It’s been one ‘fine’ mess for the Red Sox in 2017
COMMENTARY
This hasn’t all been John Farrell’s fault.
It wasn’t the Red Sox manager who set the timetable on what increasingly looks like a lost season for injured, $217 million ace pitcher David Price, unimpressive in two rehab stints (9.53 ERA over 5 2/3 innings) with the Pawtucket Red Sox this month. John Farrell didn’t figure third base would be the gaping hole it has been for Boston this season, a situation that isn’t necessarily improved once Pablo Sandoval or Brock Holt returns from the disabled list. It isn’t even John Farrell’s doing that the Boston bullpen, minus key elements in Carson Smith (imminent return?) and Tyler Thornburg (see ya in 2018?) remains consistently uncertain in late innings.
None of this is John Farrell’s fault.
There’s plenty else that is though.
The 2017 Boston Red Sox are a team stuck in a malaise, despite a four-game winning streak. It is, indeed, an injury-plagued squad, but one that, even so, seemingly has less depth or nuance than LaVar Ball’s comprehension of gender equality.
The veteran second baseman is at odds with Farrell and his teammates over tit-for-tat child’s play with the Baltimore Orioles. The first baseman of a season ago refuses to play first base, forcing the team to recall a 23-year-old, who should be playing every day in Pawtucket, to occasionally spell Mitch Moreland. Meanwhile, Farrell has publicly chewed out the largely subpar Drew Pomeranz, Price is referring to his boss on Twitter with the not-so-endearing title of, “Manager John,” and the 25-21 Red Sox are floating in the “wait-and-see” waters that seem so similar to those experienced in the two seasons prior to last, both of which finished in last place.
The Red Sox’ frustrations thus far in 2017 go much further than losing David Ortiz to retirement. Perhaps they begin with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski’s decision to keep Farrell around last fall. Maybe they continue with his manic decisions to trade top prospect Anderson Espinoza (Pomeranz) and Travis Shaw (nine home runs with the Milwaukee Brewers this season after being dealt for Thornburg last winter; the Red Sox are tied with an MLB-worst 40 as a team), for what has amounted next to nothing for Boston. They probably even continue into excuse-making diatribes like we heard from Dombrowski earlier this week.
“Our guys play hard every single day,” he said. “We’ve got a battling type of group. We’ve done fine.”
True. “Fine.”
Things haven’t collapsed like they have in Kansas City or Toronto. Boston has won four in a row after slipping into a doldrum in Oakland last weekend. The Red Sox are only three games behind the New York Yankees, who lead the American League East, currently a half game ahead of the Cleveland Indians for the second wild card. Chris Sale has been electric. Andrew Benintendi is an immediate star. Kids in Little League across the Commonwealth are imitating Mookie Betts’ snarl.
But the Red Sox still feel like an awful mess.
“This year, it’s a little bit delayed just based upon mostly the injury factor with us,” Dombrowski said. “We have a good enough club to win. I’m in a position to say that. We don’t have a perfect ballclub, but for what you need a hold on, we still need more time to decide, at least for me.”
That is primarily in reference to the status of “Manager John,” who has begun to hear the pitter-pattering of the “Fire Farrell” crew creeping ever so closer with every shortcoming displayed by his team this season. Here’s a guy that Dombrowski kept around following a three-game sweep at the hands of the Indians in the ALDS, citing his oh, so-encouraging philosophy that in-game strategy is not the biggest thing needed in a manager.
“As I’ve often told managers, to me the most important thing for a manager is that their club plays up to their capabilities day in and day out,” Dombrowski said last October, “which means that they’re communicating with their players and they’re getting everything that they can and that means their club’s playing hard.”
So, where exactly has that aspect of Farrell’s job been hiding?
“We all have our pluses and minuses. But when I see some of the things we’ve talked about, I don’t know how you say that’s John Farrell’s fault,” Dombrowski said. “It’s not his fault that we’ve scuffled to pitch in the fifth spot with [Kyle] Kendrick and [Hector] Velazquez. The injury factors.
“Really in many ways, I tip my hat to our guys, led by John, that we’re in the position that we’re in right now.”
If Dombrowski really didn’t have any internal hesitations about keeping Farrell after last season, he might now. The culture in the Red Sox clubhouse seems destined to head to the Joe Kerrigan Hall of Dismay, with respect for Farrell seeming like an aspect increasingly difficult to find. Dustin Pedroia had no issue pointing him out during the Manny Machado incident last month, distancing himself from the antagonism for reasons of, perhaps, integrity. If such convoluted chemistry existed a year ago, maybe Dombrowski would have an easier time sharpening the ax. But now, Farrell’s replacement is in Arizona, leading the Diamondbacks to the second-best record in the National League.
The Red Sox saw what Torey Lovullo could handle when he took over Farrell’s club in 2015 when the manager went into treatment for lymphoma. Lovullo led them to a 28-20 mark to follow up Manager John’s 50-64 record, perhaps somehow saving the job for Farrell in the process. Now, he’s the one that got away, leaving the Red Sox with both green (Gary DiSarcina, Jason Varitek) and ancient (Jim Leyland) options to try and stir the Red Sox’ stagnant pot.
For now, Farrell gets to maintain his status quo as the head of an underachieving team with the possibility of total implosion as a possibility. But if the incumbent is a door mat for mediocrity, isn’t a midseason shakeup something the Red Sox have to consider?
Not yet, according to Dombrowski. Farrell is fine.
“He’s our manager. He’s done fine,” Dombrowski said.
Fine.
How could we have expected any more?
