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Boston Red Sox: Five things fans won’t miss about 2020

By Sean Penney

BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 11: A general view of Fenway Park in the fourth inning of the game between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park on August 11, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 11: A general view of Fenway Park in the fourth inning of the game between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park on August 11, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 28: Chaim Bloom speaks as he is introduced as Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 28: Chaim Bloom speaks as he is introduced as Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

Red Sox fans won’t miss losing

Boston sports fans are accustomed to winning. It’s practically in our DNA. We’ve been fortunate enough to celebrate a dozen titles from our teams over the last 20 years, four of which were captured by the Red Sox. We expect our teams to be competitive, which is why it stings so much when they hit rock bottom.

That’s where the Red Sox found themselves this year with a 24-36 record, the fourth-worst in the majors. Their .400 winning percentage was the worst this team has produced since 1965 and the 12th-worst in franchise history (they fall into the bottom 10 if we exclude the early 20th century Boston Americans). It’s a good thing this season lasted only 60 games because it was difficult to watch.

Next year will almost certainly be better. The rotation will welcome back Sale and Rodriguez while presumably adding at least one free-agent to the staff. Boston is actively seeking upgrades to their much-maligned bullpen. Martinez is going to hit better than he did this year and Devers can’t possibly field his position any worse.

There is too much talent on this roster for the Red Sox to be toiling away in the basement of the AL East. A few bounce-back years, improved health and the continued development of young players would be more than enough to climb the standings. Add in a couple of mid-tier free-agents and this team is more than capable of being competitive.

There’s nothing Chaim Bloom could reasonably do that would make the Red Sox the favorites to win the World Series next year. We have to keep expectations realistic. This team will be better than they were last year though. Progress will be made. They will be good enough to put themselves in the hunt for a playoff spot. If they get in, there’s always a chance they could get hot at the right time. The favorites don’t always win.

Next. Four good things that happened in 2020. dark

Even if we aren’t holding a parade at the end of next season, we can’t possibly be as miserable as we were this year. Next year’s team won’t be a cellar dweller. They will put up a fight. 2020 is over and the Red Sox aren’t going to be losers anymore.

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