NBC Sports first reported that even Fort Myers Red Sox fans seemed ashamed of the offseason. Boston-
Fort Myers, Florida Greetings from Florida, where the Red Sox are starting a week-long fitness regimen in anticipation of… what? Are there any? John Henry should be spared some cash. A throng of visitors visiting Fenway Park? I love this quote from Ned Martin: “Mercy.”
Let’s begin with the atmosphere. That’s a subjective term that’s generally attached to the clubhouse, but in this instance, zooming out to an organizational level is more illuminating. “Embarrassed” is the word that comes to mind.
Speaking with enough members of the team reveals that they are aware of their lackluster offseason performance and that they didn’t do nearly enough to compete. They seem hesitant to talk about their expectations for the season, which is part of their mentality. Part of it is the silence, which is anyone arguing that this bunch will surprise us, even in the background. Additionally, some of it is more overt, implying that others are just as dissatisfied with the franchise’s trajectory as the fans are.
Even when interpreting public statements, it’s not difficult to see past the obvious. Originally interpreted as a lack of leadership, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s refusal to say the team will make the playoffs now comes off as more of a decision to tell the truth. When asked whether manager Alex Cora wants to stay here for the upcoming season, he remained silent. Kenley Jansen, the team’s closer, could only voice a remark, “You never know, right?” regarding the team’s postseason prospects.
Theo Epstein, the one bright spot in an otherwise dismal winter, even came along after he was able to take action regarding 2024.
Unless it’s drowned by the tangible gloom that surrounds your spring training complex, hope never truly dies. Breslow acknowledged that the offseason didn’t go as planned, especially in terms of the starting rotation. The Red Sox entered the spring with a net loss despite their pledge to rebuild it, and they traded in Chris Sale and James Paxton for less-than-stellar veteran Lucas Giolito.
World Series champion Jordan Montgomery and current National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, meanwhile, are both unsigned, and there’s no hint that the Red Sox want to sign either of them. Nobody is defending it because it’s indefensible; it’s just par for the offseason.
If anything, the past four months have made it clearer exactly who is at fault, and it isn’t the chief baseball officer. We should place the responsibility further up the masthead when Breslow produces outcomes comparable to those of his predecessor, Chaim Bloom.
John Henry, the owner, is the one who has to go. It’s obvious that Henry is the star of the show, even if chairman Tom Werner and CEO Sam Kennedy have worn it in public. Above all, he wants to compete with a mid-tier payroll while cutting expenses and avoiding the upper echelons of free agency.
The team is unlikely to even surpass last year’s $225 million budget, which is why Jansen and his $16 million contract were the subject of constant speculation during the winter. Their current situation wouldn’t improve with such a move, but that isn’t really the purpose, is it?
I get the strong impression that the Red Sox would have tried harder this winter if Werner had his way. If he knew that was a falsehood that would just come back to haunt him, then why would he say the squad is going “full throttle”?
As a TV guy, he wants to market a compelling TV product. The ownership group, he recently asserted, is still “in lockstep,” yet after two decades of collaboration, we shouldn’t be shocked if such a significant shift in organizational philosophy has not been met with unanimous support.
The clubhouse is as low-stakes an environment as I’ve seen in 25 years of covering the Grapefruit League, so the failure to motivate has permeated it as well. The Red Sox could be the Royals, who recently acquired a valuable bullpen player in John Schreiber for a pitching prospect who is unlikely to contribute this season if you take away the uniforms and move JetBlue Park to Arizona. (To be clear, I think the transaction is good.)
Spring training is usually a time of hope, but there’s also a hint of stress. Players compete for contracts, jobs, respect, attention, safety, and other things. This place doesn’t have much of that. The squad is fixed and unimpressive, with the exception of youthful center Ceddanne Rafaela, who is competing for a starting position, and a group of arms that can switch positions, fighting for the final two spots in the rotation. It’s an awful mix. The Red Sox may very well be the most nameless team in baseball if it weren’t for Trevor Story’s efforts to enlist support.
For those who are fans, there are words. The words “disgusting,” “disgraceful,” and “demoralizing” come to mind. However, there’s really just one way to put it if you’re on the team and you’re being truthful about the situation right now:
Seemly.
