Being 9 games over .500 isn't too shabby if you're coming out of a rebuild or playing in a weak division. When you have the highest payroll in baseball, however, being slightly above average and very inconsistent isn't going to cut it.
The 2019 Boston Red Sox team was surrounded by problems. I'll admit that some, like the injuries that plagued Sale, Price, Eovaldi, and Pearce were out of the club's control, but some of the issues could've been prevented.
This roller coaster ride of a season, and it's not over yet, came to a pause when ownership parted ways with President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski following a loss to the Yankees last Sunday.
When the team took the field the next day and lost both the game (5-0) and the series (Yanks took 3/4), I came to terms with the fact that, for the first time since 2015, the Red Sox wouldn't be playing October baseball.
Though it's challenging to pinpoint exactly where the season went wrong, the bullpen is a prime place to start. Though the relievers have been respectable as of late, Boston's 27 blown saves is, to my knowledge, the worst in MLB.
To make matters worse, no effort was made to boost the 'pen after Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly left in free agency. Dombrowski believed this team could enter the 2019 season without a closer and be just fine, but his plan simply didn't work out.
The team has gone through a handful of closers this year, including Brandon Workman, Ryan Brasier, and Marcus Walden. Entering the 2019 season, however, the pressure was placed primarily on the shoulders of 2018 set-up man Matt Barnes.
His 3.65 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched was an underappreciated part of the World Series Champion's team, but when Kimbrel and Kelly departed, more attention was directed towards Barnes.
Unfortunately, the 29-year old failed to match his 2018 performance, and his 4.12 ERA proves that he should never have been forced into the closer role in the first place.
Let me preface this part of the post by saying that I wholeheartedly appreciate Jackie Bradley Jr's unparalleled defensive capabilities in CF.
At the same time, the 2018 ALCS MVP is a liability on offense, and it's only gotten worse since his 2016 All-Star season. His average was .245 2 years ago, .234 in 2018, and .220 so far this year.
The 2018 Gold Glove award winner has hit as poorly as .170 a month or so into the 2019 season as is emphasized by his -7.4 offensive war, according to FanGraphs.
I will say that because the Red Sox have the best offense in Baseball (even if they won't make the postseason), Bradley's serious lack of batting average can be excused, though this likely won't always be the case.
To some extent, Bradley's poor hitting can be excused given that the Sox have plenty of other options at the plate. As far as starting pitching is concerned, however, there's nowhere for David Price or Chris Sale to hide.
I understand that both star pitchers have suffered from injuries, but with Price and Sale earning $45 million between the 2 of them in 2019 (Sale's contract extension hasn't even kicked in yet), you'd expect something a little better than a combined 4.34 ERA.
As far as Chris Sale is concerned, one can only pray that his awful (and I don't use that word often) 2019 season was just a fluke and that he'll come back stronger and healthier which has been a challenge for him during the 2nd half of the season.
No one is more disappointed with Sale's performance than the 7-time All-Star himself, and I doubt he wants to earn $30 million next year and post another ERA near 4.40.
In addition to all of these individual factors, the main issue that consistently plagued the 2019 Red Sox was the lack of unity. Like all defending champions, this team was on top of the world from August 28th right up until Opening Day.
But that 12-4 loss back in March proved that everyone, contender or not, was coming for the Red Sox this time around. Though Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts have provided tremendous bright spots, many players have taken steps back this year.
Following 3 straight AL East titles, it's odd that Boston (most likely) won't even earn a Wild Card spot in 2019. All I can do is hope that things change for the better and the new President of Baseball Operations if nothing else, brings in a closer.
I admired Dombrowski and the Red Sox for basically giving the luxury tax a middle finger and spending every last dollar to lock down the title in 2018. Kinda sad to see that BOS ownership made it a mandate to treat it like it's an actual salary cap at the expense of Boston's weakness (ie their bullpen) going into 2019 though.
ReplyDeleteThat said as a Yankees fan I wouldn't mind seeing Mookie Betts turning into another casualty of that mandate and be moved elsewhere ;).
I'm hoping the Red Sox... and Sale bounce back in 2020. If anything... I want someone to challenge the Yankees.
ReplyDeleteStarting pitching ultimately killed us. We had no real depth beyond our Top 5. Sale and Eovaldi have a solid history of injury, and the extra usage from the postseason was enough of a concern that they went easy on the entire staff throughout Spring Training and the early months of the season. Porcello was a train wreck. Wright got suspended. It was a mess and it caused our bullpen to pitch more innings than reasonable. I don't know who is responsible for their fitness program, but the fact they had a concrete plan to keep their arms healthy and it blew up in their face is a real concern for me going forward.
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