Wow! The Boston Red Sox are REALLY bad! I honestly do not think bad is the right word, perhaps abysmal may be a better description. The fact of the matter is that the Red Sox are currently 3–9, which is good enough for last place in the AL East, and it seems like nothing has been going their way. So how did the World Series Champions go from an all-time high to an all-time low just 12 games into the season?

Pitching

The Red Sox is starting pitching has looked a whole lot like a little league rotation—it has not been any good with the exception of one shutout. None of Boston’s starters have recorded a win this season and our ace, Chris Sale, is 0–3 and currently holds a 9.00 Earned Run Average. In fact, there is only one pitcher on the Red Sox roster with an ERA less than 6.00 that has pitched more than seven innings, and that is Hector Velasquez. 

If pitchers like Sale and David Price cannot get their acts together soon, then the next three to five years could look really bad, especially considering that Boston could have used some of the money given to Sale and Price and given it to a player like Mookie Betts. The Red Sox have been haunted recently with bad contracts for players, dating back to both Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. Hopefully there is a turnaround in store for Sale and Price, or else you could be looking at two more bad contracts that could sink the Red Sox.

Lack of Offense

Offense is not really a major problem for the Red Sox, but it certainly has not helped. The Red Sox rank 16th or worse in every offensive stat this season except for stolen bases, where they rank seventh in the MLB. This was a team that was built to be productive on offense, defense, and the pitching staff. Right now, nothing has been going for Boston, and getting shut out twice in the first 12 games is not helping.

Lack of Focus

Probably the biggest factor for this Red Sox team has been focus, or lack thereof. Boston is still trying to live in the 2018 season when the 2019 season is well underway. 

So far this season we have seen misplays from the outfield that was considered one of the best outfields in baseball a year ago. We even saw someone steal home against Sale during the home opener and ring ceremony. It seems that the Red Sox have felt that they can get by just by strolling through the regular season and then flipping a switch once playoff time comes around. I wonder if they know that they cannot flip a switch in the playoffs if they do not make it to the playoffs.

The Red Sox have a lot of things they need to figure out and they better fast because even though we are still in April, this season may already be slipping away from the 2018 World Series Champs. In 2013 the Red Sox won the World Series, then in 2014 they ended up last in their division. Let’s not have a repeat of that.