Inside the downfall of the Red Sox, from sloppy baseball to poor roster-building: 'Not been good enough'

BOSTON -- As the 2024 season came to a close and the Red Sox endured another year without a postseason appearance, Boston manager Alex Cora confidently declared, "This will be the last struggle."

The Sox had just marked their third straight year without making the playoffs, finishing the year 81-81. After years of wallowing at the bottom of the division, the Sox made it clear their goal wasn't just a wild-card spot. Their sights were set on the American League East, confident they'd make the necessary offseason moves to restore the franchise to its former glory.

"There were some positives, there were a lot of negatives," said Cora during the end-of-year press conference last season. "But I think where we are going as an organization, it's going to be fun again." 

The team reached what it believed was the crossroads of success. Instead, it was the tracks and they were the vehicle in the path of a freight train.

The Red Sox, 30-34, currently sit in fourth place in the AL East, ahead of just the similarly disappointing Baltimore Orioles. They're nine games behind the first-place New York Yankees and four games out in the wild-card race. Caesars gives them just +310 odds to even make the playoffs. Despite avoiding the sweep against the Angels Wednesday afternoon backed by a valiant comeback and a Ceddanne Rafaela homer, there is no masking the club's issues. 

"It has certainly been disappointing," chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told CBS Sports via text early Wednesday afternoon, prior to his club's win. "There are some individual performances that stand out, but as a team, we are not playing the brand of baseball we expected, and simply not winning games we need to win. As a result, as we sit here in early June five games under .500, we have not been good enough. That's across all facets of the game."

In fairness, the Sox have been dealt majors blows to their lineup, losing first baseman Triston Casas to a knee injury that will cost him the season, and third baseman Alex Bregman to a quad injury that's expected to keep him out for some time. But they're not the only team to suffer injuries in the division, let alone the league: the Yankees lost Gerrit Cole to season-ending Tommy John surgery during spring training, Max Scherzer threw three innings for the Blue Jays before he landed on the shelf, most of the Orioles rotation has been out with various maladies, and on and on and on.

The Sox indeed did keep their promise to upgrade the roster this past offseason, most notably adding left-handed starter Garrett Crochet and the aforementioned Bregman. Crochet gave the Red Sox the front-of-the-line starter the team had desired, an ace who could take the ball every five days. He's certainly lived up to that, posting a 1.98 ERA in 82 innings pitched while also striking out 101 batters in that span. Bregman, prior to his injury, was hitting .299/.385/.553 with a .938 OPS and 11 homers. 

But the roster certainly has its holes, some of which have undone the Red Sox thus far this year.

Since the start of the Chaim Bloom era in 2020, the Red Sox -- driven by ownership's cost-cutting approach and its attempt to build from within -- have made a habit of buying low on players coming off injuries or down seasons. A low-risk, high-reward approach. Kyle Schwarber, a 2021 trade deadline acquisition, wound up being arguably Bloom's best acquisition, helping to propel the Sox all the way to the ALCS, where they fell two games short of a World Series berth. But, keep in mind, when the Red Sox traded for Schwarber, he was on the IL -- and an expiring contract -- with a hamstring strain. When a healthy Schwarber hit free agency that winter with his value at its highest, Boston showed little interest and the designated hitter elected to join the Phillies, becoming a fixture in their lineup. 

The Sox did make some moves ahead of the 2022 season, most notably signing Trevor Story to a six-year, $140 million deal. But the timing of that signing was important. Despite being regarded as one of the premier shortstops in the league -- a rare blend of power and plus defensive ability at shortstop -- it was widely believed that Story played much of the 2021 season with the Rockies battling a bad elbow and his asking price scared away some clubs. It was only then that the Sox saw it as their opportunity to pounce, bringing in Story as a second baseman to play alongside Xander Bogaerts. Story played just 94 games that year in large part due to a wrist fracture.

After a forgettable season, Bogaerts signed with the Padres, clearing the way for Story to return to his natural position at shortstop. But Story underwent elbow surgery that year and appeared in just 43 games, affirming the industry's trepidation. A shoulder fracture in 2024 further limited his availability. While he's remained healthy this season, Story has struggled offensively, a product of both his age (32) and the extended time he's spent off the field, batting .217/.265/.326 with a .591 OPS and seven homers, all of which have come on offspeed or breaking pitches. 

"It's hard, right? Imagine you not covering baseball for four years," Cora told reporters recently. "When you don't do something for four years, it takes a while. What he saw four years ago is different. The shape of the pitches is different. The way they attack you is a lot different. Your body is not moving the same, losing confidence. There's a lot of things that come on a daily basis, especially when you're not having repetitions." 

Story, however, remains the consummate professional, refusing to let his struggles at the plate shake what he believes is a breakthrough on the horizon.

"I'm a pretty even-keeled guy," said Story.  "And I think it serves me well, obviously in baseball. I know that I'm always confident in the player that I can be. Over time here in Boston, I haven't shown that consistently, but I'm not stuck in that. I'm focused on what I can do today to be the best version of myself."

The starters

The low-risk, high-reward motto has trickled down to the Breslow era and has hurt them thus far. Walker Buehler, for example, came back from his second Tommy John surgery last year with the Dodgers and was arguably the worst pitcher in baseball, posting a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts. Buehler was once one of the young, prized arms in the majors, but wound up signing a one-year deal with the Red Sox last offseason.

He currently holds a 4.44 ERA in nine starts. 

In 2023, Lucas Giolito posted a 4.88 ERA over 33 starts with three teams. The Red Sox, shopping in the discount aisle once again, signed him to a two-year, $38.5 million deal. He missed all of last season after undergoing elbow surgery. Since returning in late April, the right-hander has struggled, carrying a 6.42 ERA. His most recent outing came Wednesday against the Angels during which he yielded seven earned runs in just 1 ⅔ innings. That's certainly not the return the club expected, but it was the gamble they chose to make.

But this goes beyond Giolito and Buehler. The Red Sox brought in Breslow and pitching coach Andrew Bailey, in part, to rebuild the organization's pitching infrastructure. So far, it has fallen flat.

Since May 6, Boston starters have failed to complete five innings 17 times. Before Giolito's latest outing, the team already ranked 25th in starter ERA (4.25) and had issued 116 walks, sixth most in the majors. Brayan Bello, who signed a six-year, $55 million contract extension in March 2024, has shown to be average at best. Tanner Houck, after becoming a first-time All-Star last year, is on the injured list with an 8.04 ERA in nine starts. 

"I think in a vacuum, you want all of your starters to go deep into games," said Bailey. "But the reality is, you have to win every inning."

The Sox haven't won many of them.

The superstar

And then there's Rafael Devers. Since a brutal offensive start to the season, Devers has settled into his role at the designated hitter's spot and remains one of the premier hitters in the game. His growth at the plate is evident as he enters his prime years, batting .285/.408/.506 with 12 homers and .914 OPS. That he's walking now makes him even more lethal. 

But with the bat comes the baggage, and Devers has made the team carry their share this year after his refusal first to move to DH to make room for Bregman and then to take over first base following the injury to Casas. It left people within the industry -- including some of Devers' peers across the league -- stunned. And yet many understood his frustration, as the team never communicated its plans to sign Bregman to play third base, leaving its highest-paid player out of the loop. 

Although Devers, who was asked by Breslow to play first, had a reason to be upset, the optics following his adamant refusal has left a public stain on the Red Sox from the outside looking in. The Sox, notably, continued referring to Devers as a "kid still learning" through 2023, despite nearly seven years of big-league service. Then, after he signed a $300-plus million extension that offseason, the club abruptly tried to position him as its leader.

The manager

Devers' drama may be the stuff of tabloid headlines and sports talk radio, but it's not why the Red Sox are in fourth place. The team has lost a staggering 17 one-run games. For context, over the last 10 seasons, the only other teams to drop at least 17 one-run games in their first 63 contests were the 2023 Guardians (who finished 76-86) and the 2022 Marlins (who went 69-93). In those same 63 games, the Red Sox led the majors in errors (53), committing three of them in Tuesday's extra-inning loss.

"We keep making the same mistakes," Cora said. "We're not getting better. At one point, it has to be on me I guess." 

As often happens with disappointing teams, Cora's job security has been questioned, particularly because of the Sox' lackluster play, so much so that Breslow had to give him a public vote of confidence. But is it just Cora? 

Not quite. 

According to someone familiar with the organization's operations, the Red Sox prioritize range over sure-handedness in the infield. Case in point: Kristian Campbell struggles with routine plays at second but shows flashes of exceptional range. Similarly, David Hamilton relies on his speed but often struggles with his internal clock, rushing plays even when he has time. Mistakes in the infield generally fall into three categories: throwing errors, fielding errors, and poor decision-making. The Red Sox's young players and those playing out of position struggle in all three. 

"People are gonna say, 'Oh, you can only manage a veteran team and win it,'" Cora said with a smile. "Yeah, maybe. Who knows?" 

The future

So where do the Sox go from here?

This month could likely dictate the direction of the team and organization. Campbell, who got off to a torrid start to the season, has regressed, hitting .137/.204/.137 since the beginning of May. Jarren Duran, already the subject of trade rumors, could very well be a player the Red Sox move. Aroldis Chapman is familiar the role of deadline trade candidate.

The last struggle or another train wreck? Only the Red Sox can answer that.