The Boston Red Sox have undergone significant changes to their roster since winning their last World Series title one year ago today.
A lot can change in a year. On this date one year ago, the Boston Red Sox were celebrating a World Series championship. Now they are staring ahead at an uncertain future.
Boston clinched its latest championship on October 28, 2019, by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series. David Price limited the powerful Dodgers lineup to one run over seven strong innings. Steve Pearce belted a pair of home runs on his way to earning the World Series MVP. Chris Sale put the game away with a wicked slider that sent Manny Machado stumbling to one knee.
The Red Sox are barely recognizable from the team that popped champagne 365 days ago. Their record fell from a franchise-record 108 regular-season wins in 2018 to a mere 84 wins that kept them out of the postseason this year. Price and Sale have lingering concerns regarding their health that threaten to make them very expensive liabilities to the rotation. Pearce’s season was an injury-plagued disaster that has left him contemplating retirement.
Rick Porcello, Mitch Moreland, and Brock Holt are about to follow the same free agency path out of town that Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly traveled a year ago. J.D. Martinez could join them if he opts-out of his deal. Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. have been heavily involved in trade rumors a year ahead of when they could test the market.
The Red Sox roster already looks different from last year’s championship team and those changes will only continue now that they’ve hired a new architect to implement his own blueprint on the organization.
It may seem as though the Red Sox have a long way to go to become a contender but many of the main components from last year’s title team remain. Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers emerged as superstars this year. Eduardo Rodriguez showed signs of finally reaching his potential. Chaim Bloom doesn’t need to blow up the roster to begin a full rebuild. A few tweaks are all that’s needed to jump back into contention.
If that’s not enough to wash away the stain of a disappointing season, try watching this clip of Sale clinching last year’s World Series on repeat. It never fails to delight a Red Sox fan.
Sale’s contract extension may end up being an albatross but we’ll always have that moment where he made Machado look helplessly overmatched and the triumphant celebration that followed.
The sweet taste of victory feels as if it’s a distant memory by now but the Red Sox are still the reigning champions, at least for another day or two. The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros meet again tomorrow night for Game 6 of the World Series. By Wednesday at the latest, a new champion will be crowned.
The Red Sox will soon pass the mantle to another franchise but we still have another day or two to bask in the glow of being champions.