Some Things I Think I Think: Once more, Red Sox' actions don't match their promises

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a day ago

*You can argue, if you wish, that the asking prices were unreasonably high at baseball's trading deadline. Or you can, as some Red Sox officials did, insist that 'It takes two to tangle,' and try as they might, the Sox couldn't find a dance partner.
But how is it, that among all the contending teams in the American League, the Red Sox improved the least? Was there an industry-wide conspiracy to prevent them for upgrading for the final two months of the season?
Of course not.
As hard as they might have worked to acquire more consequential pitching help, as many phone calls as they might have made, the Sox were left with a largely ineffective back-end starter and a rather ordinary multi-inning reliever.
It doesn't matter that they almost made this trade or that one. Trades aren't like horseshoes and hand grenades — you don't get credit for being close.
Call it what you wish — a lack of creativity; a refusal to be bold — but the Red Sox essentially stood still while the teams with whom they're competing moved forward.
That would have been somewhat understandable a year or two ago, when the Red Sox were still assembling their foundation. But not with many of the key pieces now in place and the roster in need of some supplements.
'Given where we are and the importance that we've placed on winning in 2025,' said Breslow in spring training, 'we're going to make moves in line with that. I think there is a time where the needle is pointed more toward building for the future. Often, my role is to balance both of those things. But there's no question that we're more calibrated toward winning in 2025 than we have been in the past.'
And yet, when it was time to act, the Red Sox settled, a betrayal of their stated goal to focus in winning this year.
Dustin May and Steven Matz might be decent depth pieces. And the Red Sox were hardly the only team to whiff on landing a controllable front-end starter; none were dealt.
But they didn't get the best of the rental starters, and in the bullpen, they didn't fill an obvious high-leverage, late-inning need.
Is it any wonder why fans feel let down?
The lesson here: don't promise what you don't intend to deliver.
*Injuries are a fact of life in the NFL. Every player is a hit away from being lost for an extended period. Teams need depth at every position, and that goes double for the quarterback spot.
Given that, how comfortable should the Patriots be with Joshua Dobbs as the No. 2 to Drake Maye's No. 1? Even the Jets have a better fallback plan in Tyrod Taylor.
If the worst happens and something happens to Maye, the drop-off in quality — and track record — is a steep one.
*Allow me to offer a dissenting view on San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller:
While everyone praises him for his willingness to make deals with anyone and everyone, Preller is currently in his 11th full season in charge of Padres. In that time, they've never won a division title let alone a pennant, won a grand total of four postseason series and reached the LCS just once.
It's entertaining, I suppose, to watch Preller wheel-and-deal at the deadline and Winter Meetings. But isn't the whole goal to, you know, win?
*Cooper Criswell doesn't come anywhere near triple digits on radar guns. He doesn't overpower anyone. But that's exactly why it's fun to watch him pitch — as opposed to throw. He works ahead, changes speeds and limits walks. That's why it's so easy to root for him.
*You don't have to be a diehard Billy Joel fan — I'm a casual one, at best — to thoroughly enjoy the documentary And So It Goes, currently airing on HBO/Max.
This is an immersive, unflinching and at times moving look at someone who's been in the public eye for nearly the last 50 years, and yet, still manages to reveal plenty. From his failed marriages, massive financial losses and addiction issues, it's unflinching, yet Joel has never been more relatable. Mostly, though, it's about his craftsmanship as a songwriter and performer. Highly recommended.
*It was surreal last week when Alex Bregman was loudly booed at Fenway — not by Red Sox fans, of course, but by fans of the visiting team (Los Angeles Dodgers) for what happened while Bregman played for his former team (Houston Astros). Got all that?
*After Friday's thrilling Red Sox-Astros game, I couldn't help but think about how many people missed out because the game was shown exclusively on Apple TV+. And Sunday's series finale with Houston will only be available on Roku. (To be clear: these are decisions made on a league-wide level by MLB, and not by the Red Sox).
And for what? Roku pays MLB a mere $10 million annually for its Sunday games and Apple pays $55 million a year (plus another $30 million in advertising and marketing) for the rights to Friday night games per week. That's a combined $65 million, or worth slightly more than $3 million per club for the right to alienate its fan base.
True, it's just three games per team out of 162. But you never know when the vast majority of a team's fans will miss a thrilling walkoff win — as so many Red Sox fans did Friday night. It's understandable that MLB wants to find new platforms in an ever-changing media world. But it sure looks like the juice isn't worth the squeeze there.
*Good for Steve Pagluica, for bringing a WNBA franchise to Boston. It always was strange for the league to have a team in the wilds of Connecticut, while 100 or so miles away, a Top 10 media market like Boston went without.
*You can dream all you wish, but Micah Parsons isn't coming to Foxboro, and it's highly unlikely Terry McLaurin is either.
*Just in case you think baseball doesn't have a pitching injury epidemic: Of the five starters who were projected to be in the Red Sox starting rotation at the start of the season, three (Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, Lucas Giolito) have already undergone Tommy John surgery — Buehler and Giolito have had it twice — and a fourth (Tanner Houck) is about to. Say a prayer for Brayan Bello that he avoids what now almost seems inevitable.
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