Craig Breslow Could Fill Red Sox Pitching Coach Role With Former Teammate

Craig Breslow seems ready to make his first hire, and it's one he has deep ties with. Is that kind of favortism good for the Red Sox?
Craig Breslow could hire a former teammate to be the Red Sox's new pitching coach.
Craig Breslow could hire a former teammate to be the Red Sox's new pitching coach. / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

The Boston Red Sox haven't been able to do much this offseason without a GM, but one of the few moves they were able to make involved firing pitching coach Dave Bush and third base coach Carlos Feebles.

Now that the Red Sox have hired Craig Breslow to lead their baseball operations department, however, he'll be able to fill those roles as he sees fit. In fact, he may already have someone in mind for the pitching coach opening.

Red Sox Pitching Coach Rumors

According to MassLive's Chris Cotillo, Breslow is likely to consider hiring Andrew Bailey as Boston's new pitching coach.

Similar to Breslow, Bailey is also a former relief pitcher. The two were teammates with the Oakland A's from 2009-2011 and again with the Red Sox in 2012 and 2013, so they're good friends. They also founded the Strike 3 Foundation -- a non-profit charity focused on pediatric cancer research.

Bailey enjoyed a successful eight-year playing career that included a Rookie of the Year award and two All-Star appearances, as he was briefly one of the better closers in baseball. Since retiring after the 2017 season, he has served as the Los Angeles Angels' bullpen coach in 2019 and the San Francisco Giants' pitching coach from 2020-2023.

Given his previous experience in Boston and relationship with Breslow, the 39-year-old Bailey seems like a good fit for the role. He also has a track record of success with the Giants, helping their pitchers put up the third-best ERA (4.02) in the National League last year. Hopefully he'd have some ideas on how to improve the Red Sox's pitching staff, which struggled mightily during Bush's tenure and had the fifth-worst ERA in the American League last year (4.52).

A Breslow-Bailey reunion seems like a perfect match, so don't be surprised if it becomes official soon.

If you're a sports bettor, BetMGM is a perfect match for you. They're giving out $200 in bonus bets to new users who sign up through the link below and place a first wager of just $10. You'll even get your credits instantly, so no need to sweat your first bet! Just make sure to claim the offer below now before it disappears!

In other Red Sox news:

feed