Red Sox payroll, Craig Breslow’s performance, potential bullpen trades: Mailbag part 1

The Boston Red Sox already have one new trade addition in infielder Curtis Mead, and they are expected to make more moves before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. With that in mind, we asked for your deadline questions.

In today’s installment, we’ll dig into the job chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is doing, Mead’s fit with the team, payroll projections, the rotation, bullpen trades and more.

In Wednesday’s Part 2, we’ll look at more deadline scenarios, the rise of Franklin Arias, prospects who might be traded, Chad Tracy and more.

Questions have been lightly edited for clarity.

Hi Jen, any sense or scoop on how much (if any) leeway Breslow may have to operate with for the current trade discussions? They are at $265.8 million per RosterResource, slightly above the $264 million second threshold but well below the $284 million threshold in which the first-round pick is moved back 10 spots. This is a franchise record on payroll spending, but still trails some tier-two markets such as Toronto and Philadelphia by a significant amount. Acquired contracts at the deadline also prorate and will be about 30 percent by Aug. 3, so hopefully there won’t be a constraint on the front office this time around. — Gerard G.

I think the one big unknown in terms of spending is what the next collective bargaining agreement will dictate for payroll. The current CBA expires Dec. 1, which is why you’ve been hearing all the lockout talk. Back in 2022, when the current CBA was agreed upon, the owners and players didn’t reach a deal until March, and spring training was cut short. This year, negotiations figure to be even more intense, and there’s a real chance of missing regular-season games. That’s a bit of a roundabout answer to your question, but I make that point because I think the uncertainty surrounding next season will spur teams on the cusp of contention to be more all in this year. Not to mention that new spending and payroll restrictions could be instituted in coming years. In essence, contending teams might decide to spend their money now, because there could be some resets next year.

As it relates to the Red Sox, Breslow is in year three on the job. Entering the season, he repeatedly emphasized that they were playing to win in 2026. It didn’t look that way for the first three months, but Boston’s recent 15-game winning streak seems to have reinvigorated that attitude. Breslow’s early trade for Mead signals an aggressive approach. I don’t know how much the Red Sox are willing to spend. I doubt they’d go past $284 million, and they might try to trade some of their bigger contracts to dip back below the $264 million second tier. But as you noted, they’re already over the $244 million first tier and seem poised to make a push.

With the Red Sox’s acquisition of Curtis Mead as a right-handed designated hitter, is there any market for Masataka Yoshida elsewhere if Boston pays $12 million of his $18.6 million contract in 2027? That would put them below the $264 million CBT for 2026? — David G.

Mead will likely play a good amount at second base, but the team could also try to move Yoshida and give Mead more opportunities at DH. The Red Sox would probably love to find a suitor for Yoshida’s contract, but like you mentioned, paying down some of the deal would likely be the only way to interest potential trade partners. Yoshida has been more productive of late — he’s hitting .283 with an .831 OPS through 14 games in July — so now might be the time to trade him and get more roster flexibility. Opening the DH spot could also allow Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin some days off from the field, with Mead’s ability to fill in at first and third (though he’s a far worse defender than either of them at their respective positions).

With the subtraction of Connelly Early, is it safe to assume Brayan Bello will remain on the MLB roster for the rest of this season? If so, what is his role? Will we continue to use him as a bulk-inning reliever behind an opener, or will he get another chance to start in 2026? — Julian B.

Barring further pitching moves, it seems likely that Bello will remain on the roster. The Red Sox are still hoping to get Garrett Crochet back late in the season (he’s aiming to return in time for the postseason after restarting his shoulder rehab). But Bello gives the team length out of the bullpen right now. That’s especially important for starters Jake Bennett, Payton Tolle and Patrick Sandoval. Sandoval hasn’t pitched a full season in two years, so monitoring his innings will be key.

Meanwhile, Tolle is already approaching his career high in innings pitched, and Bennett is already about 25 innings past his career high from last year. Shortening their starts or occasionally using Bello as a sixth starter could give those pitchers protection. Next year, the Red Sox are hoping that Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Johan Oviedo will be healthy rotation options by then. Houck and Oviedo are throwing bullpens in Florida, while Crawford has been throwing long toss.

We talk so much about the strong rotation the Sox have, but there are injury and usage concerns popping up. Do you see them poking around the starting-pitcher market and looking for a middle-to-back-of-the-rotation starter to eat quality innings down the stretch and buy a little extra rest for the other starters? — Evan E.

It’s not out of the question, but as noted above, Bello can fill some of that role. The team’s priority right now appears to be its bullpen. When asked this weekend if he’d consider adding more offense following the Mead trade, Breslow said it was possible, but then he pivoted to a thought on pitching.

“We have to be mindful of losing Connelly and those innings and mindful of the workload we put on our bullpen, so I think we’ll look across a wide scope here,” he said.

Breslow has added relief help at each of the past two deadlines, so it seems likely that will be his next move. Relievers like the New York Mets’ Luke Weaver (1.93 ERA) or Brooks Raley (2.09 ERA) could be targets, though Weaver would cost a lot. A rental like the Miami Marlins’ Pete Fairbanks has been less effective (7.18 ERA, 29.6 percent strikeout rate, 9.9 percent walk rate), but he could still offer back-end help down the stretch.

Hi Jen, it sure seems like the dearth of right-handed power bats caused an overpay for Curtis Mead. Losing a really good young left-handed pitcher for a player DFA’d in March hurts. What is the industry thought on this trade? — Frank D.

One scout I spoke with didn’t love the trade and is pretty high on Early’s potential. Breslow said over the weekend how difficult it was to trade Early, a pitcher who was a success story for Boston’s revamped pitching infrastructure. Breslow, however, said the goal was not to win the trade but to improve the team. With so many teams in the mix this deadline, he felt it necessary to strike early. He also said getting Mead in the lineup for an additional seven or eight games before the deadline was key, suggesting that every win will be important in a tight AL playoff race. It might have been an overpay, but the Red Sox had a need and didn’t want to leave the trade season empty-handed.

I’m asking for your thoughts on Breslow. Why the hell can’t we get a real GM? — Libby F.

Breslow has had his gaffes, from the Rafael Devers communication debacle to acquiring a solid haul for Devers only to trade most of it away. That’s not to mention the Chris Sale trade, or the failure to re-sign Alex Bregman.

But he also traded for Crochet, who helped Boston get back to the postseason last year, even if he’s been out of the picture for much of this season. Breslow oversaw the pitching infrastructure changes that helped Tolle and Early emerge as forces in the rotation. And he made solid additions in trading for Sonny Gray and Contreras and signing Ranger Suarez this winter. He did all that and then failed to add another bat to help the club. He’s made some pretty good moves and some pretty lousy ones during his tenure.

Breslow knows his job is on the line this year, and this deadline might be a make-or-break scenario. The start of the year was brutal, but the team improbably pulled itself back together, giving him another chance to prove he can add to a team that has proven it’s worthy of reinforcements. Another reader asked about Theo Epstein’s role at the trade deadline, and I do think Breslow is seeking Epstein’s feedback on which trade targets could be the best fits. But by and large, these are Breslow’s decisions. He’ll be rewarded if this season pans out, and he’ll probably take the fall if it doesn’t.