(Photo courtesy of Paul Sancya/AP)
By Dakota Antelman
Journey-man reliever Craig Breslow decided to forgo his nomadic tendencies Friday when he signed a deal that would extend his stint with the Red Sox into its fourth year.
After reportedly making the trip to the Baseball Winter Meetings last week to meet with representatives and baseball executives, Breslow returned home and signed a one-year, $2M deal with the Red Sox. The deal was first reported by Rob Bradford and Alex Speir of WEEI.
The $2M paycheck Breslow will earn next season stands as a substantial pay-cut, a direct result of a 2014 campaign fraught with inconsistencies. Jumping into the mix with more middle relief time midway through the year, he assembled a meager 2-6 record with an ERA of 5.96. He also finished 1.3 wins BELOW replacement.
Those statistics structurally undermined much of Breslow’s bargaining power in free agency. Therefore, he had little ground to stand on when, following the season, the Red Sox elected not to exercise their one year club option that would have brought Breslow back for next season at $4M.
The statistical struggles and ensuing pay cuts stung Breslow. He knew that, even in the minutes after the 2014 season ended.
“I’ve never before had to play the last game of such a miserable season,” Breslow said after pitching in the final game. “There were a lot of firsts this year. I’ve never struggled like this at any point of my career. I’ve never had a full season that ended up like this, especially one that had significant expectations going on. The best part of this season is that it’s done.”
Breslow, who has played in the MLB since 2005, wants to return to the all-star form that he was in even just one or two years ago. He sees the Red Sox and Boston as the best place for him to get support, strong coaching and a general opportunity to do that.
“I’m not looking for sympathy. I recognize that in my mind, and I think quite pragmatically, 2014 was the complement to 2013. I wouldn’t undo any of that. I would gladly make that sacrifice. As much as this stinks, being able to contribute to a team that won a World Series is something that guys play for 20 years and never get a chance to do,” he said. “I think it’s kind of like I had the ultimate high of highs last year and the ultimate low of lows last year and in 2015 I’ll go back to being the same guy I was for six of the last seven years.”
The Red Sox see Breslow simply as an able bodied middle reliever capable of shouldering big inning counts. Though he failed to turn in quality outings in those big innings last season, Breslow remains a possible game saving pitcher out of the bull-pen.
His one-year contract and moderate $2M salary will give him the chance to reprove that to Bostonians and the MLB as a whole. The deal keeps him in the league and Breslow is satisfied with that.
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