Did Boston Red Sox GM replace most of their coaching staff because of one player?

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Phillies And Red Sox ALREADY Fire Their Managers: Too Premature? | The Ricky Cobb Show

Just about a month into the MLB season, the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies have already fired their managers in Alex Cora and Rob Thompson, respectively. Good moves, or too premature?

The Boston Red Sox are an organization seemingly heading in the wrong direction. 

After winning the 2018 World Series, it seemed like the Red Sox were set up to be a dynasty in the American League East. Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, Chris Sale and Xander Bogaerts made up a young, talented core at key positions. They have a large, dedicated fan base, a legendary home stadium that routinely sells out, and the big market to spend on top players. 

Instead, within a few years, all those players were gone. Betts is on the Dodgers. Devers is in San Francisco after a disagreement with the team’s new front office, Sale continues to excel in Atlanta, and Bogaerts signed a lucrative contract with the San Diego Padres. 

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Still, Boston felt that a strong farm system and some targeted free-agent signings would maintain the level of success Red Sox fans had become accustomed to. Yet the team has made just two postseason appearances since that 2018 run, and hasn’t won a playoff series since 2021.

John Henry is facing calls to sell the team. The new front office, helmed by former reliever and Yale grad Craig Breslow, has received mixed reviews from fans, and some lesser than mixed reviews from players. 

Disagreements, underperformance and a slow start came to a head when Breslow fired manager Alex Cora. Along with a whole host of other coaches hired by the previous regime. And a new report on what went on behind the scenes has suggested that Breslow may have tied the firings to the performance of just one player.

Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox argues with umpire Jordan Baker during the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park in Boston on Sept. 1, 2025. (Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

Craig Breslow reshaping Boston front office in his own image

The Athletic reported this week about the changes to Boston’s managerial and coaching staff, which involved dismissing Cora, as well as the team’s hitting coach Pete Fatse, third-base coach Kyle Hudson, bench coach Ramon Vazquez, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson and Major League hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin. Essentially, cleaning house. 

Breslow reportedly made this decision based on a belief that the team’s hitting development had not progressed to the same level as their pitching. Why? In part because of the underperformance of top prospect Kristian Campbell. 

Campbell entered the 2025 season as one of the consensus top 10 young players in baseball, with FanGraphs putting him as the No. 7 prospect in baseball. He signed a $60 million extension after playing in just five MLB games.

But through 67 games in 2025, he was a well-below-average hitter with just a .223/.319/.345 line, before being demoted back to the minor leagues. He hasn’t played in the big leagues since June 2025. The Athletic reported that this was a significant factor in Breslow’s decision to fire these coaches: "Multiple people also singled out Campbell’s major league struggles as a source of Breslow’s frustration with the hitting department."

For his part, Breslow said that was a "stretch," though didn’t exactly deny that Campbell’s underperformance played a big role.

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Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow speaks to the media at JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Fla., on Feb. 11, 2026. (Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

"I think it’s probably a stretch to connect those dots," Breslow said. "This is the 2026 major league season. Now, when we’re evaluating players, and we’re trying to figure out how we can help them reach their potential, we’re constantly questioning everything that we’re doing."

Another source told them that this was an attempt by Breslow to reshape the coaching staff in his image. "He wanted to fire everybody who was here before he got here," the source said. "That’s what he has now."

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It’s easy to see both sides of this. It’s not surprising that a new head of baseball operations would want to replace existing coaches with a staff that’s more aligned with his goals and vision. On the other hand, prospects frequently don’t work out, and blaming the coaching staff feels like an excuse rather than a thorough, process-driven explanation. 

Manager Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox looks on from the dugout during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Md., on April 24, 2026. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Breslow elevated two hitting coaches with experience at Driveline Baseball, an organization that has used modern biomechanics technology, analytics and data-driven tracking and instruction to change swings and develop pitches and velocity. If it works, great, and will cement Breslow’s place in Boston. If it doesn’t, where else does he turn in just his second year on the job? They’re 12-19 and tied for 23rd in runs scored. If that doesn’t turn around by the end of the year, does Breslow take responsibility? Or does Henry make yet another change? Those are questions that need answering, and there won’t be a coaching staff there to take the blame.