LAS VEGAS — Red Sox president of baseball operations Craig Breslow said Wednesday that his communication with first baseman Willson Contreras continued beyond the in-person meeting they had a few days after the season.
“Willson and I have spoken a bunch since then as well,” Breslow said. “When you have the chance to get feedback from somebody like him — somebody who is so passionate and competitive, and who somebody who cares about winning above everything else, you’ve got to listen.”
Contreras criticized the Sox for being too reliant on analytics following the season-ending 9-2 loss against the Yankees in the Wild Card Series on Sept. 30. That led to a meeting with Breslow and Tracy at Fenway Park.
After attending Game 5 of the World Series to support his brother, Brewers catcher William Contreras, the Sox first baseman said “things were in a good place” with the team and they were on the same page.
Breslow concurred.
“We welcome it,” he said. “The conversation we had at the end of the season was great. I think it was really, really productive.”
Reviewing medical care
Breslow said the Sox are conducting an internal review of how the team diagnoses, treats, and communicates about injuries.
“What does the best kind of medical department and process look like, and then understand where we are and figure out how we bridge the gap between the two,” Breslow said.
With Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet in particular last season, diagnosing their injuries and mapping out a timeline for recovery was difficult. Breslow said one of his goals was making sure information was shared correctly between the players, coaches, medical staff, front office, and media.
“So that there is consistency, and everybody in the organization understands exactly kind of where things are,” he said. “Without a doubt, there are things that we can do better, and we’ll look across all of those.”
Boras: Players emboldened
Scott Boras, the game’s most prominent agent, said players are “emboldened” to resist MLB’s attempt to install a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement.
“They’re standing on truth, absolute truth, of the fact that we have record franchise revenues in every quadrant of the market,” he said. “We have record viewership. We have record sponsorship. We have record attendance.”
Boras pointed to the Padres selling for $3.9 billion in August and the Angels selling for $4 billion in September.
“Fans want competitiveness. They want great players,” Boras said. “They want familiarity of knowing that the players that are in their market, that the ownership has the wherewithal to keep them there.”
Boras feels the Red Sox are “building” after a quick exit from the postseason.
“They want to advance. I think they had goals of getting in the playoffs, but they also have a barrier they want to jump over, and that’s beating the Yankees. So I think that’s very clear that they want to make their team better and add to it.”
Does he see the Sox as being aggressive?
“I’ll let them decide aggressive,” Bora said. “All I know is that the communication’s been heavy, and there’s a real understanding from the ownership on down that they want to advance.”
Boras, the only agent who holds press conferences at the General Managers Meetings and Winter Meetings, intended to meet reporters on a floor above the casino, near some restaurants. Six security personnel swooped in and insisted the gathering move to the lower level of the conference center, apparently to avoid distracting would-be gamblers or diners.
Boras then stood atop a small box in front of a backdrop with his company logo and took questions for an hour.
Quicker pace
Breslow said the “frequency of conversations” with agents and other clubs is more than usual at this time of year with the Dec. 1 lockout approaching. “I think everybody is trying to make sure they’re prepared,” he said. “Obviously there’s a ton of uncertainty … Former Red Sox reliever Chris Martin announced his retirement. The 40-year-old righthander had a 2.63 ERA over 100 games for the Sox from 2023-24, part of an 11-year career … To commemorate Veterans Day, the Red Sox sent former players Manny Delcarmen, Bob Montgomery, and Bob Stanley to visit veterans’ facilities in Boston, Bristol, R.I., and Manchester, N.H., respectively. The team also hosted 50 veterans and their families for lunch at the Time Out Market near Fenway Park.
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.