Red Sox close to hiring Andrew Bailey as pitching coach

Red Sox

Bailey already has close ties with Craig Breslow, with the duo spending five years together as teammates.

Just a few weeks after the Red Sox hired former relief pitcher and 2013 World Series champion Craig Breslow as their new head of baseball operations, Boston is reportedly adding another ex-bullpen arm to Alex Cora’s coaching staff.

According to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Red Sox are close to hiring Andrew Bailey as the team’s next pitching coach. Alex Speier of The Boston Globe later confirmed that Boston is nearing an agreement with the 39-year-old Bailey, who spent the last four years as the Giants’ pitching coach. 

Bailey, who pitched for the Red Sox in 2012 and 2013, is expected to take over for Dave Bush — who was fired as Boston’s pitching coach shortly after the end of the 2023 regular season.

The 2009 AL Rookie of the Year already has a close bond with Breslow, with the duo spending five years together as teammates with both the A’s and Red Sox.

Bailey still serves on the board as the director of development of the Strike 3 Foundation, the charity Breslow created to support research of pediatric cancer.

But even with his connections to Breslow, it was far from a guarantee that Boston was going to reel in Bailey — who was well-regarded in MLB circles for his coaching resume with both the Giants and Angels.

It was reported on Monday that Bailey interviewed for the Yankees’ vacant bench coach position — a coveted position higher up on the managerial food chain. Aaron Boone’s previous bench coach, Carlos Mendoza, was introduced as the Mets’ manager on Monday. 

But based on Rosenthal and Speier’s reports, it seems like Breslow and the Red Sox got their man.

The Red Sox have plenty of work to do when it comes to bolstering a lackluster pitching personnel that ranked 21st in MLB last season in ERA (4.52). The case can be made that Boston needs to sign at least one or two impact starters to lift a rotation that labored through most of 2023 due to injuries and ineffective play.

But a coach with Bailey’s resume should be able to help Cora and his staff right the ship after posting a 78-84 record last season.