4 Red Sox on the Chopping Block After Craig Breslow Hiring
The Boston Red Sox began a new era on Tuesday when it was announced that Craig Breslow would be replacing Chaim Bloom as the club's Chief Baseball Officer. After Bloom's constant gaffes and poor decisions, it's nice to have someone who's seemingly capable of running the ship.
With the World Series wrapping up no later than Nov. 4, Breslow will get to work sooner than later. One of the first things he must do is chop off the excess roster fat if the Red Sox are to avoid missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
Here are four Red Sox who should be on the chopping block now that Breslow is hired.
4 Red Sox on Chopping Block
1. Corey Kluber
Corey Kluber was one of the best American League pitchers in the 2010s. The former 2007 fourth-rounder won two AL Cy Young awards in four seasons and even finished top 20 in league MVP voting three times during his nine-year run with Cleveland.
Having said that, Kluber has been trending in the wrong direction for years now.
After a pair of underwhelming campaigns with the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, Kluber continued his AL East tour by joining the Red Sox last offseason. His contract was a one-year deal with a second-year team option, highlighting Boston's belief that he could potentially turn things around.
Unfortunately, Kluber's tenure has been nothing short of a disaster. The 37-year-old hurler went 3-6 with a 7.04 ERA and 1.636 WHIP across 15 appearances (9 starts). Injuries prevented him from taking the mound since June 20, getting to the point where the club shut him down before he could finish his Triple-A rehab stint.
The Red Sox now have to decide if they'll opt into his team option, which would see Kluber return for $11 million in 2024. If he had a strong bounce-back showing before injuries caught up, I'd be open to the idea, but does Boston need to waste that much money on an unhealthy, declining pitcher?
Bringing Kluber back at that price tag would be a major mistake by Breslow. If he wants to give him another shot on a cheaper contract, that's fine and could pay off (see James Paxton). But if Kluber has his heart set on anything near eight figures, it's time to move on.