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Boston Red Sox: 3 reasons why they won’t make the playoffs in 2020

By Lucas Friedman

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 03: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox sits in the dugout in the second inning as his team bats against the New York Yankees during game one of a double header at Yankee Stadium on August 03, 2019 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 03: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox sits in the dugout in the second inning as his team bats against the New York Yankees during game one of a double header at Yankee Stadium on August 03, 2019 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

After a disappointing season, there are many questions surrounding the Boston Red Sox this offseason. While a lot can change from now until the spring, both the immediate and long-term future looks bleak for Boston.

The Boston Red Sox won the 2018 World Series in dominant fashion. They steamrolled the competition, going 11-3 in October en route to their 9th championship in franchise history. With much of the same roster returning in 2019, they were expected to compete for another title.

However, that was not the case. The Sox got off to a tough start in 2019. After the first 30 games of the season, they were a disappointing 13-17, which was good for 4th in the AL East. They recovered in the coming months, finishing with a 49-41 record at the All-Star break. However, they were not able to keep up with the Yankees and the Rays and were eliminated from playoff contention on September 20th.

While an 84-78 doesn’t scream disappointment for most MLB franchises, it certainly does when you’re the reigning champions, and carry the largest payroll in the league. They were not helped by injuries, with three of their expensive starters, Chris Sale, David Price, and Nathan Eovaldi all having season-ending injuries.

Their 2019 failures prompted the Red Sox to shake up their front office. They fired former President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, replacing him with 36-year-old Chaim Bloom. Bloom has a challenging task ahead of him. He needs to figure out ways to shed some of their expensive payrolls and improve their farm system. However, he must do so without completely tanking. The word “rebuild” is not in Boston’s vocabulary.

Frustrated Red Sox fans are looking for reasons to be optimistic about their immediate future. However, there is a lot of work to be done in this crucial offseason for Boston. But for now, their 2020 outlook is not looking too bright. Here are three reasons why the Boston Red Sox will not make the playoffs in 2020.

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