The Red Sox followed their winningest campaign in franchise history and fourth World Series title in 14 seasons with an utterly abysmal two-year stretch. They replaced October baseball with maddening underachievement and a cheating scandal, needlessly trading Mookie Betts along the way. Alex Cora was fired and rehired; David Price insulted Dennis Eckersley; somebody named “Zack Godley” started eight games for a last-place club.
In fact, it’s almost as if the 2020 season didn’t happen at all. Fans were barred from Fenway Park, and TV ratings fell by more than 50 percent. It was the most deflating summer of baseball in decades.
There are lots of cheesy ways to frame this Red Sox season as some sort of rebirth — both for the team and city. I could write about how Fenway’s reopening to fans symbolizes Boston awakening from its pandemic slumber, or something like that. I’m sure Dick Flavin is already cooking up a classic.
But seriously, on this Opening Day, it’s time to surrender lasting grudges. Of the players on the current 40-man roster, 23 are new to the organization since Chaim Bloom was hired. And the ones who remain are immensely likable. Who doesn’t love Rafael Devers’ sweet stroke and infectious smile?
Colossal mismanagement put the Red Sox in this sorry position. Dave Dombrowski stripped the farm system and saddled the team with atrocious contracts, such as Nathan Eovaldi for $68 million, and Chris Sale for $145 million. Ownership blamed the luxury tax for trading Betts, an inexcusable explanation for any big market club.
The apparent animus towards ownership is understandable. They often dodge accountability and came across as awkward. The Terry Francona smear campaign remains unforgivable.
But if we’re being fair, the Betts trade was an anomaly. Over the last 20 years, the Red Sox have consistently carried one of the largest payrolls in the league. This season, they are still projected to spend more than $200 million on the team, though much of that money is tied into old contracts.
There’s no doubt Bloom is engaging in a rebuild, as the Globe’s Alex Speier noted last weekend. The Red Sox signed seven players to major league contracts this offseason. None of them guaranteed more than two years or $14 million.
In some respects, Bloom’s approach this offseason was similar to Ben Cherington’s in 2013, when he inked the heartbeat of the bearded “Idiots” — namely Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino and Koji Uehara — to short-term deals as well. But that team also featured David Ortiz in the lineup and Jon Lester in the rotation.
This current iteration isn’t nearly as good, but that doesn’t mean they’re hopeless. It’s easy to envision bounce back campaigns from Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Devers, and Cora revitalizing the team. For the first time in years, there's genuine young talent to be excited about. Top prospects Bobby Dalbec and Triston Cases possess unbelievable power. Hell, WEEI’s Lou Merloni pegs the Red Sox for 87 wins.
Bloom consistently fielded strong clubs in Tampa Bay, despite dealing with woefully limited resources. The Rays averaged 82 wins per season under his five-year as vice president of baseball operations.
Bloom also largely built Tampa Bay’s World Series team last season.
While Bloom’s predecessor, Andrew Friedman, inherited a playoff team in Los Angeles, it took him a couple of seasons to build the Dodgers into a juggernaut and eventual World Series champion. An agent told the Globe it’s fair to expect the Red Sox to start seriously contending again in the second half of 2023.
While another year-and-a-half of mediocrity would be hard to watch, the Red Sox must start building a sustainable winner. The last decade of ups and downs has alienated fans and bred cynicism. Bloom needs to find a more consistent path.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the Red Sox are largely anonymous right now. Fort Myers was not filled with media; Twitter feeds lacked images of scintillating Grapefruit League action. In some respects, that’s a positive. This season is truly a fresh start.
The prospect of paying $8.50 for a cup of light beer has never been so exciting.
