With less than a month remaining, the Boston Red Sox are now more than a few games ahead in the American League Wild Card battle. The AL postseason picture is taking shape, and Boston is not appearing in it.
The Red Sox will need to make some significant adjustments heading into the upcoming season in light of their appalling second-half collapse. The front staff and the fan base aren’t happy about losing.
Several players may be leaving Boston, especially in light of how talented the Boston farm system’s upper echelons are.
3. Rich Hill LHP
Alright, I’ll concede that the top name on this list should go without saying. When the Boston Red Sox move into 2025 healthy after this season, Rich Hill won’t be on the team again.
As with the previous several seasons, Hill was merely signed for the purpose of becoming a depth piece. Though his lengthy MLB career is eventually expected to come to an end with each passing year, he manages to stay on a big-league squad well into his 40s. It’s genuinely amazing work.
This season, Hill has appeared in a few games, and his performance has been ok. However, I know it stinks to admit it, he’s not a big-league arm at this moment. If Hill is on the roster, no major league team is going to be really contending for the World Series.
The Red Sox will be quite active in the pitching market going into the upcoming season, both through trades and free agency. In the minor levels, they also have reliable choices like Richard Fitts and Luis Guerrero. They might also be contenders to emerge and have an influence on Boston.
2. Nick Pivetta, RHP
Another obvious option for the Red Sox to cut ties with is Nick Pivetta. Although Pivetta isn’t quite as good as Rich Hill, it’s almost a given that he will wear a different uniform the next season. This is due to several distinct factors.
First, the starter is expected to become a free agency and go on the market. In such circumstances, Pivetta is more likely to move to the highest bidder than to stick with his old squad. Instead of allowing Pivetta return to the Red Sox, a team like the White Sox or another team at the bottom of the standings might be more willing to spend for him.
Pivetta hasn’t been all that fantastic, which is another reason. Right now, the 31-year-old’s ERA is more like 5.00 than 4.00. If Red Sox supporters and the front administration truly want to remain competitive, they would simply demand better than that for the upcoming season.
Although they have a few reliable starting pitching alternatives, I expect them to be active in the beginning pitching market come free agency. Boston might be considering Corbin Burnes or another starter to take Pivetta’s spot.
1. RHP Jansen, Kenley
This one is highly conjectural right now. Kenley Jansen is set to hit free agency this offseason, though it’s unclear where he would sign.
He’s probably going to receive a higher salary than his market worth from one of the league’s best clubs in order to bolster their bullpen. Regarding the Red Sox, there was significant contention between the two teams during the trade deadline, as there were circulating rumors that Jansen might be sold.
Jansen has a 3.70 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts in 48.2 innings pitched (48 games) this season.
In the upcoming months, the Red Sox and Jansen will probably part ways amicably. While Jansen will ultimately complete his career in a different uniform, the Red Sox will probably search for younger, more controllable options to fill the closer role.
Again, anything can happen with this one. Though it’s far from a given, I wouldn’t be shocked if Jansen left Boston during the offseason.
Grumpy Amid the Red Sox’s skid, Rafael Devers becomes an enemy of the Boston media.
Rafael Devers of the Boston Red Sox held the reporters waiting, which is strictly forbidden in a sports town like Beantown. In the big picture, Devers should have little trouble making up for it, especially once he starts to hit again. But when they were informed that Devers would be available to them after the game, those same reporters were (very rightly) irate.
According to Christopher Smith of MassLive, Rafael Devers remained silent. The press held out till eleven p.m. for him. The PR people told him about an hour ago that we wanted to speak with him. Then, he might have just said no. Rather, he made everyone wait before declining to speak.”
Chris Cotillo of the same outlet echoed these concerns, pointing out that Devers has previously declined to speak with the media. Cotillo provided further context, pointing out how strange it is that Devers declined to accept responsibility in light of how much he respected Xander Bogaerts, who consistently arrived on time for these kinds of meetings.
After the Red Sox loss, why didn’t Rafael Devers talk to the Boston media?
Everything depends on the context. The Red Sox have dropped ten of their previous 13 games and four in a row. For third place in the AL Wild Card race, they are still 4.5 games behind the Kansas City Royals. It’s not helping that Devers is only 1 for 21 on the Red Sox’s current road trip. Even yet, it is Devers’ responsibility as the team’s captain and public face to interact with the media and respond to challenging inquiries at both happy and unhappy times.
Although Devers hasn’t been at full strength for much of the season, based on his stat line, he is slashing.279/.357/.548 with a.904 OPS in 123 games. He’s been phenomenal, despite battling shoulder issues recently. A recent cold stretch does not take away from Devers’s season-long accomplishments, but moving him down in the lineup (or giving him some extra time off) could be beneficial heading into the home stretch. Red Sox fans upset about Smith’s story in particular have only themselves to blame for unnecessary drama that could’ve easily been avoided.
The Red Sox have a lot of ground to cover, whether Devers wants to discuss it or not.
