One day after the Red Sox introduced that Xander Bogaerts’ substitute, Trevor Story, would miss a lot of the 2023 season with an elbow harm, they turned their consideration to the longer term.
Rafael Devers, they stated, would convey the Red Sox long-term success.
“We’re going to do this and it’s going to be awesome,” chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom giddily proclaimed on the finish of a prolonged introduction to announce the 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension for Devers at Fenway Park.
The celebratory press convention, which was broadcasted dwell on the Red Sox’ Twitter feed, was lacking a key piece of details about Devers’ contract: it means nothing for 2023.
He was already signed for this 12 months.
The Red Sox didn’t get higher on Wednesday. They added no one new to their roster. They’re nonetheless the identical flawed group they had been on Tuesday, and barring one thing surprising between now and Opening Day, they’ll be picked to complete in final place for the third time in 4 years.
The unlucky actuality is the Red Sox aren’t anticipated to be excellent this season. And whereas it was a reduction to see them lastly signal a star participant to a long-term contract, this winter has been one in all subtraction for the Sox’ large league expertise pool.
That’s why the main target is on the longer term.
Despite the absence of principal proprietor John Henry at Wednesday’s press convention, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner instructed reporters masking the occasion that the possession group stays invested within the long-term success of the membership and has no plans to promote the group, regardless of clear efforts to divest lately.
“There are absolutely no plans,” Werner stated.
He later added, “We’ve got lots of plans about how to strengthen the minor league system. As for (Fenway Sports Group), yes, it’s true that we were looking for additional investors. Nothing has materialized, but that doesn’t change our focus.”
Werner additionally threw his help behind Bloom, who has led the Red Sox to a pair of last-place finishes in 2020 and ’22, however used a Wild Card berth to launch a deep playoff run in ’21.
Said Werner, “I think he’s one of the finest general managers in baseball, or heads of baseball operations I should say. He had a tough year last year. We all had a tough year. We had an excellent year the year before. I endorse and I’m excited about his long-term plan.”
Bloom, to his credit score, was keen to confess to some errors throughout his prolonged opening assertion. But it bought awkward in the direction of the tip.
“One more thing actually I want to say, really to our fans,” he stated after studying a ready assertion. “Loving your favorite team has its great moments. It’s not always easy … And you’ve been with us the whole way.”
That half isn’t precisely true.
The followers didn’t stick to the Red Sox in 2022. In reality, followers went to Fenway Park much less continuously than they did in each different non-pandemic 12 months since 2000. The common attendance was 32,409, the bottom figures underneath Henry’s possession.
They stopped watching on TV, too. Ratings plummeted, falling nearly as little as they had been throughout the pandemic-shortened season in 2020, when the Sox pathetically limped to the end line with one of many worst data in baseball whereas utilizing a pitching workers that ranked as one of many worst of this millennium.
“When we’ve celebrated, you’ve celebrated with us,” Bloom continued. “When we’ve hurt, you’ve hurt, and we know that and we feel that. I’m hoping today, when you think about what we’ve talked about and where we’re going and this vision of the Red Sox organization that every year is consistently contending for a championship, I’m hoping that vision is a little clearer today, knowing this guy (Devers) is going to be right there in the middle of it, what we’re going to do around him.”
Have the Red Sox truly constructed round Devers?
They traded future Hall of Famer Mookie Betts to the Dodgers for little in return. They didn’t re-sign Bogaerts and have constantly made refined hints that the Padres look silly for paying him $280 million when the Red Sox reportedly provided simply $160 million.
“Was I surprised that the Padres made such a long extension? Slightly,” Werner stated.
Then he credited Bogaerts’ agent, Scott Boras, saying, “Scott did his job.”
Finally, the Red Sox did theirs.
They locked up a homegrown star and gave their followers one thing to be enthusiastic about.
But the concept that they’re abruptly heading in the right direction is one purely based mostly on hope.
“It’s not always linear,” Bloom stated. “It’s not always easy. We’ve taken a couple haymakers and we’re probably going to take a couple more. This is baseball. It’s not supposed to be easy. I want to be clear we’re going to do this and it’s going to be awesome. And we are going to do it together and I want to thank all of you for your support and hope it’s a little clearer today.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com