Frustrated Red Sox Supporters Lustily Boo Team Execs at Fan Fest Event
Boston has failed to impress its fan base offseason.
The Boston Red Sox have disappointed ever since winning the 2018 World Series, reaching the playoffs just once in the past five seasons. Entering the offseason, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner promised fans that the team would be in “full throttle” mode this offseason, but Boston has stayed relatively quiet in free agency.
While fans have grown impatient, Boston continues to tout its prospect pool, claiming it wants to improve the club’s pitching through the farm system. However, that plan is not enough for some supporters, who expressed their disappointment on Friday.
To wit, Red Sox executives Sam Kennedy and Craig Breslow were introduced in front of a crowd at a fan fest in Springfield, Mass., and fans loudly booed them.
Sam Kennedy and Craig Breslow getting booed as they walked out.
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) January 20, 2024
????: @HebHammer94
pic.twitter.com/mSdl9b65l4
Kennedy addressed the fans’ disappointment during the event, claiming that the team is doing what it can to get back to the top.
“I want you to know the boos, the anger, the hate we see on social media, we get it,” Kennedy said, via The Athletic. “It is our job to turn things around to make you proud. There’s only one way to turn the boos into applause, and that’s winning baseball games. That’s on us.”
Still, Kennedy admitted Boston’s payroll this season most likely will decrease in comparison to last year’s figure of approximately $225 million.
“It probably will be lower than it was in 2023,” Kennedy said, per Mass Live. “I don’t know that for sure. We don’t talk about specific payroll numbers.”
Said Werner, “I think you all know that the prize at the end of the year doesn’t go to the team with the highest payroll. In fact, the three teams with the highest payroll last year didn’t even make the postseason.”
Werner is correct that the New York Yankees, New York Mets and San Diego Padres all missed the playoffs last year despite high payrolls. However, the Texas Rangers had the fourth-highest payroll, including the highest of any playoff team, and they won the World Series.