Against all odds, one of the representatives in last year’s American League Championship Series, the Boston Red Sox, are currently in last place of the AL East division.
Yes: even the surprisingly competitive Baltimore Orioles have been better than the disappointing Sox, whose season has been falling apart piece by piece for a few weeks now.
Boston is 54-57, 17 games out of first place and 4.5 games behind the Orioles in the standings.
A turnaround is not impossible, but it’s extremely unlikely.
To make matters worse, the Red Sox will have to face AL East teams frequently in what is left of the calendar.
Not only that, but they will be reminded about better times when facing players that helped them lift the World Series title one last time in 2018.
The Red Sox Will Be Seeing Some Old Friends Playing For Rivals
This is the case of New York Yankees outfielder Andrew Benintendi, and new Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr.
“The Red Sox will not only see their share of Andrew Benintendi the rest of the way, but also Jackie Bradley Jr. who is headed to Toronto according to reports,” Ian Browne of MLB.com tweeted.
The Red Sox will not only see their share of Andrew Benintendi the rest of the way, but also Jackie Bradley Jr, who is headed to Toronto according to reports.
— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) August 9, 2022
Before the 2021 season, the Red Sox traded Benintendi to the Kansas City Royals and failed to re-sign Bradley, who ended up latching on with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Prior to the start of the 2022 campaign, however, the Red Sox re-acquired Bradley as part of the Hunter Renfroe trade, a transaction most fans would like to forget because the player failed to replicate his best form at the plate and was released several days ago.
Can you imagine Benintendi hitting a home run against the Red Sox, or Bradley making a leaping, game-ending catch?
It’s part of what fans could potentially have to endure in upcoming weeks.
NEXT: The Red Sox Lost The Hunter Renfroe Trade In A Big Way