The Red Sox Go From…
The Red Sox Go From Full Throttle to Neutral in What So Far Has Been A Lackluster Winter
It’s about two weeks from the start of Spring Training and the report date for Pitchers & Catchers. The “Full Throttle” proclamation of new Red Sox GM Craig Breslow so far seems to be stuck in Neutral.
After what was a seemingly necessary change in the General Manager position following the 3rd last place finish in the previous 4 seasons, Red Sox ownership parted ways with Chaim Bloom appointing former Red Sox World Series Champion Breslow to the position. Red Sox Nation wondered out loud if this would really change the landscape of the team or if it would be more of the same. To date, we all seem to have our answer.
The Sox started out making moves, signing Free Agents like Tyler O’Neil for some stability in the Outfield and adding Lucas Giolitio to the rotation, trading Alex Verdugo to the Yankees for a bevy of young pitchers and moving the oft injured Chris Sale to Atlanta for the promising 2B Vaughn Grissom. These have been nice moves, but since then the Sox have been generally silent. The Rumor Mill has been churning but for some reason we haven’t seen the “Full Throttle” mentality that was promised during Breslow’s introduction. In the minds of fans, there are many questions that remain.
So what can this team do to drum up the excitement for a fan base whose interest has been lost and negative over the last few seasons?
Sign one of the top of the rotation pitching free agents, for starters. The Red Sox have been linked to both Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery this off season, the signing of one would show this organization is serious about improving. The team hasn’t had a true Ace since the departure of David Price and landing another Cy Young award winner would solidify a staff with a lot of questions. Fans would be talking about the Red Sox again if a move like this were to happen. Pull the trigger, cost shouldn’t matter for a player of this caliber.
Don’t change what isn’t broken. Rumors are also being floated around about trading Closer Kenley Jansen to the Dodgers. The closer by committee strategy is one that never seems to work and when you have an All Star caliber Closer on the staff, don’t go messing with the back end of the bullpen. Having a solid ‘exit strategy’ for the game is a winning formula, and that starts with a guy who can compete in high leverage situations, like Jansen. Not only that, but Jansen seems to be one of the few voices for the team and being able to hear from the players is an important part of rekindling a fractured relationship with the fan base.
One of the final things that the Red Sox can do to get the fans back on this train is make the team relatable. Since the retirement of David Ortiz, there hasn’t been a clear cut leader on this team, on the field or in the locker room. Players like Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers have been tasked with this, but these soft spoken ‘leaders’ haven’t been able to connect with fans the way their predecessors have. The fans need to feel connected to this team and it just hasn’t happened.
“Full Throttle” can mean different things to different people, but without any clear messaging from the team it leaves the fans wondering what is happening. When the fans, the people who support the team, are delivered mixed messages where words and actions don’t align, trust is lost between them. The end result, fans whose interest has already been strained stop caring. Especially when the teams around them are doing things to improve their rosters. This is a big market team, they need to act as such. Keep your All Stars, spend money in Free Agency and let this fan base know you are trying to improve the product on the field. The end result will be better than this feeling of being stuck in neutral.
Article submitted by Mike Carreiro