Who broke the throttle? A look into the Boston Red Sox disappointing offseason

Following a mediocre 2019 season — a hangover after their 2018 World Series win — the Boston Red Sox’s hiring of chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom signaled new goals: reshaping the organization and build for long term success from the low-A club to the MLB roster.

Bloom was recently fired at the end of the 2023 season after just three years of running the team, despite the Red Sox making a deep playoff run in 2021. Bloom was bashed for his inability to make trades and sign free agents during his tenure. As fans and executives alike would come to find, he was not the one with keys to the counting room.

Despite hiring former Red Sox pitcher Craig Breslow as their new CBO, Red Sox fans are faced with a tough reality heading into the 2024 season; an ownership group that seemingly refuses to open its wallet.

Staring down the barrel of two straight last place finishes in the American League East, a roster with glaring holes is liable to finish last again in a stacked division for the third straight year.

Just two weeks ago this column covered a team that has experienced a polar opposite offseason to Mac and I’s beloved Red Sox — the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While Guggenheim Baseball Management has pumped over a billion dollars of free agents into an already dangerous L.A. Dodgers team; John Henry, the primary owner of Fenway Sports Group (the ownership group that controls the Red Sox) has upheld an incredibly stingy strategy of operation.

The primary penny pincher himself, Henry has seemingly ended the reign of the Red Sox operating as a big market baseball team, despite being worth over $5 billion himself, and Sox ticket prices still being as high as they’ve always been. Even more concerning to the growing sentiment that Henry no longer cares about this ball club is FSG’s (Fenway Sports Group) investment in other ventures, like the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL team, Liverpool Soccer Club, and most recently, a $1.5 billion investment in the PGA Tour.

Whether the front office leadership wanted to admit it or not, this team has been in a state of rebuilding for a few years now; with an emphasis on building up the minor league system, something that previous CBO Chaim Bloom did quite well. Despite his firing, the team was still poised to make a big splash going into this offseason, as they were sitting on a goldmine of prospects who could theoretically could be traded for veteran MLB talent.

In early November of this year, Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner vowed the front office would be going “full throttle” this offseason, mainly in pursuit of their biggest roster need: top-end starting pitching. From November till now, there has been a serious lack of any semblance of throttling. Despite having the prospect depth to make the big move and seemingly the money to throw around on the free agent market, no impact plays have been made, and fans have been left guessing. So, what gives?

An ever-passionate Red Sox fan base has not exactly taken kindly to this offseason flop. Each time I open X, previously known as Twitter, every Red Sox media personality has a new gripe about this stinker of an offseason, and frankly it’s getting quite tiresome. Blind hatred has become the common cop-out among Sox fans looking to complain to anyone who will listen.

A 2024 starting rotation, which already needed a minimum of two front line pitchers, has genuinely been subtracted from. While Craig Breslow did sign veteran power pitcher Lucas Giolito to a two-year, $38.5 million deal, his 2022 and 2023 seasons left much to be desired, making this deal questionable. While I do believe Giolito can bounce back under the teachings of Breslow and accomplished new pitching coach Andrew Bailey, the Sox also traded long-time ace and 2018 World Series champion Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for rookie second baseman Vaughn Grissom. While this may prove to be a plus trade in the future, as I do believe in Grissom’s bat as the Braves’ previous top prospect, it does directly subtract from the already weak starting rotation.

It doesn’t exactly get better in terms of the lineup either, as it has also been a case of out with the old and in with the new (and potentially slightly worse). The Sox will look to replace the productivity of trusty right-handed lineup anchor Justin Turner with new addition Tyler O’Neill, who came over this offseason via trade for lesser-known prospects. While Turner was instrumental to setting a tone of disciplined hitting throughout the lineup, producing 96 RBI’s (despite being 39 years young), O’Neill strikes out at a much higher clip. While he does have huge power potential and is a gold glove outfielder, injury concerns may make it quite difficult for him to return to 2021 form, where he finished 8th in NL MVP voting, and launched 34 homers. Finally, Breslow dealt beloved right fielder Alex Verdugo to the rival New York Yankees for pitching prospect depth. While the Sox farm system did (and continues to) lack pitching prospect depth, this is yet another move that weakens the roster at the major league level, despite the Sox having many other capable outfielders.

Damning outlook aside, I for one still have faith in this team. Call it a hopeless positivity, but for what it’s worth I’ll still be watching all 162 games. And I think all Sox lovers in Beantown and beyond should too. From being a kid seeing Fenway Park for the first time, to watching my hometown Red Sox win Game 6 of the 2013 World Series in person, to playing baseball until high school — this sport has and will continue to be a huge part of my life.

Even if this 2024 team doesn’t have the shiniest free agent players, the sights and sounds of pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training always gets my adrenaline pumping. Beyond this, it is my firm belief that this is a young team that can do great things.

Additionally, players will be operating with a chip on their shoulder. The baseball world has already counted this group out. Veteran shortstop Trevor Story, looking to have a bounce back season himself, has been vocal about the team’s commitment to proving the haters dead wrong come April.

For now, all eyes in Boston are on the minor leagues. The Red Sox rejuvenated farm system has cultivated some interesting pieces that could become mainstays on the big-league club. In particular, the trio of shortstop Marcelo Meyer, outfielder Roman Anthony, and catcher Kyle Teel look to be potential superstars. Even though it will likely take a couple of years for all three to make it to the major leagues, there are still some things to be excited about in Boston.

Despite Boston’s apparent rotational incompetence and lack of offseason moves, there is still reason for pitching buffs to keep an eye on this team. In particular, Dominican phenom Brayan Bello could turn heads if he’s able to build on a successful rookie season that earned the praise of Red Sox legend Jon Lester. Canadian hurler Nick Pivetta also appears primed to return to Boston’s starting rotation. While Pivetta’s 2023 season was marred by early struggles, he had a superb comeback in the latter half of the season that could be used as a launching pad for this season. With Bello and Pivetta firmly in the fold, along with youngsters Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck at full health to start the season, Boston could find its youthful pitching staff rejuvenated after a tumultuous 2023.

On the offensive end, there’s plenty to get excited for in Beantown. Now that centerfielder Jarren Duran has played well enough for fans to forget his comedic errors in 2022, a breakout is certainly possible for the speedster. First baseman Triston Casas rebounded from an awful start to 2023 and wound up having one of the better rookie seasons in Red Sox history. Casas has a chance to break out as a star this season, which would be a boon to a Red Sox team that hasn’t had a truly great first baseman since Mike Napoli left town.

Additionally, Boston may have found an answer for their second base problem this season in top prospect Vaughn Grissom, who was acquired in a trade that sent Chris Sale’s albatross-sized contract to the Atlanta Braves. Grissom doesn’t have much MLB experience under his belt, and his defense is atrocious, but he’s only 23 years old and could grow under the mentorship of manager Alex Cora, who played second base often during his playing career. With Grissom under team control until 2029, fans can look forward to seeing him continue to develop in the coming seasons.

As much as fans are right to criticize the Fenway Sports Group’s refusal to spend in recent years, history has taught us that reckless spending can often lead teams into a cycle of pure despair. In fact, such a fate befell the Red Sox in 2011. When General Manager Theo Epstein made two of the biggest splashes in team history, signing superstar outfielder Carl Crawford for $142 million and trading for Padres stalwart Adrian Gonzales, the expectation for Boston was that of championship glory for years to come. Unfortunately, the team completely flamed out, with Crawford having the worst season of his career as the Red Sox collapsed in a season that has gone down as one of the greatest failures in baseball history. While big spending is generally beneficial for a baseball franchise, it is certainly not infallible. The Red Sox, having learned that lesson firsthand years ago, may be right to sit back in a 2024 offseason that has been dominated by ludicrous, risky contracts that may not pan out.

Ultimately, the Red Sox are not one of the top teams to begin 2024. However, that doesn’t mean that fans should completely tune out this season. Ultimately, transition years are simply part of the process of baseball. Rather than get worked up about far-fetched championship aspirations, Red Sox fans should be getting excited about the young talent on the team showing signs of what’s to come a few years down the line. Make no mistake about it: the Red Sox will be contenders again, sooner or later. Plus, if 2013 is anything to go by, a championship team can rise at any time.

Contact Mac Ribner and Ben Petteruti at ribner@oxy.edu and petteruti@oxy.edu