Even after enduring a quieter-than-expected offseason, the Boston Red Sox entered the 2026 campaign with heightened expectations. After making a surprise run to the playoffs last year, many folks believed that the Sox were in a great position to build off of what they accomplished during their 2025 campaign.
Instead, through nine games, Boston has fallen flat on its face. With a 2-7 record, the Red Sox are the worst team in the league currently, as every other team has managed to pick up at least three wins. All eyes are looking directly at general manager Craig Breslow after his confusing body of work over the offseason, and he recently took a second to address the team’s slow start in the new year.
Craig Breslow Dishes on Red Sox’s Slow Start
After their aforementioned playoff run last year, the Red Sox entered the offseason with some clear expectations. The front office was expected to find a way to keep Alex Bregman in town, while also adding another slugger to the heart of their lineup. Instead, Breslow and company let Bregman walk, while also missing out on top targets like Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso.
That led Boston to pursue what it already had an abundance of: pitching. Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo were picked up in trades, while Ranger Suarez was signed to a five-year, $130 million contract in free agency. That forced manager Alex Cora to make some tough decisions on a pair of the team’s top prospects, Connelly Early and Payton Tolle, with the latter beginning the year in the minors due to the team’s pitching blockade.
Still, the early results have been shocking. The Sox’s lineup has struggled to consistently score runs, but the pitching staff has largely been a nightmare. Put that all together, and Boston is the worst team in the majors currently. And despite that, Breslow doesn’t sound too concerned, even though his seat is beginning to get warmer.
“We still believe very, very strongly in this team,” Breslow said during the broadcast of the team’s latest loss to the San Diego Padres on NESN. “We have a bunch of good players who are not performing up to their potential right now, and that’s going to turn.”
Should the Red Sox Be Panicking After Ugly 2-7 Start?
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 10: Manager Alex Cora #13 of the Boston Red Sox applauds in the dugout during the 10th inning of a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on April 10, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
It’s worth noting that Breslow’s comments came before the Red Sox suffered their worst loss of the season against the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Despite racing out to a 4-0 lead, Boston allowed San Diego to score six unanswered runs and retake the lead. A two-run double in the seventh inning from Masataka Yoshida tied the game at six, but Jackson Merrill gave the Padres the lead for good by immediately hitting a solo home run to lead off the eighth inning.
There’s a lot of variance in baseball, and right now, everything is going against Boston. Technically speaking, Breslow is right in saying the tides will turn, but for his own sake, he’d better be hoping things get figured out sooner rather than later. The Red Sox won’t have much time to reflect on their latest loss, as they will kick off another series against the Milwaukee Brewers at 6:45 p.m. ET on Monday.
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