Chad Tracy named Red Sox's 49th manager on 3-year deal, September 22

The Boston Red Sox named Chad Tracy their 49th full-time manager on a three-year contract through the 2029 season with a 2030 option on September 22. The team simultaneously exercised club options for 2029 and 2030 on chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, per MLB.com's reporting, binding the manager and general manager together for four years beyond 2026. Tracy, 41, assumed the role in June after the Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and five of his coaches following a 10-17 start. The Red Sox clinched a postseason berth on Sunday and are 84-72 overall, entering the season's final week almost certain to face the rival Yankees in a Wild Card Series for the second consecutive year. Tracy never reached the majors as a player after grinding through the minor leagues from 2006 through 2014. His coaching journey began in 2015 to pursue a path to the majors as a coach or manager, per MLB.com. He managed Triple-A Worcester and has worked with many of the current Red Sox roster for more than four years, per MLB.com. Breslow, 46, became Boston's chief baseball officer in the fall of 2023. Per CBS Sports, Breslow's offseason trade pickups included catcher Willson Contreras and pitcher Sonny Gray, who project to receive MVP and Cy Young award votes. Breslow also traded for pitcher Garrett Crochet last year and extended both Crochet and outfielder Roman Anthony. Payton Tolle was the Red Sox's second-ever draft pick under Breslow. The Red Sox faced job security questions for both men during the 10-17 start, though Boston ownership backed the partnership through the turnaround. Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy stated at the announcement: "I think the thing that they share most in common, at least recently, is that the Red Sox asked them both to do very difficult things. Bres, you came in 2023 to get the Red Sox baseball operation on a path to sustained success, back into a position where we could be competing for World Series championships. We have a lot of work left to do, but we couldn't be more pleased with the trajectory of the organization under your leadership. And Chad, you came into what was an incredibly difficult situation in April and provided stability and leadership when this organization needed most." Tracy told his players before the press conference: "I choked up a little bit. Because, if you stand there in the moment and think about the journey, and you also look around at the faces of guys that I've had, quite a few of them, along for five years." Breslow stated: "I think the honest way to answer that is that I and the rest of the front office were so consumed with thinking about how we get the team back on track, how we win more games, how to get players to perform up to their capabilities that it didn't leave a lot of time for wondering what was going to happen to me. As a baseball operation, we were obsessed with, How do we turn this around? That's the priority, and that's what we gave our time to." Kennedy added: "I think that as we go forward here, and as we head for October baseball, this organization is on solid footing. And our baseball operations now has continuity and stability. And we are very optimistic about the road ahead in our ability to give the best fans in baseball what they deserve, which is the opportunity to play for championships."