Red Sox's Craig Breslow May Have Whiffed On Offseason Trade After Early Results

The Boston Red Sox were not nearly as active in free agency as fans had hoped following comments of a "full-throttle" winter from ownership but first-time chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was plenty active in the trade market.

Breslow was able to make some nifty trades this offseason, most notably acquiring breakout outfielder Tyler O'Neill from the St. Louis Cardinals -- who currently leads the Red Sox in just about every notable offensive category.

There was one trade, however, that has not gotten off the ground smoothly, though it's far too early to be concerned. During spring training, the Red Sox traded right-handed reliever John Schreiber to the Kansas City Royals for right-handed starter David Sandlin.

Schreiber has been dominant in the early goings for the Royals this season and will be under team control through the 2026 season. The 30-year-old is 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA, 9-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .174 batting average against and a 0.85 WHIP in 13 innings since the trade.

Sandlin, meanwhile, has had a rocky start for High-A Greenville. The 23-year-old has a 6.75 ERA with a 14-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .250 batting average against and a 1.69 WHIP in 10 2/3 innings.

Sandlin is the Red Sox's No. 14 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, the fourth-highest-rated hurler in the farm system. Breslow desperately needed to bolster the pitching pipeline and was able to acquire a legit prospect in a reasonable one-for-one swap.

While it would have been nice to envision Schreiber alongside the Red Sox bullpen core that now includes Justin Slaten and Greg Weissert, Breslow was wise to invest in the future.

It's tough to ignore what Schreiber has been able to do in Royals blue but Sandlin likely will settle into the season and prove why he was worth the investment. The trade appears to be rocky at the moment but it's far too early to evaluate this move just one month into the season.