The Boston Red Sox finally made a big move this offseason, but it’s probably not one that is going to have an immediate impact on the field.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Friday morning that Theo Epstein is rejoining the organization as a senior adviser to Fenway Sports Group.
According to Passan, Epstein will not be in charge of personnel decisions but his voice should carry significant weight in the organization.
Theo Epstein is returning to the Boston Red Sox. He'll join Fenway Sports Group as a senior adviser, and while he won't be in charge of personnel decisions, his voice should carry enormous weight as the Red Sox figure out how to get back into contention in the brutal AL East.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 2, 2024
It would be understandable, and almost certainly beneficial, for Red Sox management to listen to that voice. Epstein helped end the Curse of the Bambino by building a World Series champion in 2004, bringing Boston its first World Series title since 1918. He helped end another century-long World Series drought in Chicago in 2016 when he helped build the Cubs’ first championship team since 1908. So he clearly knows how to build a winner in tough circumstances.
The Red Sox are currently facing some tough circumstances.
They were already a last-place team in the highly competitive American League East, and have not added anything significant to their roster. Even worse, a lot of their primary competition in the division has made significant improvements this season. The New York Yankees have added Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo to their lineup, while the Baltimore Orioles just added one of the league’s best starting pitchers in Corbin Burnes.
The Red Sox have the 10th-highest payroll in baseball as of Friday morning, but that still trails the Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays in the division while the Orioles and Rays simply have better rosters.
Having Epstein involved again will help in the long term. But it is probably not going to do much to improve the situation in the immediate future for this season.
