The 2026 Crimson Sox proceed to search out themselves in an excessively weird scenario. On one hand, they appear like a trainwreck on the sphere; notably their residence area, the place they nonetheless haven’t received a sport at Fenway Park with Chad Tracy on the helm through which the opponent has scored more than one run. Every single day, they attain a brand new depth of futility and do one thing that hasn’t been executed by a Crimson Sox workforce since before the television was invented. Not surprisingly, this has resulted in a big contingent of followers who (in all probability rightfully) consider the membership wants an enormous enema.
However I don’t suppose they’re going to get it, as a result of even after all of the poisonous waves which have battered the ship, the Crimson Sox nonetheless discover themselves a mere 3.5 games out of a playoff spot due to the mixture of that ghastly third Wild Card spot, and an much more traditionally ghastly American League. Proper now, simply 5 groups at the moment reside over .500 the AL, and even crazier, Fangraphs expects that number to drop between now and the end of September, with solely 4 groups (the Yankees, Rays, Guardians and Mariners) projected to complete north of 81 wins.
Mix this hideous panorama with the present temperature contained in the partitions of Fenway, and a few have concluded that Craig Breslow goes to make the Crimson Sox consumers over the subsequent eight weeks to save lots of his personal pores and skin, notably after John Henry sided with him and dumped Alex Cora at the end of April.
These ideas have been solely additional amplified yesterday afternoon when Buster Olney reported on The Simply Baseball podcast that the Crimson Sox have been aggressively trying so as to add a proper handed bat. Right here’s Tyler Milliken with the quote and the clip:
If it have been simply Craig Breslow making this push, that might be one factor, however once I hear that the Crimson Sox are “aggressively” pursuing a proper handed hitter and so they’re “prepared to tackle cash” to get it executed, that has John Henry’s fingerprints throughout it. Craig Breslow can mortgage the farm system in a quest to save lots of his personal job, however he can’t loosen the purse strings. Solely the highest canine can change the finances.
So the plain query is “Why would John Henry do that now?”
Nicely, if I needed to guess, I’d say it has every part to do with the enormous Fenway Corners Real Estate project that’s about to get underway within the neighborhood(s) surrounding Fenway Park. (They’ve already started moving the Citgo sign.)
Straight from that first hyperlink, this mission goes to incorporate:
- 2 million sq. toes of economic, residential, retail makes use of
- 200+ new residences
- 40+ new retail doorways
- 2 acres of recent/improved public open house
- 1 acre of public open house on the entrance door to Fenway park by the pedestrianization of Jersey Road
The well being of this mission goes to be at or close to the highest of John Henry’s precedence record for the foreseeable future, and one of many single greatest issues he can do to bolster its success and lift the worth of each sq. foot that’s being developed is to aggressively guarantee Crimson Sox are placing a aggressive product on the sphere.
He in all probability thought going into the season issues have been going to be positive. Final yr, the membership made the playoffs, after which over the winter they added pitching and protection, which on paper ought to have been greater than sufficient to remain afloat on this wretched American League. However now issues have gone off the rails and require extra motion, leaving Henry at a pivotal crossroads. Give it some thought: Henry can’t afford to have the Crimson Sox be the laughing inventory they’ve grow to be for a lot of the submit Mookie Betts period if he needs individuals to pay prime greenback for Fenway Corners. The mission is categorically extra profitable if the Crimson Sox are placing a aggressive product on the sphere and postseason baseball returns to Fenway Park.
And on that be aware, there hasn’t been a postseason sport at Fenway Park since October of 2021. Couple that with the looming lockout this winter, and there’s an opportunity that if the Crimson Sox promote on the deadline and abandon their quest to get postseason baseball again to Fenway this October, we’d not see it once more till not less than 2028. That’s means, means too lengthy to suit into the Fenway Corners timeline, which is meant to be nearing completion within the fall of that yr.
In different phrases, based mostly on the shots publicly fired in recent days between the MLBPA and the homeowners, Henry would possibly want the 2026 Crimson Sox to make a severe run at playoffs. In the event that they do, you possibly can promote it as “we made the postseason in 2025, then we got here again and did it once more after a tough begin in 2026, and normally have been on the up and up.” If the present catastrophe continues although, then 2025 turns into the anomaly, and the Crimson Sox might be headed for his or her longest stretch with no playoff baseball sport performed at Fenway Park in many years.
Figuring out this, it’s additionally an excellent time to evaluate John Henry’s historical past, as a result of when he places his give attention to one thing, he usually will get outcomes. He did it with soybean futures to make his fortune, he did it in his early days in Boston successful a number of World Sequence titles, he’s executed it with Liverpool in recent times (together with a UEFA Champions League title and two Premier League titles because the Crimson Sox final received all of it in 2018), and, most lately, he efficiently backed the PGA tour of their conflict with LIV Golf, which they received.
That final one is necessary, as a result of not solely was it one thing that had Henry flying all all over the world in 2024 to ascertain a foothold, but it surely additionally marks the final time he gave a very informative public quote about the place Fenway Sports activities Group (FSG) goes. And to this point, it seems he was telling the reality. Right here’s what I think about to be the cash passage from a story in the Boston Globe about Henry’s PGA investments from 2024:
Requested how FSG’s funding within the PGA Tour, its first in a sports activities league, suits inside FSG’s development technique, Henry initially indicated it may mark the ultimate asset addition.
“It implies that we’re not trying to develop at this level,” Henry mentioned. “I hate to say that on the file, however we’ve obtained our arms full with Boston, Liverpool, this, Pittsburgh [Penguins], NASCAR, actual property.”
Not solely has that confirmed correct during the last two years (most notably, FSG didn’t pursue the Celtics or one other NBA franchise), however they’re additionally promoting the Pittsburgh Penguins for about double the worth from once they acquired them in 2021. (That transition of ownership is expected to occur later this month.)
Not solely does that give John Henry additional cash to play with within the shot-term, but it surely additionally implies that for the primary time in a very long time, his main focus seems to be in Boston. The bodily indicators are there too: He’s been at nearly each Crimson Sox residence sport this season, he’s been signing autographs for fans, and he even logged back on to Twitter in to troll Dan Shaughnessy this spring after a 5 yr absence.
Within the macro, it is a optimistic, as a result of one of many worst issues to occur to the Crimson Sox in recent times was them turning into simply one other line merchandise in John Henry’s portfolio. The sample is fairly clear: If you’re John Henry’s main focus, you get his full consideration, vital motion follows, and also you’re normally profitable. If you’re only a peasant of John Henry’s empire, you mix into the background and wilt into decay.
Based mostly on current machinations, it appears the Crimson Sox are shifting again into the foreground as a consequence of their apparent position in Fenway Corners, and in case you view Buster Olney’s feedback by that lens, it’s arduous to examine the Crimson Sox being sellers at this deadline.
You possibly can argue Henry received’t achieve success this time, as a result of boy have they got a large number to wash up, but it surely’s turning into more durable to argue he’s not going to not less than attempt to save the 2026 season.
