Red Sox's Pursuit Of Ex-Boston Hurler Could 'Heat Up Quickly' After Hiring Of Craig Breslow

It sounds like Boston could fill the vacant pitching coach role very quickly

The Boston Red Sox reportedly got their guy.

After weeks of speculation, Boston reportedly selected their next leader of baseball operations Tuesday with the expected hiring of former Red Sox hurler Craig Breslow to replace former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. Breslow reportedly will retain the same time and now lead the club into the future. 

Once the hiring is finalized, Breslow will have plenty of work to do. There are a wide range of roster decisions that need to be made but also on the coaching staff, as well. Boston has been linked to San Francisco Giants pitching coach Andrew Bailey as a possibility to take over the vacant pitching coach spot and the chances of landing him are even higher now, according to MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.

"Breslow is expected to have full autonomy over all operations of Boston’s baseball operations, including the coaching staff, which has two vacancies (pitching coach and third base coach)," Cotillo said. "His hiring would seem to increase the chances of the Red Sox making a run at Giants pitching coach Andrew Bailey, a former teammate and close friend of Breslow’s who is considering other opportunities after an impressive run in San Francisco.

"Together, Breslow and Bailey run the Strike 3 Foundation with a focus on raising money for pediatric cancer research. While the Red Sox had not yet begun the process of interviewing pitching coach candidates earlier this week, according to a source, that process could heat up quickly, especially if Breslow makes a play for his close friend."

Bailey -- like Breslow -- pitched for the Red Sox during his big league career. He was with the club throughout the 2012 and 2013 campaigns. Bailey has been with the Giants as their pitching coach since 2020 but it sounds like he may be on the way out of town after the firing of former manager Gabe Kapler and the hiring of former San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin to replace him. 

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