Oh, yeah, I bought it. I figured those high hopes that accompanied the start of the Red Sox season would lead to a memorable summer. Perhaps, with good health and a few breaks, even a fulfilling fall.
Maybe you bought it, too. Those hopes — with Garrett Crochet and Alex Bregman arriving, a capable core of holdover talent remaining, and a trio of super prospects on Fenway’s doorstep — were legitimate.
The validity of those early spring hopes is one reason why there’s no satisfaction to be found in acknowledging the blunt reality of the present:
The 2025 Red Sox — with their 27 wins, 30 losses, ongoing battles of attrition, and square pegs pounded into round holes all over the roster — probably are not escaping this malaise.
This maddening, undisciplined mediocrity is who they are. Barring a sudden urgency on the field and off — something that has been annoyingly absent on all fronts — this is who they will continue to be.
That may seem crazy to declare now, with more than 100 games remaining. But the grimness of the Red Sox’ circumstances hit me over the long weekend, particularly during Monday’s 3-2 loss to the Brewers.
The moment that sticks with me — an innocuous one, and yet encapsulating — occurred early in that game with the Red Sox trailing, 1-0, in the second inning. A one-out single by Marcelo Mayer put runners on the corners, bringing the floundering Trevor Story to the plate.
On the Red Sox radio broadcast, Will Flemming noted that it was Story’s 200th at-bat of the season. “It’s not early anymore,” observed Flemming.
Story, who through Monday was hitting .163 with a .424 OPS in May, failed to get the runner in, popping up. The only surprise was that he did not strike out, something he already has done 65 times this season.
There is so much going on with this team that does not look fixable. Repairs, and on-field rejuvenation, will require bold action that I’m not sure the people in charge have the stomach for.
The biggest issue is their starting pitching beyond Crochet. The projected rotation has gone haywire — Brayan Bello’s stuff and command are betraying him, Tanner Houck has an 8.04 ERA and still leads the majors in earned runs despite having last pitched May 12, and Walker Buehler and Lucas Giolito are works in progress as they pitch through their scars.
Pitching coach Andrew Bailey, who seemed somewhere between savant and savior at this point a year ago, now seems to have a chronic shortage of solutions.
The staff has endured more than the usual quota of injuries, which has led to the premature draining of organizational depth. A trade for an established starter will cost steep prospect capital, but it’s a necessity if they remain serious about fixing this mess and not cooking every functional arm in the bullpen before July.
And yet the achy, shaky rotation isn’t even the most frustrating aspect of this team. That would be the lineup, and the convoluted ways manager Alex Cora and/or chief baseball officer Craig Breslow have avoided putting their best team on the field in order to placate egos.
What should the Red Sox do? Seems obvious. Call up Roman Anthony, who has not a damn thing left to prove in Triple A, to play left field. Move Jarren Duran to center field. Ceddanne Rafaela, who through Monday had 29 walks, 215 strikeouts, and a .651 career OPS, isn’t going to learn patience in the big leagues. He becomes the super sub in the outfield and at shortstop.
That’s not all. In the wake of Bregman’s injury, Rafael Devers needs to be told to pick a corner — your choice, Raffy, third or first, but circumstances have changed, and you need to grab a mitt. Take it up with the Players Association if you don’t like being told to do so by your employer.
Also, it’s time to give some stability to the kids. Mayer plays shortstop, not second or third, even if that means designating Story for assignment. It’s sad, but it’s time to stop trying to wring something out of him that is no longer there, and perhaps never was in states other than Colorado.
While they’re at it, stop taking advantage of Kristian Campbell’s earnestness and end this first base experiment. The kid was hitting .172 over his last 129 plate appearances through Monday. He probably would be best served by going back to Worcester, catching his breath, and hammering some Triple A pitching for a few weeks. If they’re going to let him make his adjustments in the majors — hey, maybe Jim Rice has some advice — the least they can do is stop trying to shoehorn him into a new position on top of everything else. It’s ridiculous.
But then, so much of this season has been ridiculous. We’re not in the Jobs In Danger phase just yet, but it must be acknowledged that for a proven manager, Cora sure ends up with some sloppy, undisciplined teams.
The Red Sox entered Tuesday in fourth place in the American League East, already 7.5 games back of the Yankees. They had the 10th-best record in the AL, and 20th-best in baseball. They have talent, and more than 100 games remain. But make no mistake, it is not early.
If common sense doesn’t start to prevail with who this team puts on the field and where, there’s no reason to believe the promise of the spring will come close to being fulfilled.
