2023 Looks Rough For The Red Sox
Today, one of our authors looks at the mostly underwhelming offseason for the Boston Red Sox and projects a difficult season ahead.
IBWAA members love to write about baseball. So much so, we've decided to create our own newsletter about it! Subscribe to Here's the Pitch to expand your love of baseball, discover new voices, and support independent writing. Original content six days a week, straight to your inbox and straight from the hearts of baseball fans.
Pregame Pepper - Red Sox Reports
Leading Off
Rafael Devers Extension Doesn’t Salvage Boston’s Frustrating Winter
By Tyler Maher
New year, new Boston Red Sox? Unfortunately, not so much.
Earlier this month, the team finally made a move that fans have been waiting for, locking up All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers to a massive contract extension. At 11 years and $331 million, it’s easily the largest contract in franchise history, far surpassing the seven-year, $217 million deal given to David Price following the 2015 campaign.
It should have been the cherry on top of a busy (and expensive) offseason for Boston’s front office, one in which the team committed roughly half a billion dollars in new contracts (and counting). It should have been a moment to celebrate for the fans, who will now get to enjoy watching one of the game’s best hitters for years to come.
Instead, the whole thing felt bittersweet. Yes, Devers spending the next decade in Boston is undoubtedly a good thing for the Red Sox, who finally came to their senses and paid a homegrown star what he was worth. If only they’d done the same with Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts, they’d have a legitimately competitive team this year.
For all of Chaim Bloom’s wheeling and dealing, however, the roster remains riddled with holes. The middle infield is empty following Bogaerts’ departure and Trevor Story’s potentially season-ending injury. The catching situation isn’t great, and the starting rotation is still loaded with question marks. The bullpen and outfield are improved, but overall Boston looks like a .500 team at best and appears headed for a fourth or fifth-place finish.
How does a team spend so much money and still project to be so bad? New additions Justin Turner, Kenley Jansen, and Corey Kluber are all well into their thirties and thus at risk of breaking down. Who knows how Masataka Yoshida will perform in his first season stateside? The only thing anyone seems to agree on is that the Red Sox grossly overpaid for him, which is shocking given that they were outbid for virtually every other free agent they wanted.
Extending Devers was awesome, but he was already on the roster and doesn’t make it any better. He’s also the team’s only legitimate superstar left following the mass exodus of stars over the last several years. At least now Bloom doesn’t have to consider trading Devers before his final year of team control, as he did with Betts or let him walk for nothing, as he did with Bogaerts.
Bogaerts wasn’t the only notable offseason departure, by the way. Nate Eovaldi, J.D. Martinez, and Rich Hill signed elsewhere, and Michael Wacha may as well. Bloom should have traded them when Boston was falling apart last July but instead, he held onto them so they could play out the string on a last-place team, pushing the payroll over the luxury tax in the process.
Bloom’s failure to exchange them for controllable talent last summer will haunt the Red Sox in 2023 and beyond. For an executive who constantly seems to be focused on the future at the expense of the present, it was a bizarrely short-sighted strategy. GMs need to know when it’s time to punt on a season and start preparing for next year, not stubbornly hold their ground in a lost season. A true fire sale was warranted to help reload and accelerate the rebuilding process, but Bloom missed a golden opportunity to do so.
Now, another disappointing season seemingly awaits. Boston’s already finished last twice in three years under Bloom’s watch, and another year in the basement could very well be on the way. The team is a dangerous mix of old, injury-prone veterans and inexperienced youngsters, which typically isn’t a recipe for success (the 2014 Red Sox say hello). If the likes of Triston Casas, Brayan Bello, and others don’t step up as expected, it’s going to be another long, hot summer at Fenway Park.
And when it’s over, Bloom might not be the one calling the shots anymore.
Tyler Maher is a Content Editor for The Duel who wouldn’t be surprised if the Red Sox asked him to play second base this year.