22 Aug

What happened to the Red Sox?

What happened to the Red Sox?


Photo by Keith Allison / CC BY-SA 2.0

Caption – Happier times at Fenway
It’s been quite the year for the Boston Red Sox. As the reigning world champions, much was expected of this year’s roster, but as early as July of this year, we could see their season falling apart. So what exactly has gone wrong with the Red Sox? Is it the pressure of having to live up to the extremely high standards they have set themselves under the stewardship of John W. Henry? Or is it something else?

Inconsistency plagues the champions
In the 2018 World Series-winning season, the Red Sox didn’t lose more than two games in a row. Pure championship form. This season, however, inconsistency has plagued their every move.

In fact, their form has been so poor that even their chances of making the playoffs have plummeted on every major sports betting site. Let that sink in for a minute. Here we have the world champions not even in a position to qualify for the playoffs? Incredibly enough, that’s a more common occurrence than you think. Between 2000 and 2017 just seven out of the 16 winners during that time span made the playoffs. So could it be that the Red Sox are simply suffering from a post-winning season hangover? It would certainly seem so.

On July 27th 2019, the Red Sox were sitting in a fairly comfortable position. They had just beaten the Yankees in consecutive games and were looking okay on the field. The confidence seemed to be back and things were looking good. Then all of that changed in the blink of an eye.

The Sox then lost to the Yankees, fell to the Rays, and lost a humiliating four games in the Bronx. It seemed that the Red Sox had finally found their season form. Unfortunately, it was a losing form. An eight-game losing streak that left the team reeling and with nothing more than an outside chance at best of making the playoffs.

Poor decisions in the summer trade take their toll
There were quite a few eyebrows raised during the summer when the Red Sox played it cool in the trade market. They kept their risks to a minimum by picking up Andrew Cashner for their starting rotation. But their bullpen got no reinforcements at all. Some may have suggested that the reigning champs didn’t need much in the way of improvements but that’s an extremely near-sighted opinion.

Since the deadline of July 31st the Sox have been left to rue the missed opportunity to improve the roster with some experienced players. The decision to at long last tighten the purse strings (they have the highest payroll in the MLB) came at the worst possible time.

It was poor management at best and gross negligence at worst and not long after, the repercussions were felt not just on the field but in the boardroom too.

Dave takes the blame


Photo by Arturo Pardavilla III / CC BY 2.0

Caption – Drombowski paid the price for a poor summer

Four years ago, when the franchise looked to be at a crossroads, they made the decision to bring in Dave Dombrowski as president of baseball operations. After leading the Red Sox to a World Series and signing J.D. Martinez, David Price, and Mitch Moreland, Dombrowski opted to stick with the old guard.

As we mentioned earlier, it hasn’t worked out and John Henry being the businessman that he is, made the decision to part ways with his president sooner rather than later. His failure to keep Kimbrel or find an adequate replacement was pretty much the final nail in his coffin. The 10-5 loss to the Yankees was the precursor to his sacking and to some it may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back but it appears that his departure was in the works for quite some time.

What next for the Red Sox?
Well, at this point Red Sox fans might want to turn their attention to watching the NBA or even the NHL. They need something to cheer about and they won’t get much at Fenway Park.

This season is a complete write-off and it’s time to think about the future. More action is required in the trade market next year and some of the deadweights needs to go. It’s all well and good showing some loyalty to the players that won the World Series but when they fail to deliver on multiple occasions throughout the season, it’s time to say goodbye.

Nothing short of a complete shakeup of the roster and perhaps even the boardroom will do for the Red Sox once the season draws to a close. But just how cutthroat John Henry will be with his underperforming players remains to be seen. One thing we can be sure of, however, is that it’s going to be a very long postseason for Red Sox fans.