Several years ago, the Red Sox had fans who were confident. The club was good and was the king of the baseball world.
The titles of 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018 proved that nothing could stop the training. Owners were going for big players, spending money and having exciting teams.
But now? I have the feeling, speaking to friends who are Boston fans, that fans no longer know what/who to hold on to.
The best example? The Seth Lugo situation.
Recently, the pitcher agreed with the Royals instead of the Red Sox, who are in need of pitchers and were finalists for his services.
And it looks like losing Lugo to Kansas City hurt more than it should. This attracted a wave of criticism like: where do we go if we lose to KC in a file like this?
Back in the day, the Red Sox were fighting with the Yankees for the top of the American League.
NOW? The Red Sox are currently the worst team in their (powerful) division and playoff moments (once since the 2018 World Series) are rare. #Inconstancy
Shohei Ohtani and company in Boston? Forget that. The name Yoshinobu Yamamoto circulates a little in Boston, but nothing more.
When was the last time we talked about the Sox among the big players on the market like we talk about the Dodgers, the Yankees, the Mets and even the Blue Jays? 2016? 2017? Before Chaim Bloom, then.
Who are the club's stars now that Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts are gone? Chris Sale? Trevor Story? Masataka Yoshida? Alex Cora, who is at the end of his contract?
Obviously, the star is Rafael Devers. He's a great player and lucky he's here, but he's not the most talked about player in the league either.
We agree that the club no longer has David Ortiz, who had a big personality that resonated throughout the MLB. Even Betts had an aura… which wasn't like Papi's, but still.
The connection between management (I know, Craig Breslow just arrived) and the fans is broken. We don't feel any added value in watching Boston, a club that doesn't want to improve at all costs.
MLB needs a strong return to the Yankees vs. Red Sox rivalry. The Bombers are doing their part at the moment.
For the sake of baseball, Boston must become… Boston again. We need to start talking about the Red Sox again for the right reasons.
