Red Sox management aiming for a free agency participation trophy
By Rick McNair
The Boston Red Sox responded to unrest by finding a sacrifice to quell the ire of the fan base that is reaching a zero on team management confidence.
Since the Star Chamber of FSG management will not discard Sam Kennedy, Tom Werner, and John Henry, they did their next best for appeasement and fired Chaim Bloom. Then, a nationwide search commenced, and the dance card was empty until Craig Breslow decided to chance it. It's a move that Breslow may regret because of ownership's inability to cooperate with the front office.
The names moved on elsewhere, as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray, Teoscar Hernández, and many others went off the board. The Red Sox bought up a day-old sandwich in righty Lucas Giolito, who spoke rather dishearteningly of his signing, indicating it's a likely one-and-done deal.
Rumors are rampant in MLB, and a few have come to fruition, but arguably the biggest surprise of the offseason was Chris Sale being traded to Atlanta in what has the odor of a salary dump.
Time and opportunity are running out for the Red Sox in free agency
Masataka Yoshida and Kenley Jansen have been mentioned as trade possibilities, and both represent mid-range free-agent signings for 2022. Both have substantial contracts and value, but it's expect -- as with Sale -- Boston will be shipping coins along with the player.
Particular nonsense surfaces from management to explain, deflect, or minimize a nasty situation. In the past, it was the infamous "Bridge Year," and now it will be "Full Throttle." If we see full throttle, it's from a Vespa scooter, while the Dodgers and even the Royals are in full gear, head racing mode.
The Red Sox are associated with constant rumors regarding players from Blake Snell to Jordan Montgomery, and somehow, Boston hasn't sniffed anyone -- not even Shōta Imanaga, who reportedly earned $30 million guaranteed on his contract with the Cubs. This has been a pattern. Is it deliberate? Is this team getting the books in order for a cash-out?
The chips are falling elsewhere, and the primary need for the Red Sox is pitching, followed by more pitching. In the recent past, this management was a risk taker and occasionally got burned, but could afford it. And could stomach affording it. That has dissipated, but the next step is to trade.
Boston has a horde of prospects, and names have surfaced regarding possible acquisitions of youthful arms for some of those prospects. Is it just more PR blather or something with substance?
This team, as constructed, is way short on that bump, and the reliance is on arms that are a nice cache of the bottom-of-the-rotation starters. That will get you a .500 club if it falls into place and nothing more. There is still time; hopefully, they will make the necessary moves. But time is running out, and it's looking worse as the free agent/trade markets lag far behind the normal pace.