Red Sox Chief Seeks New Executives Amid Leadership Exodus

Craig Breslow says adding senior executives to the Boston Red Sox front office is a top priority for this offseason. The chief baseball officer confirmed Friday that the club is open to making upper-level hires to replace two assistant general managers who left in the past year. The departures have left the organization with fewer senior staff members as it prepares for the 2027 season.

Taylor Smith left last month to become the president of baseball operations for the Oakland Athletics. He was arguably Breslow’s most senior hire. Paul Toboni departed last fall to take a similar role with the Washington Nationals. Toboni had been positioned for an internal promotion to general manager, a role that would have made him the clear second-in-command to Breslow.

Breslow, who is in his fourth offseason as the team’s chief baseball officer, acknowledged that the loss of these two figures was a setback. “It is pretty clear that that executive leadership circle is down not just bodies, but down really talented people,” he said in a phone interview. “And we’ve got to find the right people to emerge and to put into place there.”

The exodus has extended beyond the two assistants. Toboni hired David Besky, the Red Sox director of baseball sciences, as a major league pitching strategist. Last offseason, the Nationals added Devin Pearson and Andrew Wright, both former Red Sox staff members. Breslow noted that Smith has not yet brought any peers to the Athletics, but his absence leaves a void in areas ranging from roster construction to long-term strategy.

For now, the Red Sox are promoting from within. The club elevated Dan Meyer to vice president of baseball research and Patrick Coglianese to vice president of baseball systems. Both men were senior directors under Smith. Meyer has worked in the organization’s analytics department since 2018, while Coglianese joined about two years ago after working in software engineering for ASICS.

Breslow said the two new vice presidents will work together as the team evaluates opportunities. “My job is to constantly balance giving those who are ready to step into leadership roles the runway to do so, while also appreciating that any chance we have to add dynamic, talented people to the organization is something we have to explore,” he said. The Red Sox have not made any major front office additions at this moment.

The current senior group includes assistant general managers Michael Groopman, Eddie Romero, and Raquel Ferreira, along with executive vice president Brian O’Halloran. All four are holdovers from prior administrations that Breslow inherited when he was hired in 2023. Ryan Otero serves as a special assistant to the chief baseball officer. Breslow said the specific titles of future hires are secondary to finding people who will improve the organization.