Linking the Boston Red Sox offseason to 2012-13 offseason
In 2012, the Boston Red Sox had a new manager in Bobby Valentine. They also brought on board a new general manager with the promotion of Ben Cherington. The team was recovering from the escapades of Beer and Chicken. Manager Terry Francona was having marital difficulties. Word was leaked out that Francona had “issues” with pain killers. And in September of 2011, the team folded like a cheap suitcase. What could possibly go wrong? New manager, new GM, new outlook. They bombed.
The Red Sox first half was “meh” at .500. The second half was a death march to 26-50. Valentine became a source of rumors over disarray in the clubhouse. Veteran players were disgruntled. The team was listless. Valentine was canned and the new sheriff in town was John Farrell. The last-place Red Sox had nowhere to go but up.
Think about the signings in this offseason and connect them to the 2012-13 offseason. They became the template for the 2013 championship team. A certain amount of risk but contractually it was short years. A certain amount of positive on risk versus return. Collectively we may yawn at Garrett Richards, Marwin Gonzalez, Enrique Hernández, Martin Pérez, and potentially Japanese import Hirokazu Sawamura. Or trading and ending up with Franchy Cordero.
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As with the 2020 offseason, the moves to refit the sagging franchise were not the up in lights type, but the results were dramatic. Mike Napoli was hired for his bat but another characteristic also surfaced. Napoli was a solid clubhouse guy and became a team enforcer. Nap signed for three years and $39 million. Napoli had the physique to be physical, but it was more along the lines of pulling a player aside to address issues.
If there was a clone for Napoli it was Jonny Gomes. He came on board with a well-established history of success following him. A player of moderate ability who did remarkably well in clutch situations. Clutch as in four pinch-hit home runs off the bench. Gomes hit .247 for the season with 13 home runs. Fellow righty Napoli slammed 23 out. Gomes was signed for two-years at $10 million.
Catcher David Ross hit just .229 over his lengthy 15-year career. Ross had been with the Red Sox briefly in 2008 and was brought in as a backup catcher. He came with the tag associated with Napoli and Gomes for leadership. Ross also brought in excellent defensive skills that became most important in the playoffs. And leadership? Ross is now manager of the Chicago Cubs. His contract was two-years at $6.2 MM.
Gomes was a righty so a lefty bat off the bench was necessary Mike Carp was hauled in off waivers from the Mariners during spring training. Carp was barely over the MLB minimum at $508,000. The corner outfielder/first baseman hit a pair of pinch-hit home runs and hit .296 in 86 games.
The Red Sox solidified their bullpen with the signing of free agent Koji Uehara. Flamboyant, electric, seeping enthusiasm, Koji treated each game as something special. Signed as a swingman, Uehara soon fell into the closer role. No Koji you have no anything. Uehara a free-agent signed for $4.25 million.
The Red Sox took a $13.5 million risk and signed right-hander Ryan Dempster. Looking back it was a strange move as Dempster was clearly at the end of the line in his long career. Still, he provided 171 innings and 29 starts. The idea is to have your bottom of the rotation a bit better than the other teams.
Drew is a familiar last name in Boston baseball and it is the brother of J.D. Drew that the Red Sox signed for $9.5 million. Stephen Drew took over at short and hit .253 in 124 games. Drew earned his money with that longball in game six of the World Series.
The Red Sox made more moves as the season went forward. They knew they had something special. And the young players started to arrive or were already on the roster. A nucleus for the 2018 championship team was percolating. That said the team in 2014 lost whatever magic they had. Players were soon jettisoned and the team finished last in 2014, but for 2013 it certainly worked. Maybe it will for 2021?