Craig Breslow isn't backing down from his belief in the Boston Red Sox—even after a rocky start to the season. Despite sitting in last place and firing manager Alex Cora in late April, the team's chief baseball officer made a bold declaration this week: the Red Sox are still a playoff team.

"I do. I believed it in the offseason. I believed it coming into spring training. I believe it right now," Breslow said Thursday during an appearance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show." "I will be the first to acknowledge that we have not played up to our potential. We've got a lot of season in front of us to do that and to get back on the right track."

It's a familiar script for Boston fans. Last season, the Red Sox didn't look like postseason contenders until June, when a call-up of Roman Anthony sparked a turnaround. Now, after another slow start, Breslow is banking on history repeating itself. The roster has shown flashes of promise, going 6-5 under interim manager Chad Tracy—even while missing key contributors like Anthony, Garrett Crochet, and Sonny Gray for most of that stretch.

What gives Breslow confidence? For one, the American League is unusually weak this year, with only four teams above .500 entering Friday's games. At 16-22, the Red Sox are just one hot streak away from climbing back into the mix. That's the kind of parity that can turn a rough April into a memorable October run.

Not everyone is as optimistic. FanGraphs' playoff odds give Boston just a 29.4 percent chance of reaching the postseason—a steep drop from the over 60 percent projection before Opening Day. But in baseball, numbers can change fast. If the Red Sox can build on their recent momentum and stay healthy, Breslow's bold prediction might not seem so far-fetched after all.