This Major League Baseball (MLB) offseason has been full of exciting signings and trades all across the league, from the Los Angeles Dodgers signing Shohei Ohtani to a record-breaking 700 million-dollar contract to teams like the Kansas City Royals, who lost over 100 games last season, seemingly getting back on their feet. The Boston Red Sox, who won the World Series in 2018 and made a significant playoff run just two years ago, should be one of the top spenders this offseason, right? Well, not really. The Sox have made only a couple of under-the-radar trades and signed just one significant free agent: starting pitcher Lucas Giolito. This, combined with some changes in the front office, has left Sox fans skeptical about the future of the franchise.
In mid-September, longtime President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom was fired before the season even ended. Bloom’s reputation in Boston wasn’t great. His biggest move with the Sox was trading away future hall-of-famer Mookie Betts to the Dodgers in 2020. During his time in Boston, he saw a variety of key players choose other teams in free agency, most notably longtime shortstop Xander Bogaerts, starter Nathan Eovaldi, and designated hitter JD Martinez. That being said, many fans were glad to see him go. However, his replacement, former Red Sox pitcher Craig Breslow, hasn’t proven to be any better for the team this offseason.
After a disappointing last-place finish in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Sox fans were hoping to see some blockbuster moves being made in the offseason, but with the lack of free-agent signings, they might be in for yet another losing year. Signing pitcher Lucas Giolito is a risk in and of itself, as he is coming off of a year in which he allowed almost five (five!) earned runs per nine innings.
Despite these numbers, it seems as though any help in the pitching rotation could be good for Boston after the 2023 season’s lack of qualified pitchers. Unfortunately, with the loss of veteran pitcher Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves, the rotation in Boston will be weak, to say the least. As of now, they are slated to have Giolito, young flamethrower Brayan Bello, veteran Nick Pivetta, and youngsters Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck starting games in 2024. The latter three names all spent time on the injured list last year, and none of them, other than Pivetta, have had a fully qualified season in their careers.
All this news combined has proven to be distressing for Sox fans, and many may be wondering, “Why even stick to rooting for Boston when it’s much easier to bandwagon for the hottest teams?” Well, Red Sox fans, here’s why we stick with this team. We stick with them because there is something magical about when they do win, and because watching the Red Sox lose at Fenway Park is better than watching anyone else win. But most of all, we stick with them because we have hope, however futile, for the future. And it’s hard to quell hope.
