If you are a Boston fan, you know that for several years, the team was criticized for not acquiring enough talent or securing the pieces that would help them reach the playoffs. But they were the surprise of the season, given that they got Garrett Crochet, Aroldis Chapman, and Alex Bregman! And once they did that, the result was in front- Boston Red Sox managed their first postseason appearance in four years.

However, the happiness lasted only that long, given they were eliminated by the Yankees in the Wild Card round. However, you’d expect some grace from the skipper- Alex Cora, for the team making it that far, right? Nope.

Alex Cora, not one to sugarcoat, threw the team under the bus. The Red Sox defense gets a C+ from Alex Cora: “We have to improve.” And from there, he only doubled down.

He said on Foul Territory, “Playing three games in October is not good enough for us. We got a taste… But honestly, it feels like we didn’t even play it. It was so short.” It’s almost like he wants a complete run now, and given the last off-season moves, it seems the front office wants the same thing.

However, now with Bregman opting out and other holes opening up, Boston has some real decisions to make. This leads us straight to Triston Casas, the 25-year-old slugger at the center of a storm. Casas looked like a franchise cornerstone not long ago, but injuries wrecked his seasons.

Torn rib cartilage, then a torn patellar tendon, and more than 230 missed games later, most think that Boston might be willing to move him. The rumor went viral fast, and the front office is not making the rumors die down easily. “I don’t think it makes a ton of sense on Oct. 6th to say someone is or isn’t our first baseman, and we’ll see how things play out.” Breslow had accepted back in October that “unfortunately, Triston has missed a significant amount of time over the last two years.”

And here is the reality—the Boston Red Sox needs power, and they ranked middle of the pack in home runs, and their first basemen combined for just 16 all year. Casas could still become that guy, but Boston might not be willing to bet their contention window on that hope.

Alex Cora backs Craig Breslow after roller-coaster year

There is no doubt that if there is a front office man whose name has been in headlines all year long, good or bad, it is none other than the Boston Red Sox’s Craig Breslow. The man was everywhere. One minute, he was pulling off the biggest trade of the season by landing Crochet, and then the very next, sending their franchise cornerstone, Rafael Devers, away to the Giants.

But then he did add Bregman, even though he shipped a Quinn Priester to Milwaukee, keeping the fans in limbo on what to think about it all. However, Alex Cora seems to be on board with Breslow and his boldness last off-season, saying, “He did an amazing job last year. I know a lot of people don’t give him credit, but if you look at the offseason we had—Aroldis Chapman, Justin Wilson, Alex Bregman, and Garrett Crochet—three All-Stars, Wilson was great. Let him be; let him do the job.”

That’s as strong an endorsement as you’ll hear. And Cora was not done. He made it clear that the truth runs both ways; Breslow checks in and listens, and then he makes the calls needed to improve the 26-man and 40-man rosters. And to be fair, Breslow’s resume over the past year is better than critics would like to admit.

The extensions for Crochet and the top prospect, Roman Anthony, alone set the team up beautifully. Pair those with the other long-term commitments to Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Kristian Campbell, and suddenly Boston has a young, controllable core locked in through 2029. The next step is to add the right pieces to move them from promising to a problem for the 29 teams.