work suggest, this sort of thing can only be understood with time.
“That’s all part of it. I understand,” Cashman said. “We got sand in our faces – understandable. We only won 82 games. We didn’t make the playoffs. I called it a disaster because it was unexpected and it was a disaster.
“I definitely hear it loud and clear from all aspects, whether it’s the media, the fans, all that. Hey, if you want to play in this market, you have to be tough.
