Boston and the No Good, Terrible, Very Bad Off-Season

In my own memory, there has not been such turmoil in one off-season in one city in a very long time. Sometimes you’ll see one team struggling and others are doing well but never in the last two decades have both teams struggled so much at the same time.  With Mookie Betts gone already and Tom Brady’s return looking less and less likely, no one really knows what to do.

Let’s start with the Red Sox:

After a mediocre season in 2019, the Red Sox are looking like they’re starting a rebuild. Now, John Henry has tried to make it clear that this is not the case but it’s hard to think he isn’t lying. First, they fired Dave Dombrowski at the end of last season. This wasn’t a terrible move considering he depleted their farm system and over paid players but only was able to win one championship. Next, it was made clear that they were trying to get under the salary cap. This meant hiring Chaim Bloom to replace Dombrowski. Bloom comes from Tampa Bay, who last year, made the playoffs with one of the lowest salaries. All of this was pretty bearable though.

A Statement from #RedSox Principal Owner John Henry: pic.twitter.com/7q60LENAi8

— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 17, 2020

However, the dominoes began to fall quickly after that.

First Alex Cora and the team parted ways because of the part he played in the Houston Astros cheating scandal. This was a tough loss for the Sox and their fans because Cora was very popular. After the last few years of suffering with Bobby Valentine and John Farrell, Cora was a breath of fresh air that the players and fans needed. Now, we are forced to move on without him. Ron Roenicke, former bench coach, has now been promoted to interim manager. Then, against basically everyone’s wishes, Mookie Betts and David Price have been traded to the Dodgers.

The worst part, they let Brock Holt just walk away to Milwaukee. The final twist of the knife.

Now without Mookie and Cora and with a depleted pitching staff, expectations are low for the Sox this season. While the Sox have had bad seasons in recent years, it’s been awhile since the mood surrounding them has been this hopeless.

Next, the Patriots:

The New England Patriots, by far, do not have as many problems as the Red Sox do right now. One of the problems they do have though, outweighs all others. Tom Brady may not be a Patriot next season. No, he isn’t retiring, he actually may be playing somewhere else. According to ESPN this morning, it’s looking increasingly likely like Brady won’t return.

Tom Brady is currently operating under the belief that he will enter free agency to play somewhere other than New England next season, a sentiment the quarterback has shared with others, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington is repotting.https://t.co/SuOW4L1U6Q

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2020

I never thought it would get this far, to be honest. I mean, I was four when Tom Brady played his first game in the NFL. Now, at twenty-three, it’s hard to stomach the thought of hims not playing here anymore. Sure, I knew he was going to retire eventually but I never thought he’d play for another team. For Patriots fans, this is going to be a tough pill to swallow.

Commonalities?

What the Red Sox and the Patriots do have in common though is impending possible discipline from their respective leagues. The Red Sox are still waiting to receive their punishment for electronically stealing signs and the Patriots are waiting to receive their punishment for illegally taping the Bengals last season. It’s actually likely at this point that the punishments will come down within one or two days of each other. When that happens, Boston sports Twitter will burn.

To take your mind off of it, it may be time to become more invested in the Garden teams. The Bruins are still the top team in the NHL despite being on a two game skid and the Celtics are 3rd in the Eastern Conference with Jayson Tatum becoming a MVP candidate right before out eyes. Him and David Pastrnak are both young stars playing at the Garden right now that we can be excited about. As long as the Bruins and the Celtics don’t take after the Red Sox and let their home grown, elite talent go.

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~Mary Evers (@For_Evers_Yong)