Good News Red Sox Fans, John Henry and Tom Werner Are Reportedly Leading a Group That Will Commit Billions To Partner With The PGA/LIV Golf Merger

Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox. Getty Images.

Not much these days confuses me more than what John Henry has done with the Boston Red Sox. For the next few paragraphs I'm going to do my very best to address the state of that franchise with an unbiased view. I certainly will fail, but it's the thought that counts, right? 

What in the world has happened to this team? Don't get me wrong I LOVE to see them crumble to the ground like this. It makes my life easier. Air is better to breathe, food tastes more delicious, and I sleep soundly. There's no worse sports feeling that I experience (outside of a Yankees loss) than when the Red Sox win. It kills me and I admit that. That whole rent free nonsense that trolls spew out of their disgusting mouths? Yeah, absolutely true. Every year they win the World Series I think my internal organs decrease in function by 10%. 

That's part of the gig though. 

The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is my life. It's an undying war that I will endure until my final moments on Earth. Those teams going at it in the mid 2000s was unbelievable. There was true hate. Every time those teams played each other it was appointment television. Those FOX Saturday game of the weeks called by Buck and McCarver felt like everything was at stake even if it was only July. I'm sadly not sure we'll ever return to that equal level of hate and intensity from both sides. 

There's no rivalry when John Henry forgets to care about the Red Sox. He's become too busy spreading his money thin between the Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins, Liverpool soccer, and now….the PGA/LIV merger!

Look at that, John Henry is a hero! Golf is saved all because of their new champion John Henry!

I have not the slightest clue how Henry and other Red Sox executives expect fans to show up to Fenway Park before the heart of the summer. The only answer to that is that they don't give a single flying fuck. Seriously, if someone offers you an April/May ticket would you even go? Why would you take time out of your life to care and spend your hard earned money on them in cold weather? If anything you take the ticket and flip it for money towards a Bruins or Celtics seat. 

After firing Chaim Bloom at the very end of 2023 season, Tom Werner got up in front of the media and famously said that they would go "full throttle" when it came to the free agent/trade market to improve the team. With a new GM in the fold those words were met with excitment. Here's what they did…

Departures: Chris Sale, Alex Verdugo, Justin Turner, Corey Kluber, James Paxton, Adam Duvall, 

Arrivals: Lucas Giolito, Vaughn Grissom, Cooper Criswell, Tyler O'Neill, Greg Weissert

Of course Werner pathetically walked back his empty promise after realizing he ignited an angry mob's collective torch. 

"Maybe that wasn't the most artful way of saying what I wanted to say, which is that we're going to be pressing all levers to improve the team…We certainly aren't happy with the current roster as it was at the end of last year, so if I was going to say it again, I would say that we're going to be pressing all levers and weren't going to be happy with just one — that includes free agency, trades or talent from Triple and Double A. I think that's really what I meant" (source) 

While the inaction of the offseason is the obvious major story, it's even more confusing to try and figure out why Boston didn't sell off players at the deadline last year when it was very obvious that team was going nowhere. Paxton, Turner, and Duvall all could have fetched you something rather than watching them leave in free agency now. Was that a Bloom misfire or a front office lacking any direction from upstairs? Either way there was for sure a disconnect that can only be seen as a living nightmare currently. 

With a few weeks to go until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, here's what the roster looks like. This is full throttle folks (courtesy of Fangraphs)

That team needs everyone to peak to be a wild card team. Any reasonable fan can look at that and be certain they will do nothing in the 2024 season. If they avoid a third consecutive last place finish it'll be considered a win. And this is from a team worth north of $4 billion who controls their very own TV market. They make money hand over fist, but pour their profits into other ventures like hockey, soccer, and golf rather than the organization that is a big reason for Fenway Sports Group's original success. Do you think Henry even knew Ohtani and Yamamoto were available to sign last month? No shot in hell. 

Ken Rosenthal laid into them on Foul Territory, alluding to free agent starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery practically begging to get the involved. Boston wants nothing to do with those talks. 

I just showed you what they're rotation is shaping up to look like for this season and yet they're seemingly content with it all. It's so strange. 

Robert Murray went as far to say today that it's not crazy to think Alex Cora could go onto explore better options similar to the likes that Craig Counsell just did with the Cubs. 

It honestly feels like they're running an experiment throughout the organization to see how bad things have to get with the team for fans to stop coming. I don't really have any other explanation for this. 

Is there young talent here? Sure. Triston Casas, Vaughn Grissom, Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Ceddanne Rafaela all have promise, but there's virtually no pitching help on the way besides Bello. That's what these last few months were supposed to target. Instead they gave Lucas Giolito a prove it deal and called it an offseason. Not exactly sure how Cora could be okay with all of this. 

Listen I've got my own World Series drought going on to actually feel for Sox fans. You guys have caused me more misery than anyone in my life, but holy shit can you at least get competitive again? I need to feel something when the Yankees play the Red Sox. John Henry has ruined that. You've got eternally positive fans like Carrabis even calling the team out. 

If you're ranking where local fans have their interest right now the Sox are dead last. And when I say last I mean there's the Celtics/Bruins at the top, the Pats 3rd for now until they change the whole team through the draft and free agency, and then like a mile beneath the surface are the Sox. But hey that golf merger should be sick.