Red Sox fans took advantage of the “winter weekend” to make themselves heard

At the end of the week, the Red Sox hold their winter weekend. Basically, it's a meeting between certain players, certain members of management and the fans.

The owner isn't there, but hey.

Normally, it's a beautiful moment. But this year, fan frustration is so intense that there doesn't seem to be any vibe positive surrounding the event.

Club bosses who were present saw fans booing them when it came time to answer questions yesterday.

It started when payroll was discussed. We learned it would be lower than in 2023, when the club spent $225 million, and fans were not happy.

And that's normal.

Red Sox payroll currently at $198M, per FanGraphs.

Payroll was around $225M last season.

First CBT threshold is $237M, so the Red Sox have plenty of room to still spend to field a more competitive team in 2024. No excuse not to continue to address the pitching staff. https://t.co/acoGVysxuX

— Brandon Wile (@Brandon_N_Wile) January 19, 2024

The Sox will therefore spend (quite a bit) less than $25 million by the end of the off-season. The pitching staff is not adequate and obviously, big changes are not on the menu.

After the comments saying that the club is going to go all out, let's say that this is disappointing.

Red Sox ownership fired Chaim, indicating a change in direction, then told you they were going “full throttle” this offseason, didn't sign or trade for a single frontline pitcher, then told you they were cutting payroll all within four months' time. Incredible.

— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) January 19, 2024

The bosses always fall back on the fact that the group of young people are coming. That said, the Sox shouldn't act like they're rebuilding, right?

And from there, the mockery began. It's a good sign because it shows that the fans are engaged, but hey.

For example? A fan yelled to “go get some pitchers” and the rest of the crowd cheered. This was just one example, but it opened the door for other comments.

When Sam Kennedy said he understood the fans' frustration, one supporter replied “well done” before being applauded.

Craig Breslow got shouts of “Chaim Bloom 2.0” while he was on stage.

This same Breslow said that the club was not far from winning… and when Kennedy said that the club was doing everything to be good, the fans booed again.

The club may say that the clubs with the biggest payrolls in 2023 did not make the playoffs, but fans saw that as an excuse. It is what it is, too.

It took the arrival of legends to really please the crowd.

Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz and Jason Varitek come on stage to talk about Wakefield. Crowd roaring.

— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) January 20, 2024

The club, which did not “offer enough” to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, is not for sale. We will therefore have to follow the plan for a while longer.

Fans have to hope it works.

• We'll see if it's the Rays who made him good.

Deal includes $4M salary for 2024, $6M mutual option or $1.5M buyout for '25. Performance bonuses for each year: $250K each at 45, 50, 55 and 50 games.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 20, 2024