Red Sox Letting Alex Bregman Walk Is Slap In The Face To Fans
Bregman signed a five-year deal with the Cubs.
The Boston Red Sox have a lot of explaining to do to their fans.
On Saturday night, the Red Sox saw perhaps their biggest star walk after Alex Bregman signed with the Chicago Cubs. Whether or not it was the right move is debatable, but it continues a horrible trend for the Red Sox.
Since the turn of the century, no MLB team has won more titles than the Red Sox (eat it Yankees and Dodgers). Boston used to care about winning — like a lot. There was no price too high to either retain stars or bring in new talent. Once the town of losers, the Red Sox’s aggressive nature helped turn the tide and made it the City of Champions. And the fans rewarded that approach with rabid dedication.
But that all changed in 2019. One year after winning the 2018 World Series, John Henry and ownership decided to sell off elite talent for almost nothing in return. Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Kyle Schwarber, and what seemed like dozens of other stars left town in a span of four years, all while management promised fans that these moves were to make better moves next year.
But next year never comes.
Each offseason, it's the same story. Headlines emerged: "Red Sox are linked to this star," but they never land the big fish. All-Star after All-Star signs elsewhere, whether it's Bregman, Pete Alonso or whomever. All the while, Henry and his rich curmudgeon friends get richer because they can keep their roster under the luxury tax and pocket more profit.
One fan summed up perfectly how management continues to dump big-name stars and do nothing to reinvest that money in talent elsewhere.
I speak for all of Red Sox Nation when I say this hurts. I’ve been a fan since I was four, and there is no sport I love more than baseball. There are millions of fans who have been with the team for decades and have faithfully supported the team, and this is how ownership rewards that dedication.
Ownership got tired of winning and content with mediocrity. But the fans still hunger for victories and titles, yet find themselves starving.
It’s a mess, and it's shameful. And unfortunately, it likely won’t change anytime soon.