The Red Sox Fire Sale that didn’t Happen

By Jason Haskins | Aug 2, 2015

1986.

I don’t have to go into any detail about what happened to the Boston Red Sox that year. We know the story all too well. As bad as it was, that was the year I became a fan of the Red Sox.

Twenty-nine years have gone by. Three World Series Championships have been won since then. All in the past 11 years. Winning has become such a prevalent thing in Boston that many may have forgotten how to handle disappointment.

Heartbreaks and disappointments were the two words most associated with the Red Sox in my first 18 years as a fan. Even in the last five years, these words have cropped up from time to time, including the first four months of the 2015 campaign. Some fans of the Red Sox were clamoring for a fire sale of under performing stars in hopes of gaining something positive from this abysmal season.

That fire sale never came to fruition. And I, for one, am glad.

Too often in today’s age of “World Series or bust” mentality, teams give up on high-priced players because of one less-than-stellar season. Look at the Detroit Tigers. After playing consistent, winning baseball for the last ten plus years, they traded away two stars within a matter of days. So long David Price. Hope you enjoyed your stay. So long Yoenis Cespedes. Did you at least enjoy your months in Detroit better than your months in Boston?

Sure, the Tigers are 50-52 but can’t that record be partly attributed to the injury of Miguel Cabrera? Yes, the Tigers received high ranked prospects but getting rid of Price and Cespades seems premature.

Point being, I believe Red Sox management made the correct choice in not giving up on players they shelled out big money for. (Except for maybe the pitching staff, but who really wants a pitcher with an ERA of 6.00?).

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Injuries have plagued the Red Sox since day one. When your starting catcher, second baseman, left fielder, third baseman, and many others have missed time, it’s hard to get consistency in the lineup. I do not put all of the blame of a 45-58 record on the shoulders of two men fans wanted gone, Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval.

Expectations run high when players land huge contracts, which is understandable. Fans and ownership expect immediate returns upon an investment. Ramirez made an immediate impact in April, hitting 10 home runs and batting .293.

Then came the injuries.

Ramirez has battled numerous ailments in the past three months, surely contributing to his declining numbers. Since April, he has hit only 9 home runs while watching his average dip to .263. Despite this, a healthy Ramirez deserves to redeem himself in a Red Sox uniform for a second season.

Sandoval is another story. His fitness levels have been questioned and he has struggled all year to hit. These are the same issues that occasionally followed him around in San Francisco. He is overpaid, yes, and has shown a steady decline since the 2011 season but perhaps he only needs a year to adjust to American League pitching.

There is enough young talent in Boston to take the risk of keeping these under performing stars. (Except maybe Mike Napoli. I love what the guy has done while in Boston, but it maybe time to move on). Even if Ramirez and Sandoval had performed up to their career numbers, it might not have even made much of a difference. With a pitching staff that has a 4.50 ERA, allowed 115 home runs, and allowed opponents to hit .266, things weren’t going to look much better in the win-loss column.

The 2015 season can officially be written off. Barring a miracle over the next two months, upcoming games should be a mixture of veterans trying to keep their jobs and young players attempting to prove themselves.

Sometimes a little patience can go a long way in building a team. (Ask the Royals and the Astros). There is no need to tear a team apart after a four month sample size. Give the players a chance to redeem themselves. Roll the dice with what you’ve got and see what happens.

Unless we’re having this conversation in July of 2016. Then I say sell them. Sell them all.

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