Red Sox struggles after winning World Series are nothing new
By Drew Athans
With the only notable losses to the team being closer Craig Kimbrel and reliever Joe Kelly, it appeared as though the 2019 team could and would be the first Red Sox team to get back to the World Series the year after winning it. While the Yankees, Astros, Indians, Athletics, and Rays all looked like they’d be as strong as the year before, most fans felt as though nothing would be able to slow down the Red Sox from repeating except themselves.
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Unfortunately, that’s exactly who killed this team. From Alex Cora running a spring training that looked more like a balmy vacation to injuries, under-performing players, mental errors, and consistently inconsistent play, the 2019 season was a joyless slog from beginning to end that finished with an 84-78 record, a third place finish, and the team out of the postseason without the chance to defend their title.
This might have been the most shocking face plant after winning a World Series for the Red Sox since they brought back the entire 2018 roster almost entirely intact. There were some bright spots: career years from Bogaerts, Christian Vazquez, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Rafael Devers putting everything together to have his breakout season.
There was just as much disappointment, though, with Chris Sale struggling mightily before being shut down halfway through due to shoulder issues, injury-plagued seasons to forget from David Price and Nathan Eovaldi, and some serious regression from Andrew Benintendi.
So what does this mean going forward?