Pitching woes, second-half stumbles are main reasons Red Sox failed to earn a spot in the postseason
Little was expected from the Boston Red Sox at the start of the 2024 season. They finished in last place in the American League East in 2022 and ’23, and there was little reason to think much had changed for Alex Cora’s team.
The biggest issue for the Red Sox is the downturn in expectations and spending from ownership. It seemed clear that owner John Henry was looking at the four World Series title that the team had won in the last 20 years and that gave him license to sit back, stop spending money on big-name players and collect his cash.
The Red Sox organization would never admit such a development, but new president of operations Craig Breslow did not bring in any top stars in the offseason. The Red Sox were never in consideration in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes and they have never done anything to counter the image described above since trading superstar Mookie Betts to the Dodgers.
Betts is arguably the No. 3 superstar in Major League Baseball, so why would a team that considers itself a power broker and serious contender ever move on from such player in his prime?
The Red Sox also had Kyle Schwarber in 2021, acquiring him at the trade deadline from the Washington Nationals. He was the ideal Fenway left-handed bat and slashed .291/.436/.522 with 7 home runs in 41 games with the Red Sox and he said he loved playing at Fenway Park. Yet, they let him get away in free agency and he has thrived with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Losing players like Betts and Schwarber are the true indication that the Red Sox are not interested in winning championships any longer.
John Henry sets the tone and Craig Breslow follows his marching orders
The Red Sox are a team that have changed their formula for winning in a dramatic manner. While they consider the New York Yankees their main rivals and once competed with the Bronx Bombers for top players, the Red Sox are clearly out of that business at this time.
They are all about developing young players in the minor leagues and promoting from within. Signing big-name free agents has appeared to be out of their purview. They brought in big-money shortstop Trevor Story a year before they let All-Star Xander Bogaerts leave, and injuries have prevented Story from delivering for the Red Sox.
Boston also extended star third baseman Rafael Devers prior to the 2023 season, but he has often been fighting alone to push the Red Sox.
Red Sox had success early in the season
A pair of young players in Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela have developed into players with dynamic skills. Duran showed dramatic improvement in 2023 and ended up winning the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award after hitting the game-winning home run against his National League counterparts.
Rafaela has demonstrated excellent defensive skills and the ability to play both centerfield and shortstop. He has excellent speed and more than occasional power. He needs a better command of the strike zone at the plate, as he is often fooled by high fastballs and breaking balls from right-handed pitchers.
The Red Sox played surprisingly well in the first half of the season, as they were 10 games over .500 at the break and inside the playoff structure. However, their pitching collapsed in the second half. The starters got exposed and the bullpen got destroyed.
As a result, the Red Sox could not sustain their winning ways and fell from contention and finished with an 81-81 record, good for third place in the division. But as the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers surged into Wild Card position, the Red Sox went meekly.
Kutter Crawford and pitching staff simply were not good enough
There were some positive developments early in the season with the pitching staff. Even though the Red Sox no longer had a dominant starter — injury-prone Chris Sale was traded to the Atlanta Braves — the team had a crew of starters that was providing Cora with 6-plus innings of mound work on a regular basis.
Tanner Houck became an All-Star thanks to improved command and confidence, and the Red Sox also got competitive efforts from Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello and Nick Pivetta. This sustained the team in the early part of the season and the bullpen also held its own.
But the starters’ performances slipped with each new month of the season, and the pitching was an issue by midseason. When the Red Sox returned from the All-Star break for a three-games series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, the starters weakened and the bullpen crumbled. The Red Sox had a late lead in two of the three games at Dodger Stadium, but they were swept by the home team.
The competitive fire got washed away in series of stinging defeats in late July, August and September. Devers attempted to play all season with shoulder difficulties, and it caught up to him in the final six weeks of the season. He drove the offense, but his loss of power meant the Red Sox were held to three runs or less on too many occasions.
Onus back on ownership/management in offseason
The Red Sox played competitively with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles for little more than half a season despite their shortcomings.
It seems quite clear to observers that the team could use at least one big-name starting pitcher and several high-quality relievers. Adding a big bat to take the pressure off of Devers would also be an idea that could turn the Red Sox back into a team that could compete for 162 games in 2025.
Breslow says that he wants that to happen, but the proof will come with the actions taken by the team. “We are preparing to be more decisive, more aggressive, to field a team that is capable of winning the division, of making a deep playoff run,” Breslow said.
Red Sox fans will always fill Fenway Park and remain hopeful, but they will need to see some positive action before they believe it will happen.
