For Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow and the Boston Red Sox, a season of high expectations is quickly falling apart. Despite spending big money on their pitching staff, the team cannot find any consistency. Now, an injury to their $170 million ace has put the front office right in the crosshairs of an angry fanbase.

Garrett Crochet is heading to the injured list. “The Red Sox place ace LHP Garrett Crochet on the 15-day IL with left shoulder inflammation,” reported MLB insider Bob Nightengale.

To replace Crochet on the team, the Red Sox have recalled Nate Eaton from Triple-A Worcester.

Because it is a shoulder issue, fans naturally feared the worst. However, Crochet himself provided a positive update. He explained that he was just feeling “some fatigue” during his last start. Instead of pushing through it, he and the team decided to play it safe. Crochet has not stopped throwing and expects to return as soon as his 15 days are up, around May 11.

While some fans speculate if this was the reason for Crochet not being able to perform up to expectations, some are happy that this time out might give him the rest he needs to come back and do better. The expectations on him were sky high because of his finishing as the runner-up in the Cy Young race in 2025. However, before the injury, Crochet had an ERA of 6.30. In a game against the Twins, he gave up 11 runs in just 1.2 innings, showing a lack of control and command.

But things did look like they took a turn against the Orioles. In the 17-1 win, the ace threw six scoreless innings. There were also concerns about his fastball velocity, as many noted that there was a drop of 1-2 mph in many of his outings.

But is Crochet really the main reason Boston is losing? Many fans seem to be questioning Breslow’s roster construction.

The Red Sox invested heavily in their pitching department. They gave Crochet a $170 million contract, Ranger Suarez a $130 million contract, and Bello has a $55 million contract, and this is just the start. But when you look at the names on the team, they are on the IL.

Sonny Gray, Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval, and Johan Oviedo are already on the IL, and with Crochet added to that list, the fans are now questioning the depth of the rotation.

This lack of depth is destroying the team. When the starting pitchers don’t go over 6 innings, the team is 1-17 this season. This shows that the current bullpen is not able to handle the pressure of coming into the games early. And all this is making the fans question if Alex Cora was the problem, or if it was the management.

Craig Breslow called out after Garrett Crochet’s IL news

While the Boston Red Sox pitching has not done a good job and ranks mid-table in most of the stats, the question is whether the pitchers are the problem or if the front office makes bad decisions.

“Let’s see how quickly Craig signs a pitcher,” is the comment by a fan asking Craig Breslow to make a move quickly and get some quality pitching on board.

There are some good pitchers out there, like Sandy Alcantara and Kris Bubic. They don’t want Breslow to make the same mistake he made in the offseason with Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman, where waiting for the right time proved costly.

A fan said, “I’m sure Craig will blame Cora for this, too.” The fan expresses frustration after the team placed Garrett Crochet on the 15-day IL. The “blame Cora” remark ties into fan anger toward Craig Breslow after Alex Cora was fired following a 12–18 start, which left questions about the direction the team was headed in. The fans are now linking the setbacks not to players or the coach but to the front office and Craig Breslow.

“This year is a wash,” reflects fan frustration with Boston’s 12–18 start and last-place standing as of now. The fan also criticizes Craig Breslow and calls him a “trash team GM,” and it might be valid.

Over the last season, the Red Sox not only lost good offensive players, but the players they acquired are nowhere close to being called an upgrade. In the last season, they lost Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman and replaced them with Willson Contreras. While Contreras is a good buy, he doesn’t do much to improve the team that has many gaps.

“What is this season?” sums up the frustration of Boston fans. The team fired Alex Cora after a 10–17 start, hoping results would improve. But that hasn’t been the case because, although the Jays shut out the Red Sox in the next 2 games, the Red Sox won the previous game. The pitching has struggled badly, with injuries and inconsistent starts from across the rotation and the bullpen.

Offensively, Boston ranks 20th in batting average and 28th in slugging, showing that even the offense falls short. And all this leads to one question: What was the Red Sox front office doing in the offseason when they had plenty of chances to build a better team?

“Get rid of Breslow and sell the team,” reflects the anger of the fans as they feel the season falling apart. This frustration is not just about the injury, but it has been since the start of the season.

The front office’s decisions, like missing Alex Bregman and weak replacements, hurt lineup balance, and it is showing now. The team under John Henry has faced criticism for not going out and being aggressive to improve the team. Poor roster planning has led to a weak offense, injuries, and the Red Sox drowning at last in the AL East.

With all the things going against the Red Sox, the pressure is now on the front office and the ownership more than the players.