New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald made it clear during his end-of-season media availability that he would not be coming back with the same group of players for the 2025-26 season.
Pieces began to fall with Tomas Tatar opting to take his game overseas, signing a two-year contract in Switzerland with EV Zug of the Swiss National League.
With free agency a couple of weeks away, it appears another depth forward will not return to New Jersey.
Justin Dowling's agent, Allain Roy of RSG Hockey, LLC, told The Hockey News his client is preparing to hit free agency and "will likely not return" to the Devils organization.
The 34-year-old did not make the Devils roster out of training camp and played seven games with the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) before being called up to replace Curtis Lazar, who suffered a knee injury in October.
Dowling remained in New Jersey for the rest of the season, appearing in 52 games. His play earned him praise from his head coach, Sheldon Keefe. So much so that he chose to play him over Lazar, who was available during the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In addition to the Devils, the Alberta native has previously played for the Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks. At the NHL level, he has played 152 games and has 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists). He additionally appeared in 573 AHL games and collected 408 points.
NHL free agency will officially open on July 1, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. ET.
The Devils have five unrestricted free agents in addition to Dowling: Lazar, Nathan Bastian, Daniel Sprong, Brian Dumoulin, and Jake Allen. Luke Hughes, Cody Glass, and Nolan Foote make up New Jersey's restricted free agents.
Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
Six players were announced by their respective countries for the 2026 Winter Olympics teams, but only Buffalo Sabres team captain Rasmus Dahlin was selected from the club’s current roster. The 25-year-old blueliner finished sixth in Norris Trophy voting last week after posting 68 points (17 goals, 51 assists) in 73 games, and had one goal for his country in the NHL Four Nations Face-Off in February.
Three former Sabres were also named on Monday. Vegas Golden Knights center and ex-Buffalo team captain Jack Eichel was selected by Team USA, Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart was selected by Team Canada, and Tampa Bay Lightning winger Zemgus Girgensons was selected by Team Latvia. Eichel had 94 points for the Golden Knights last season, Reinhart had 39 goals for the Panthers and could win his second straight Stnaley Cup if Florida beats Edmonton on Tuesday, and Girgensons had just six points in 82 games for the Lightning last season.
A surprising omission was Sabres winger JJ Peterka, who has starred for Germany in the World Championships and finished second in team scoring with 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists) in 77 games last season. Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle, Chicago’s Lukas Reichel, Florida’s Nico Strum, Detroit’s Moritz Seider, and Seattle’s Philipp Grubauer were chosen over the 23-year-old winger.
The remainder of the rosters are expected to be selected in early 2026 and besides Peterka, a number of Sabres could be in the mix. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was one of three goalies chosen by Finland for the Four Nations, youngster Jiri Kulich could be in the mix for Czechia, and after a 36-goal season, winger Alex Tuch could be in the mix for a depth spot on Team USA with veterans like Chris Kreider and Brock Nelson on the bubble after a poor showing in February.
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Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh are hotter than they’ve been all season for a Phillies team that has, at times, been desperate for offense from both positions.
Kepler hit a go-ahead solo home run off Sandy Alcantara in the fourth inning Monday night in Miami to extend his hitting streak to six games and the Phillies’ win streak to five. They beat the Marlins, 5-2, and picked up more ground on the idle Mets. The Phils (42-29) were 5½ games back of the Mets as recently as Thursday but now trail by just two with three meetings at Citizens Bank Park this weekend.
Marsh has hit in a seven straight. He tripled with one out in the seventh inning and scored an important third run on a Trea Turner RBI single. He also walked and scored one of the Phillies’ two insurance runs in the top of the ninth. This past week is by far the best Marsh has looked in 2025. He’s 10-for-20 with three extra-base hits and has been squaring up the ball hard, lining singles up the middle and into holes. It’s a promising sign and a reminder of what he can contribute against right-handed pitching.
This is also the sort of production the Phillies hoped they’d receive a bit more consistently from Kepler, who has three homers and two doubles in his last six games. He’s hitting .221/.310/.413 through 213 plate appearances.
“That was my first thought, the at-bats by everyone were really good turning the lineup over,” Turner said over the weekend when the Phillies swept the Blue Jays. “It makes a big difference.””
Turner set the tone again, leading the game off with a homer and piling up three more hits. He leads the National League with 88, four more than Manny Machado and five more than Shohei Ohtani.
It made a winner out of Mick Abel, who is 2-0 with a 2.21 ERA through four starts. After three homers and three walks his last time out against the Cubs, Abel bounced back with five innings of one-run ball against one of baseball’s three worst offenses.
Abel’s only difficult inning was the bottom of the second, when he walked Liam Hicks on a borderline full-count pitch with two outs and a man on third base. The next batter, Connor Norby, also ran a deep count and singled in the Marlins’ only run.
Manager Rob Thomson lifted Abel after five innings and 77 pitches, perhaps cognizant of how much the Phillies will need to rely on the rookie this summer without Aaron Nola.
Taijuan Walker, Jordan Romano, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering finished off the win. Kerkering is the seventh different Phillie to earn a save this season and it was the first of his big-league career. He went 1-2-3 and has been close to lights-out for a month.
The streaking Phillies look to make it six in a row on Tuesday behind Jesus Luzardo, who is coming off a 10-strikeout gem after making adjustments to his glove positioning to limit pitch-tipping.
Devers was traded after the Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees at Fenway Park, giving them eight wins in their last 10 games. The timing of the move was questionable, as it killed the good vibes surrounding the club and potentially resulted in Boston getting a worse return than it would have received had it waited until next month’s trade deadline.
So, how did Breslow and Kennedy explain the controversial decision to trade Devers? Here were the highlights from Monday night’s press conference:
How does the trade help the Red Sox for 2025?
Breslow made the bold claim that the Red Sox may finish with a better record as a result of trading Devers.
“I understand why the initial reaction would be that it would be tough to sit here and say, when you move a player of Raffy’s caliber, how could I sit here and say that we’re a better team? I acknowledge that on paper, we’re not gonna have the same lineup that we did, but this isn’t about the game that is played on paper. This is about the game that is played on the field and ultimately about winning the most games that we can,” Breslow said.
“I think when you consider the flexibility, the ability to give some of the young players some run … I do think there’s a real chance that at the end of the season, we’re looking back and we’ve won more games than we otherwise would have.”
Was there a mandate to offload Devers’ entire contract?
The Giants took on the remaining $254 million on Devers’ contract. Was Breslow required to dump all of Devers’ contract to facilitate a deal?
“There was no mandate,” Breslow said. “The mandate is to assemble the best team that we possibly could. In order to do that, we needed to create a more functional roster and give certain guys more playing time, be able to rotate through the DH spot, potentially match up there. … Additionally, I do think it gives us some resources as we head toward the deadline.”
What led to Devers being traded in the second season of his 10-year contract?
“In the end, I think it’s pretty clear that we couldn’t find alignment with Raffy, is the truth,” Kennedy said. “We all worked at it over the last several months, going back to the offseason. … We worked at it, we had a different vision for him going forward than he had, and we couldn’t get there. We couldn’t find alignment, and we reached that inflection point and made the decision to make a big move.”
Why was the move made now and not closer to the trade deadline or in the offseason?
The timing of the Devers deal was questionable, especially with the trade deadline just over a month away. Boston likely could have gotten a better return if it waited for a bidding war around the deadline or in the offseason, so why make the trade now?
“I think we rightfully set a really high bar to execute a trade of this magnitude,” Breslow said. We did have conversations with other clubs, we got a sense for the way they might behave, whether it was today or a few weeks from now.
“It’s not that this was the best deal that we could get, because the best deal that we could get may not necessarily be good enough to trade a player like Raffy Devers. But when you consider all of the factors here, this is the one that made sense, this is the path that we went down, and so we ended up where we did.”
What happened during Devers’ meeting with John Henry?
“That meeting was full of candor, openness, honesty between both John and Raffy,” Kennedy said. “Bres has had many discussions with Raffy, I’ve had discussions with Raffy, AC’s (Alex Cora) had discussions with Raffy that have been candid, honest, direct. We just weren’t able to get there on a shared vision for his role going forward. It’s OK. This sometimes happens in a long-term relationship, and we hopefully did the absolute best thing in the best interest of the Boston Red Sox and in this case in Raffy Devers.”
Did Devers ask to be traded?
“There were times during the course of conversations with Raffy’s camp where they had indicated perhaps a fresh start would be best for both sides,” Breslow said.
Why do the Red Sox keep trading generational talents? (Mookie Betts and now Devers)
“Each and every player decision is its own individual decision,” Kennedy said. “I’ll put our record up against anybody else’s in Major League Baseball over the last 24 years. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built here. We’ve got more trophies and banners to show for it than any other organization in Major League Baseball. We are so proud of that.”
Is this an admission that extending Devers was a mistake?
The Red Sox signed Devers to a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension before the 2023 season.
“We thought we had alignment back when we made the contract a couple years ago when we did the deal. Ultimately, we did not. We’re responsible for that. … We had certain expectations that went with that contract, and when we came to the conclusion that we did not have a full alignment, we moved on.”
You can watch the full press conference below:
LIVE with Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy and Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow: https://t.co/7emUEm421p
Ron Taylor, a reliever on the Mets' 1969 World Series championship team, died on Monday at the age of 87 after a lengthy illness, the club announced.
Taylor, who pitched for the Mets from 1967-71, appeared in 269 regular-season games, posting a 3.04 ERA and a 1.144 WHIP with 50 saves in a New York uniform.
He led the Mets with 59 appearances and 13 saves in 1969, pitching to a 2.72 ERA. He also earned a save in Game 2 of the 1969 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles.
The right-hander pitched for five teams – Cleveland, St. Louis, Houston, New York, and San Diego – during his 11-year career in the majors, posting a career 3.93 ERA.
After his playing days ended, Taylor went on to become the team physician for the Toronto Blue Jays, a role he served for more than 30 years.
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Houston Astros placed right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. on the 15-day injured list with a sprained right foot Monday before his scheduled start against the Athletics.
The move, which is retroactive to Friday, comes after McCullers made seven starts this year in his return after missing two full seasons with various arm injuries.
Rookie right-hander Ryan Gusto will start in his place Monday as the AL West-leading Astros open a four-game series against the Athletics.
McCullers is 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA this season. He allowed four hits and four runs while striking out six in five innings of a 4-2 loss to the White Sox in his last start on Tuesday.
The injury to McCullers is the latest in a string of injuries to the Astros rotation. Houston starters Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco are both out for the season after having Tommy John surgery and right-hander Spencer Arrighetti has been sidelined since April after breaking his right thumb in a batting practice mishap.
They also are missing right-handers Luis Garcia and Cristian Javier, who are both still recovering from Tommy John surgery.
The Astros recalled right-hander Jason Alexander from Triple-A Sugar Land to take his spot on the roster.
WASHINGTON — Third baseman Brady House was promoted by the Washington Nationals from Triple-A Rochester on Monday, the club’s latest rookie to get a look at the big league level this season.
In other moves before opening a series against the worst-in-the-majors Colorado Rockies, the Nationals recalled outfielder Daylen Lile from Rochester, optioned outfielder Robert Hassell III and infielder José Tena to the Triple-A club and designated infielder Juan Yepez for assignment.
Washington entered Monday on an eight-game losing streak and with a 30-41 record.
The 22-year-old House was the 11th overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft.
He is considered Washington’s No. 3 prospect and leads the club’s minor league system with 13 homers, 41 RBIs, a .519 slugging percentage and an .872 OPS in 65 games at Triple-A in 2025.
Lile made his major league debut in May.
Hassell, another rookie, hit .218 with one homer and eight RBIs in 21 games since making his debut.
Tena it .248 in 44 games with the Nationals this season.
Jake Cousins’ 2025 season is over before it ever began, as Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Monday that the right-hander is set to undergo Tommy John surgery.
Cousins, who had been on a rehab assignment while recovering from a right elbow flexor strain and then later battling pectoral discomfort, will have the procedure performed on Wednesday, finishing his season and likely keeping him off the mound for a good chunk of the 2026 season as well.
It’s been a nightmare year for the right-hander, who came into spring training with a forearm strain that landed him on the 60-Day IL to start the regular season. Then, his rehab assignment was recently paused after he "felt some stuff in his elbow," according to Boone.
While the 30-year-old Cousins did not pitch in the big leagues this season, he proved to be a valuable bullpen arm in 2024 after being acquired in a March 31 trade with the White Sox for cash considerations. In 37 appearances last season, Cousins pitched to a 2.37 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP.
Evgeni Malkin’s likely final season comes as the Penguins enter with long +28000 odds, creating potential sleeper value for bettors hoping for a storybook ending.
Evgeni Malkin has been one of the faces of Pittsburgh hockey for nearly two decades but the 2025–26 campaign may mark the end of his Hall of Fame journey. According to multiple reports, the Penguins are not expected to offer Malkin another contract following this season, making it likely the last for the Russian superstar. The report did not confirm Malkin himself but the writing appears to be on the wall as the team continues to lean younger under new leadership.
The Penguins reportedly will not offer Evgeni Malkin a contract extension, making the 2025-26 season his last in Pittsburgh, per @JoshYohe_PGH
Even at 38, Malkin showed flashes of vintage brilliance last season. He finished the 2024–25 campaign with 16 goals and 34 assists for 50 points in 68 games. While it's nowhere near the 113 points he recorded in 2008-09, it's still serviceable for a mid-tier centre. He was among the Penguins top contributors, showing that his vision, touch, and playmaking remain effective even as the miles add up.
The wonder is if the Penguins will opt to trade the veteran centre to a contender and help the Penguins retain something of value before he potentially retires. Over his career, Malkin has become one of the most decorated players of his generation. He’s won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, two Art Ross scoring titles, and the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP during the Penguins' 2009 Stanley Cup run.
He's also hoisted the Stanley Cup three times in 2009, 2016, and 2017 as well as being named to the All-Star Game seven times throughout his historic career. As of the end of last season, he’s logged a total of 1,213 NHL games with 514 goals and 832 assists, good for 1,346 points. In October 2024, Malkin became just the 48th player in NHL history to reach 500 career goals.
The timing of this potential farewell couldn’t be more intriguing from a betting perspective. The Penguins enter the season as one of the biggest long shots to win the Stanley Cup, listed at +28000, the fifth-longest odds in the league on FanDuel Sportsbook. Their roster remains in flux and leadership will look very different, with Dan Muse stepping behind the bench as Pittsburgh’s new head coach. Muse, known for his development acumen and detail-oriented approach, has been given long +3100 odds to win the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year.
For bettors, the combination of Malkin’s likely final season and a new coaching regime introduces narrative-driven value. It wouldn’t be the first time a legendary player went out with a late-career surge that pulled a team beyond expectations.
If Muse can elevate the team’s structure and Malkin finds another gear for one last playoff push, even the longest odds can become tempting. Cash out oppurtunites are something we've looked at in the past and just a $10 bet on the Penguins would pay out around $2,800 to win the Cup which isn't very likely.
However, Pittsburgh has proven in past seasons that experienced cores can catch fire and if they can manage to battle their way into a playoff spot like they looked like they were going to at times this season, we could get a massive cashout option towards the start of next years playoffs that could pay out a couple hundred dollars.
With Steph Curry’s 16th NBA season officially in the rearview mirror, the end of the Warriors star’s legendary career is closer than many would like to admit.
“He still loves the game,” Dell told RG.org’s DJ Siddiqi. “He’s a competitive guy. He wants to win another title, so we’re not even close to that window yet. But when the time comes, I think he’ll make the right decision.”
Steph turned 37 this year and has one of the most decorated careers in NBA history, but his father knows there’s still plenty of gas left in the Chef’s tank — and hopefully one or two more rings left to win. Dell believes Steph could play in his 40s thanks to his preparation, dedication and, of course, shooting skill.
“Absolutely, just because he can shoot the basketball, and he’s going to require attention,” Dell told Siddiqi. “Even if you put him in the corner at 40, 41 years old, you have to guard him. That means that he’s creating space for other guys around him. If you can shoot the basketball, there’s a team that can use you in today’s NBA. But if you’re Steph Curry, I think you’re going to be able to play until you say, ‘I’m done.’”
Steph signed a one-year contract extension with the Warriors last summer worth $62.6 million — a well-deserved payday for the two-time NBA MVP that keeps him locked down in the Bay through the 2026-27 season.
And even at 37, he’s still playing at an elite level. It’s likely the Warriors would have made an even deeper NBA playoff push this postseason if Steph hadn’t sustained a Grade 1 hamstring strain early in Golden State’s Western Conference semifinals matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Splash Bro’s play only has improved since the Warriors acquired him some scoring help with Jimmy Butler.
But Steph himself thinks about the retirement question, as he detailed to 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” back in March.
“Man, I don’t know,” Curry said when asked how much longer he believes he can play. “I’ve tried to answer that question before and I’ve said a lot of different things just based on how I feel that day, but I think it’s all kind of measured on the style of, can I get to that level that I expect for myself. That’s not really attached to like a points-per-game or stats thing. It’s just a feeling, like, can I dominate a game? Can I play my style for 30-plus minutes? And then you kind of reevaluate every year.
“So I know how my contract’s lined up, and I would like to outplay that for sure. But how long that goes? I have no idea.”
Dell knows the feeling.
“I think it’ll come down to—not necessarily his skill, or what he can do in a game in the season,” Dell told Siddiqi. “I think it’s a matter of, can he go through the rigors of preparing himself to play in an NBA season? I know when I retired, that was a big factor. I just didn’t feel like I had the energy, the effort to work and train throughout the summer. So I wouldn’t short myself, my teammates or the fans and give my all during that season. I think that’s what it’ll come down to.”
Whenever the day comes, there’s one thing that’s for certain — the Bay and the Warriors never will be the same. But for now, Dub Nation is soaking in every game they can watch Steph go to work.
The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers 120-109 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday, making them one win away from the franchise’s first ever title.
But it wasn’t league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who put the team on his back in Game 5. Instead, it was forward Jalen Williams, who erupted for 40 points on 14 of 25 shooting and 9 of 12 free throws. Williams’ career high is 41 points.
Williams, 24, also joined rare company as he recorded three straight 25-plus-point games in the Finals. Only four other players in the last four years achieved such a feat: Shaquille O’Neal (1995), Dwyane Wade (2006), Kevin Durant (2012) and Kyrie Irving (2016).
Gilgeous-Alexander still did his thing, recording 31 points, 10 assists and four blocks on 9 of 21 shooting and 13 of 14 free throws. Aaron Wiggins (14) and Cason Wallace (11) delivered key points off the bench with no other starter eclipsing double figures.
Indiana had a different story with its stars. Though Pascal Siakam put up 28 points on 9 of 15 shooting, Tyrese Haliburton, who reportedly is dealing with a lower-leg injury, had just four points. All came from the foul line as he missed his six field-goal attempts, with four from long range.
T.J. McConnell nearly became a hero with 18 bench points on 8 of 14 shooting, along with four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Obi Toppin added 12 off the bench. Aaron Nesmith (14) and Myles Turner (13) were the other Pacers in double figures for points.
Oklahoma City led by as much as 18 to just Indiana’s three-point gap, but the Pacers did make a push in the fourth quarter and got within five points. However, the late magical runs Indiana has conjured this postseason didn’t transpire again.
Game 6 in Indiana, where Oklahoma City can win the championship, is set for Thursday, June 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. PT.
The 2025 MLB All-Star Game is just under a month away, and for the first time in his time with the Mets, Francisco Lindor appears primed to make the National League's starting lineup.
With the first update on the initial phase of voting now public, Lindor has received 1,019,273 votes, nearly double the number of the next closest shortstop, Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts (597,188).
Lindor – with 13 doubles, 14 home runs, and a .279/.353/.475 slashline for an .828 OPS – is the lone Mets position player to be in first for their position.
Juan Soto is closest to grabbing a starting spot, as he is fourth among outfielders with 625,618 votes, behind the Chicago Cubs' duo of Pete Crow-Armstrong (1,126,119) and Kyle Tucker (704,740) and Los Angeles's Teoscar Hernández (685,553).
Pete Alonso (895,900) is also close on the heels of the Dodgers' Freddie Freeman (1,136,389) to be the NL's starter at first base.
While the fan voting is a popularity contest and not always necessarily about statistics, it is tough to find much distance between Alonso and Freeman.
Entering Monday night New York's slugger has 22 doubles, 17 home runs, and 63 RBI with a .293/.390/.579 slashline for a .960 OPS (174 OPS+ and 169 wRC+). LA's man has 21 doubles, nine home runs, and 41 RBI with a .336/.409/.558 slash line for a .967 OPS (173 OPS+ and a 168 wRC+).
No surprise for the team from the Bronx: Aaron Judge received the most votes for any player in the majors and has more than double the votes for any AL outfielder with 1,568,527 (He is 169,756 votes ahead of Shohei Ohtani for the most votes overall).
Even after a rough series in Boston, the reigning MVP has done nothing but prove to be one of the most feared hitters in the game as he has 17 doubles, 26 home runs, and 60 RBI, with a .378/.473/.756 slashline for a 1.228 OPS (238 OPS+ and 236 wRC+).
The Yanks also have Paul Goldschmidt (667,258) in first place at first base, just ahead of Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (615, 726).
Ben Rice (232,331) is in second place for DH behind Baltimore's Ryan O'Hearn (353,029). (Rafael Devers led American League DHs with 796,382 votes, but those votes are moot after the Red Sox shipped him off to the Giants on Sunday.)
First-year Yank Cody Bellinger (416,858) is in sixth place among outfielders, but just under 60,000 votes behind the Angels' Mike Trout (475,265), who occupies the third and final outfield slot.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (250,416) is fourth for AL second baseman, which is currently led by ex-Yank and current Detroit Tiger Gleyber Torres (535,079).
***
The player who winds up as the top vote-getter at each position before phase 1 of voting ends on June 26 will receive an automatic spot on the All-Star team, while the second-highest vote-getter at each position advances to phase 2 of voting (June 30-July 2).
The reserves and pitchers on the team will be determined by the player ballot, which means deserving Mets and Yankees can get in that way if they aren't voted in by the fans.
Each team will have 32 players (20 position players and 12 pitchers, which includes at least three relievers).
The game will take place at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 15.
Was the Boston Red Sox’ stunning Rafael Devers trade the result of dysfunction within Craig Breslow’s front office?
Breslow, Boston’s chief baseball officer since Oct. 2023, traded Devers to the San Francisco Giants amid a strained relationship with the veteran slugger. Devers called out Breslow after being asked to play first base earlier this season, when he had already reluctantly moved from third base to designated hitter.
Apparently, Devers wasn’t the only member of the organization miffed by Breslow’s approach to baseball operations. On Monday, a revealing Yahoo Sports report from Joon Lee detailed how the Red Sox front office has “lost cohesion” under Breslow’s leadership. One example cited in Lee’s report was Breslow’s firing of a longtime scouting supervisor for insulting him during a team Zoom meeting.
Read the excerpt from Lee’s piece below:
“Meanwhile, Breslow has grown increasingly insulated. Multiple sources within the organization describe a front office losing cohesion. Staffers who helped build four championship teams — veterans of the Theo Epstein, Ben Cherington, Dave Dombrowski and Bloom regimes — now feel shut out of the operation. The collaborative spirit that once defined Red Sox baseball operations has frayed.
“The discontent intensified in May 2024, when Breslow brought in sports consulting firm Sportsology to conduct an organizational audit. The stated purpose was to streamline baseball operations. In practice, it triggered a wave of firings and accelerated the marginalization of some of the longest-tenured voices in the building, “characterizing the cultural shift to align more with Wall Street efficiency.
“One of the clearest signals came during an internal team Zoom meeting earlier this season. Toward the end, Carl Moesche — the Red Sox’s scouting supervisor and a team employee since 2017 — thought the call had ended. It hadn’t. As the meeting wrapped, his voice cut through a quiet moment.
‘”Thanks, Bres, you f***ing stiff,’ Moesche said, according to two team sources.“
Lee’s report also states that Breslow and manager Alex Cora “have not seen eye-to-eye on the direction of the team.” The coaching staff has “grown frustrated with the state of player development, specifically how much emphasis is placed on swing mechanics and hitting data, often at the expense of fundamentals.”
Breslow, a former MLB relief pitcher, played for the Red Sox in 2006 and 2012-15. He joined the Chicago Cubs front office in 2019 and was promoted to assistant general manager in 2020. After the 2023 season, he replaced Chaim Bloom as the Red Sox’ front-office leader.
So far, Breslow hasn’t done much to convince the Fenway Faithful that he’s an improvement over Bloom. The Red Sox stayed mediocre at 81-81 last season and are an uninspiring 37-36 this year. Now, like his predecessor, Breslow’s tenure will likely be remembered for trading a face of the franchise.
Without Devers, the Red Sox will begin a three-game series in Seattle on Monday night. They will start a three-game series in San Francisco against Devers and the Giants starting on Friday.
