Red Sox Redux: A team of players who left Boston
By Rick McNair
Hindsight is a great tool for Boston Red Sox fans. Now a look at a team created of those who left.
Just what kind of team could I build from players the Red Sox traded, released or didn’t sign when they became free agents? Just how far back do you go? My reference point is one player I wished the Red Sox had tendered a free agent contract after the 2010 season. So that is the starting point – 2010.
This will certainly not be a team built for success compared to the current 2017 Red Sox. Nor will it take into consideration that often the decision not to sign or to trade was the smart move. In some instances, the player moved from one organization to another with Boston just being a way station in their career. I will not be involved with any fWAR comparisons.
Looking at rosters going back to 2010 was a memory jolt as name after name cropped up with either positive memories, forgettable memories or no real memories at all. Amazing how many players can go through a roster in one season. In 2010 a total of 53 players appeared on the roster. In 2013 the total was 48.
What stands out is pitching and except for a few obvious choices the pitchers that are still playing today are simply not close to our current staff. The players are also mostly in that category that says their best days are behind them.