This offseason, Boston Red Sox supporters have been flocking to the team from all over the league. The ownership’s reluctance to spend and the front office’s lack of creativity have led to a less than ideal offseason that is very different from what Red Sox Nation was promised.
Several well-known baseball enthusiasts, including former consultants for the team, have poked fun at the Red Sox.
Bill James is a sabermetrics pioneer, author, baseball historian, and a longtime advisor to the front office of the Boston Red Sox. Many believe James had some involvement in the Sox’s acquisition of David Ortiz, despite his repeated silence regarding his involvement in the activities in Boston’s front office.
James also holds onto some contentious baseball beliefs. Even James feels that there is room for improvement on Boston’s roster, even though he doesn’t think any team’s players are what make baseball great.
As spring training approaches, the Red Sox roster appears to be mostly set. All they have to do is locate suitable candidates to occupy the final 17 or 18 roster slots.
James, let them know how you truly feel.
Whatever the context of his remarks, James raised an important point regarding the condition of Boston’s roster: even if they weren’t predicted to finish last in the AL East, it would be difficult to have much optimism for the team given the lack of star power on the roster.
After James’ time with the club, the team he was formerly a part of has undergone significant change. From 2003 to 2019, James was employed by the Red Sox front office. The Red Sox were competitive during those years, having won four World Series and regularly adding elite players to their roster.
With a hilarious tweet, Bill James torments the Red Sox roster.
One could now characterize Boston’s roster as “Raffy Devers, Triston Casas, and the rest.” It is a far cry from the big-market Red Sox club that James was accustomed to working with, and it’s possible that the reason he left the team, even back in 2019, was his prediction of the current state of affairs for the team. The next year, with the Mookie Betts trade, John Henry and the rest of ownership seemed to have changed their minds about spending. Perhaps James had knowledge that Red Sox Nation was unaware of at the time.
James’ sardonic remark has prompted more jokes from Sox supporters. If Boston supporters are any indication, they are cynical, and they will also bet on the upcoming season if ownership does. Jokes are probably the only thing left for a lot of ardent Sox fans.
Soon after acquiring the Red Sox organization, Henry asked James to work alongside him, demonstrating his respect for James’ viewpoints. James might be the fan who can connect with Henry and the ownership; perhaps the club could benefit from a former advisor making fun of it on social media.
