When John William Henry II bought the Boston Red Sox in 2002, he promised to break The Curse Of The Bambino. In the 20+ years that would follow, he promised it, broke it, shattered it. Four championships in fourteen years is a pace and accomplishment that every professional sports team would envy. From his first day in charge in 2002, to the last World Series title in 2018, Henry and his front office went head-to-head with the biggest of markets MLB has to offer. Competing against the Yankees, Dodgers and Braves of the world every offseason for the biggest free agents. Handing out big boy contracts to their best talents to ensure them in a Red Sox uniform.
Price’s 200+ million-dollar deal, landing JD Martinez long term when EVERY club wanted him, hell, Henry spent 50 million just to TALK to Matsuzaka. John Henry never pinched his pennies when it came to putting the best team he possibly could out there.
So why is he doing it now?
Whether it panned out (JD, Pedroia) or not (Carl Crawford, Jason Bay), the spending was never an issue. It seems however, that since the 2018 World Series or post-Dombrowski, Henry and the Red Sox aren’t nearly breaking the bank or going after the top names in baseball like they have been for the majority of their existence.
Now, it’s not like there isn’t any spending whatsoever. Devers got a sweet deal, Trevor Story too. But there are countless instances that has rubbed the majority of Red Sox fans the wrong way.
Letting beloved multiple All-Star, 2x champ, and team captain Xander Bogaerts walk away. Then signing Yoshida, who never played a MLB game at the time, for roughly the same amount of money that Xander ended up singing for in San Diego. Trading Christian Vazquez to the eventual World Series champion Astros in 2022, when the team needed a reliable catcher the most. Settling for Hunter Renfroe, a small time buy when various bigger name free agents were available, then trading him for Jackie Bradley, who was previously let go from the Red Sox due to him costing too much but had a larger contract price than Renfroe at the time of the trade.
Among others, those are just some decisions that have been heavily criticized and rightly so.
So now we’re in 2024. The Chaim Bloom era has quickly come and gone, and Craig Breslow is in the GM seat now. But with no evidence to suggest that the Red Sox will start spending like they used to, competing with the league’s biggest clubs. Is it time to look at the positions higher than the GM and call for change there? From President Sam Kennedy to John Henry himself, it has to be speculated by the fanbase and the baseball world, that perhaps their fire doesn’t burn as hot as it used to. And if that’s the case, Maybe it’s time for new ownership at Fenway Park.
It’s been a hell of a ride. Maybe even not appreciated enough just how great and wild the John Henry era in Boston has been. Red Sox fans aren’t used to not being among the big market clubs, and they shouldn’t be. No fans should. Penny pinching owners and GMs have been a growing problem throughout the entire league. But this is The Boston Red Sox. This is roughly the equivalent of a historic, prestigious team like the Cowboys or ironically Liverpool, playing small ball. Change is inevitable, but in this case, Sox fans should be clamoring for it. Sooner rather than later.
