Forget the champagne Interim Manager Chad Tracy popped on September 20th after clinching a playoff berth against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. That Red Sox season? It was no success. Zero. Absolutely none.
That “Incredible” Comeback Was a Cruel Joke
Look, the comeback we saw in late June and July? Yeah, it was incredible. It actually gave fans something to believe in heading into the dog days of summer. And sure, the guys in that clubhouse deserve respect for not lying down, for clawing their way back into the picture. You could even say it was a big win for the clubhouse culture, a franchise that had been starved of that for a while. But last time I checked, they don’t hang banners for “improved culture” or “fighting back.” They sure as heck don’t give out rings for a great summer. This is Boston, right? And when you’re looking to build on your first playoff appearance in a few seasons, another Wild Card exit cannot, I repeat, *cannot* be considered a success.
Especially when that exit was at the hands of the Yankees, happening before the calendar even flipped over to October! Talk about a kick in the teeth. And if you zoom out a bit? The last four games against those damn Yankees , the two in the Wild Card series and the two at the end of August with the head-to-head tiebreaker on the line , Boston got absolutely annihilated by a combined score of 43-5. Forty-three to five! That season was bookended by unmitigated disasters, and not even that “best 37-game stretch in franchise history” sandwiched in-between can change that cold, hard fact.
The “Building Blocks” Are Just Broken Pieces
But wait, it gets even worse. Not only did this season end in calamity, but the year as a whole dropped some pretty terrible news on the critical building blocks the team was supposed to have moving forward. It’s a full-blown disaster for the future, man. Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony? They’ve got legit and potentially long-term injury concerns hanging over their heads. Marcelo Mayer completely flamed out and got flipped for a middle reliever. Kristian Campbell never found his way back from Worcester. Tristian Casas? He hasn’t even played in over 300 games. Connelly Early was swapped for a “largely unproven” Curtis Mead. And Brayan Bello just keeps proving he’s completely untrustworthy in any pressure-packed spot. Jarren Duran’s value shriveled so much you’re not going to get anything useful for him in a trade moving forward.
And then there’s the big one: Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar, and Harold Rivas were all shipped to Baltimore. For who? Adley Rutschman, who only has *one year of control left*. Do you see what’s happening here? The wave of young talent that was supposed to set up a run of many Octobers is just… gone.
So yeah, interim manager Tracy popped champagne, and they had an “incredible” summer. But when you look at the real damage to the talent pipeline, to the actual future of the team, and cap it all off with getting absolutely shellacked 43-5 by your biggest rival, how can anyone in their right mind call that a success? It’s not just a Wild Card exit, it’s a warning sign for the years to come.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Over the Monster.
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