End of the Road 2015: Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox beat the Yankees on Monday night, but since the Houston Astros also beat the Seattle Mariners, the Red Sox have been mathematically eliminated from the MLB postseason. It’s somewhat surprising that it took this long, considering how disastrous the season was for the Red Sox. Nonetheless, they’ve reached the end of the road in their 2015 season. As we’ll do with each eliminated team this season, let’s give them a send-off that would make Boyz II Men proud.

We’ll look at the highs and lows of their season, what bright spots their future might hold and what questions need answering as they prepare for 2016.

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HIGH POINT: The entire AL East looked like it was stuck in the mud early in the season. That allowed Boston to take an early in the division, which they maintained until April 25. Unfortunately, the Red Sox stayed stuck in the mud from that point forward. The post All-Star break run of Joe Kelly was perhaps the brightest spot for Boston. While Kelly didn’t win the Cy Young as he predicted, he did take some notable strides, rattling off eight straight wins while posting a 2.59 ERA from Aug. 1 until Sept. 9.

LOW POINT: On the field, the low points and disappointments were too many to count. High-profile free agent signings Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez were disappointments. Their rebuilt rotation didn’t succeed either. Unfortunately, when the expectations are high and that’s the ultimate result, someone has to take the fall. Sometimes more than one person. After team president Larry Lucchino stepped down in August, general manager Ben Cherrington was also relieved of his duties, bringing the franchise’s overall struggles into a brighter light. That’s the business side. On the personal side, learning that manager John Farrell is battling stage 1 lymphoma was an emotional low that put baseball matters into perspective.

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BEST HIGHLIGHT: At age 39, David Ortiz was the Red Sox’s best player in 2015. He also provided the biggest moment, when he connected for his 500th career home run on Sept. 12 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Ortiz became the 27th player in MLB history to reach that remarkable milestone, joining other Sox legends such as Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx and Manny Ramirez. Shortly thereafter, Ortiz reached another home run milestone, becoming the first Red Sox player with six seasons of 35 home runs.

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: It’s tough to get past the big name free agents who disappointed, but this Red Sox team has a pretty solid foundation of young talent. In the outfield alone, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Rusney Castillo are all major contributors right now with high ceilings. Xander Bogaerts brings the same upside at shortstop, and the emergence of Travis Shaw gives them a major-league bat at first base. On the pitching side, Kelly’s surge along with impressive rookie seasons from Henry Owens and Eduardo Rodriguez give hope the rotation can bounce back in 2016.

QUESTION THAT NEEDS ANSWERING: The Red Sox answered their first big question by promoting Mike Hazen to general manager. Along with newly named president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, he will be tasked with remaking a team that has big money tied up in players that simply didn’t fit in 2015. Is there a role for Hanley Ramirez? Will he be a fit on first base? What about Pablo Sandoval? What’s his future? And will they be able to land an instant ace on the market? The last one might be the biggest question. What isn’t in doubt is that they’ll have work to do to keep pace in the AL East.

Previously in this series: Phillies, Braves, Reds, Rockies, Marlins, Brewers, Padres,
Diamondbacks, Athletics, White Sox, Tigers, Nationals, Rays and Mariners.