Bastards of Boston Baseball (Red Sox) · Red Sox Podcast

Is Craig Breslow gonna f*ck up this Red Sox offseason?

December 3, 2025·42 min·2 clips

Sean McAdam reported the Red Sox are expected to go over the luxury tax, but not by much.

1. Bastards of Boston Baseball centers on whether Craig Breslow will mishandle the Red Sox offseason around the luxury tax and trade market. 2. Terry Cushman hosts with Doug Aitchison and Chris Follico, and their perspective matters because they track Boston roster-building and ownership decisions. 3. The episode asks whether Sean McAdam's report about Boston going over the luxury tax 'but not by much' signals a real spending commitment or another limited offseason. 4. The hosts cite the 2025 luxury-tax numbers at $244 million, $284 million, and $304 million while saying the Red Sox are currently at $224 million. 5. Terry Cushman says a Forbes article showed the Red Sox profited $120 million in 2024, which he contrasts with the payroll and threshold math. 6. Chris Follico argues that Boston media, including Sean McAdam, often avoids directly challenging the Red Sox front office. 7. Doug Aitchison calls the reporting a 'drug dealer' move, saying John Henry gives fans just enough to stay hooked. 8. The conversation turns to Fenway Sports Group, with Liverpool FC valued at $5.4 billion and the Penguins described as another asset that affects the bigger financial picture. 9. The hosts say that if Boston wants two big bats, the math likely requires a controllable pitcher like Joe Ryan rather than a higher-cost arm. 10. They also discuss Jarren Duran as a trade candidate, with Jeff Passan's report suggesting Boston values him closer to his 2024 production than his 2025 production. 11. The hosts say Duran's 2024 line makes him look like a seven-win player, while his 2025 output looks closer to a four-win player. 12. Chris Follico says the Red Sox and previous regimes often overvalue their own talent, which can stall trades. 13. Doug Aitchison says the front office has a 'paralysis by analysis' problem that keeps them from making direct moves. 14. The hosts compare Duran with Wilyer Abreu and Christian Campbell, debating which player would headline a bigger trade. 15. They suggest Cattell Marte as the kind of infielder Boston should target, even if that requires attaching pitching. 16. Terry Cushman says the Sonny Gray trade looks worse over time because it used money and roster space on a pitcher he sees as more of a three, four, or five than a playoff number two. 17. The tone is argumentative, skeptical, and conversational, with the hosts interrupting each other and revisiting the same roster questions from several angles. 18. The format is a three-host baseball debate that uses numbers, rumors, and front-office logic rather than interviews or reporting. 19. Listen if you follow Red Sox payroll, trade rumors, and roster construction. 20. Skip it if you want game analysis, interviews, or a lighter baseball discussion.

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