Photo Courtesy NBC Sports Boston
Being a Red Sox fan in the 2020s has been frustrating. The trading of star players like Mookie Betts, letting go of Xander Bogaerts, and ownership have not boded well with much of the fanbase. This offseason, the Red Sox hired one of their former pitchers, Craig Breslow to help the team. Chairman Tom Werner said the team would go “Full throttle” to make improvements to the team after being in last place in the AL East for two consecutive seasons. Those two words will live on in Red Sox history for the wrong reasons.
Ask yourself this, what have the Red Sox done exactly? Trading Alex Verdugo and Chris Sale and signing Lucas Giolito. The term “Full throttle” hasn’t been lived up to.
At Winter Weekend CEO Sam Kennedy said, “It (2024 payroll) probably will be lower than it was in 2023". One week later, Fenway Sports Group announced they were part of a $3 billion investment group to partner with the PGA tour.
If you are a Red Sox fan, you should be frustrated. The owners promised you they would go out and start spending some money. However, Henry and Werner haven’t delivered, and it has become clear as day that the Red Sox owners should sell the team.
MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal appeared on “Foul Territory” on Tuesday, and he was asked by former MLB catcher A.J Pierzynski if the Red Sox were actually “trying” this offseason.
Rosenthal said, “No”, with his reasoning being it was that the Red Sox are not tied up in payroll or have any revenue issues like other teams regarding broadcast and network rights. He stated the team has young talent saying, “Now they have young talent coming. They’ve got some interesting pieces, even this year, that they’re going to incorporate. But, again, they’re the Boston Red Sox. And why are they not spending more … when that’s their number one thing: a top-of-the-rotation guy? They lost Sale, who could have been that guy, but maybe wasn’t going to be. Who’s that guy? And if they signed Blake Snell, if they signed Jordan Montgomery, you can say, ‘Okay, I get it.'”
Don’t get me wrong, I am excited about the prospects they have like Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel, but when will we see them in the majors? Right now, the Red Sox do not seem destined to make a run in the postseason.
There are several key free agents still available, and the Red Sox still have time to boost the team. Pitchers and catchers will hold their first workout in Fort Myers on February 14th.
Have an opposing viewpoint to this opinion? Let us know. All views are welcome. Send your thoughts to our Editorial Staff – Editor Dylan Hicks dhicks@student.dean.edu or Dean Daily Faculty Advisor, Professor John Rooke jrooke@dean.edu