logo
Jed Hoyer made hard trades in Cubs rebuild, praises ‘conviction' of Craig Breslow's Devers trade

Jed Hoyer made hard trades in Cubs rebuild, praises ‘conviction' of Craig Breslow's Devers trade

New York Times5 days ago
CHICAGO — Jed Hoyer knows what it's like to make unpopular, franchise-altering trades.
At the 2021 trade deadline, fans lambasted the Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations for breaking up a beloved group of World Series-winning players. Hoyer viewed the trades at the time as painful but necessary moves.
Advertisement
In that vein, he applauded Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow with unusual candor for Breslow's 'conviction' in pulling off one of baseball's most shocking trades this season. Last month, Breslow traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for pitchers Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks and prospects James Tibbs and Jose Bello.
'He's been bold with the (Garrett) Crochet deal, and obviously with the Devers deal, I loved the conviction he showed on that deal,' Hoyer said Sunday as the Red Sox avoided a sweep by the Cubs with a 6-1 win.
In Chicago at the 2021 deadline, Hoyer made major moves in an attempt to turn around the Cubs franchise, but it involved some uncomfortable realities. Hoyer understood when he took over for Theo Epstein after the 2020 season that he'd have to bear the burden of change in Chicago. He knew it would be wildly unpopular trading Anthony Rizzo to the New York Yankees, Javier Báez to the New York Mets and Kris Bryant to the Giants in the span of two days, all with an eye toward the future.
The biggest return among those trades was getting then-prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong from the Mets. Crow-Armstrong is vying for NL MVP as the Cubs surge, nearly 20 games over .500 and in first place in the National League Central.
During that time of tumultuous change in Chicago, Breslow served as an assistant general manager under Hoyer and was at the center of those moves as part of a small, trusted inner circle for Hoyer.
Hoyer described Breslow's role in helping retool the Cubs organization, drawing some parallels to what Breslow is doing in Boston.
'He was a big part of the decision to trade away our core World Series guys,' Hoyer said of Breslow. 'I think he saw the reaction fan-base-wise — there was real frustration and anger — but ultimately, we as a group made the decision that it was time. It was time to reset and bring in new talent and put the organization in a different direction. He saw that as the right thing to do at the time.'
It's been roughly 21 months since Breslow worked for the Cubs, but in so many ways, his five seasons in Chicago were formative years for him as a front-office executive.
More than most, Hoyer can relate to the hard decisions Breslow has felt necessary to make in Boston.
Hoyer has gone from Breslow's mentor in Chicago to a rival executive in different leagues, but he has watched from afar as Breslow has been aggressive in changing the front-office structure, retooling the roster with major trades and revamping the organization's pitching infrastructure to bring the Red Sox back into contention.
Advertisement
With the second half underway, the Red Sox are fighting for a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2021. Breslow has some major decisions to make as his second trade deadline as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox approaches next week, but he has already proved a willingness to be bold.
Not every trade works out; that's a reality of the business. Many across baseball criticized Breslow for the Devers deal. Hoyer saw the move as an opportunity that even experienced executives might have shied away from.
'He felt like he was doing the absolute right thing for the franchise, and those are hard decisions,' Hoyer said of the deal. 'When you're doing something you know in the short term could frustrate some people but you totally believe is in the best interest of the organization, those are hard decisions. When I see other executives make decisions like that, I have so much respect because I know what goes into it from a personal standpoint.'
Hoyer, a New Hampshire native who went to Wesleyan University in Connecticut and spent seven seasons in the Red Sox front office from 2002 to 2009, working under Epstein and serving as co-general manager in 2005 alongside Ben Cherington, has about as good an understanding of the Boston market as there is.
But he also understands well how Breslow operates.
When Breslow's circuitous 17-year pitching career ended in 2018 with the Toronto Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate, Epstein, the Cubs president of baseball operations at the time, recruited Breslow to an entry-level front-office role auditing the Cubs' pitching infrastructure.
As a player, Breslow was widely known as one of the smartest and most analytically minded athletes, one who first played for Epstein's Red Sox in 2006. He quickly rose through the Cubs front office, becoming an assistant general manager in 2021. After Epstein left, the team promoted Hoyer to the top role, and Breslow was a key part of Chicago's decision-making until he was hired by Boston in November 2023. Epstein, now a part-owner in Fenway Sports Group, has served as a mentor for Breslow over the last two years.
Advertisement
As Hoyer worked alongside Breslow in Chicago, he could tell it wouldn't be long before Breslow acquired enough experience to run his own team.
'I always had a sense we were renting him because it was obvious he was going to get this opportunity really quickly, just given the number of people on this planet who have his skill set and pitched in the big leagues for 12 years,' Hoyer said.
In his first season in Boston, Breslow hired an outside auditing firm to evaluate the front office and get a better feel for how the organization operated. It was a contentious time for many longtime employees but a process he felt necessary to streamline baseball operations.
'Year 1 is such an evaluative period,' Hoyer said. 'I talked to Craig so many times about that last year, where you've got to get in there and learn what's going on and sort of take it all in and figure it all out. You want to make change quickly, but you also realize that it takes time. And the last thing you want to do is make bad decisions because you were hasty. I think as you get into Year 2 and beyond, it starts to become your organization.'
The trade deadline last year didn't go as Breslow hoped, adding three pitchers — James Paxton, Lucas Sims and Luis García — who were all quickly injured as the big-league club faded down the stretch. Breslow lamented not being as aggressive as he should have been in his first year fully in charge of a club.
He learned from that deadline with an aggressive move over the winter, trading the team's two most recent first-round draft picks in addition to two other prospects for Crochet on the final day of the Winter Meetings. Six months later, he pulled off the Devers bombshell, acknowledging mistakes in communication with Devers along the way.
Breslow has been far from perfect. He's in only his second season leading a baseball team. Though Breslow was criticized by many for the trade, one former colleague has been impressed with what he has done so far.
'I learned a lot from him. Hopefully, he learned a lot from us,' Hoyer said. 'I think he's done a fantastic job. And I think he's going to be doing this job at a high level for a long time. He's made really hard decisions.'
(Top photo of Jed Hoyer: Kamil Krzaczynski / Imagn Images)
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Falcons lose starting WR Darnell Mooney for several weeks with shoulder injury and sign D.J. Chark
Falcons lose starting WR Darnell Mooney for several weeks with shoulder injury and sign D.J. Chark

Yahoo

time9 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Falcons lose starting WR Darnell Mooney for several weeks with shoulder injury and sign D.J. Chark

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Darnell Mooney's status for the start of the season is uncertain as the Atlanta Falcons' second-leading receiver in 2024 is expected to miss several weeks of training camp with a shoulder injury. Mooney suffered the injury in Thursday's first practice of training camp. The Falcons bolstered their depth chart at wide receiver by signing veteran D.J. Chark Jr., who joined the team for Saturday's practice. Chark worked out for the Falcons on Friday. 'That workout was already set up,' Falcons assistant general manager Kyle Smith said Saturday, referring to the visit from Chark being scheduled before Mooney's injury. Smith said Mooney's injury is 'part of the deal' and the front office is 'always ready to find solutions and add to the roster whenever we can.' Smith provided no details on the severity of Mooney's injury. Chark, 29, began the 2024 season on injured reserve with a hip injury and was limited to four catches for 31 yards with one touchdown in seven games with the Los Angeles Chargers. Chark, a second-round draft pick by Jacksonville in 2018, set career highs with 73 catches for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns for the Jaguars in 2019. Following four seasons with Jacksonville, Chark played for Detroit in 2022 and Carolina in 2023. Mooney had 64 catches for 992 yards and five touchdowns in 2024. Drake London led the team with 100 receptions for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns. London, Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud III opened training camp as Atlanta's top wide receivers. KhaDarel Hodge returns as a top backup after starting two games last season. The injury will force Mooney to miss valuable practice time with second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who is entering his first full season as the starter following a three-game audition to close the 2024 season. ___ AP NFL:

Dolphins sign ex-Patriots star to fill big void
Dolphins sign ex-Patriots star to fill big void

Yahoo

time9 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Dolphins sign ex-Patriots star to fill big void

The Miami Dolphins are turning over every stone to try to improve their cornerback depth. They were dealt a big blow this week when Artie Burns tore his ACL, and multiple signings have followed. The latest came Saturday, as the Dolphins announced they had signed free agent Jack Jones. Jones was a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in 2022 who stayed with New England until midway through 2023, when he missed curfew before a game and was released. He joined the Raiders, for whom he played the rest of 2023 and all of 2024. In 2024, Jones set career highs in tackles (69), passes defensed (16) and interceptions (3). MORE: Bills' James Cook contract saga doesn't lessen his importance to Super Bowl aspirations Jones is 27 years old and has seven interceptions through his first three NFL seasons since leaving Arizona State. The Raiders spent the first month of the offseason trying to trade Jones but released him in April after not finding any takers. Now, the Dolphins were desperate and are giving Jones a chance. MORE NFL NEWS: Micah Parsons risks temporary retirement, frozen contract if he leaves training camp Buccaneers holding rookie out because he weighs too much Browns' 10-year NFL veteran retires days into training camp Raiders' 325-pound rookie is the scariest Wildcat quarterback ever Shedeur Sanders could 'realistically' end up in the CFL A toilet is helping Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf build chemistry

Atletico Madrid officially announces the departure of one of its most prominent midfielders!
Atletico Madrid officially announces the departure of one of its most prominent midfielders!

Yahoo

time9 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Atletico Madrid officially announces the departure of one of its most prominent midfielders!

Rojiblancos want some changes for next season. Getty Images This weekend was a tumultuous one for the red and white Madrid club. Atletico Madrid has already announced the departure of one of its most prominent first-team players, veteran Argentine Rodri de Paul, after a successful spell under his compatriot Diego Simeone. Playing alongside his close friend, Leo Messi The world champion has chosen to complete the next phase of his professional career alongside his close friend in the Argentine national team, the legendary Leo Messi, who is performing magically in Miami alongside Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba. Today, they have a new member of the inner circle of friends of the legend who wears the number ten shirt. It seems that the Argentine international, who won the Copa America twice with his country, in the 2022 World Cup and the 2022 Finalismo, wants to be close to the venue of the next major event in the United States, the 2026 World Cup, to acclimatize to the atmosphere and prepare for his participation with the Argentine national team as well.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store