Red Sox year in review: A month-by-month breakdown of a surprising near-miss season (2024)

What were we to make of Red Sox at this time last year? Coming off a worst-in-a-generation season, they had yet to meaningfully upgrade their roster for the coming campaign. They were 14 months into an indefinite period of organization building, and it was impossible to know how long that process would take, or if it would ever be complete.

But now, 12 months later, the gap has closed quite a bit. The 2021 season was a surprising triumph. Not a total victory — they won neither the World Series nor the division — but the Red Sox were two wins away from the pennant, and they were competitive and compelling all year. Compared to a year ago, their farm system is undoubtedly improved, and their big league outlook is unquestionably more optimistic.

What happens in 2022 may very well hinge on the moves they make after the lockout ends sometime in the new year (we hope), but instead of looking ahead, for now we’ll take a month-by-month look back at a hard-to-predict 2021 season that had its rough patches — a virus outbreak and very nearly a late-season collapse — but ultimately gave Red Sox fans reason to cheer again, and to think better days are not so far away after all.

January

Seeing the best in Kiké Hernández

It’s only in retrospect that the Red Sox made any big additions last winter.They worked mostly at the margins, signing relatively small free-agent contracts and making a few notable trades (more on that in a bit). At no point did they really make a splash with a singular move to undoubtedly improve the roster, but looking back, at least three decisions stand out.

1. Garrett Whitlock in the Rule 5 draft
2. Hunter Renfroe for $3.1 million
3. Kiké Hernández on a two-year deal

That Hernández deal, at $14 million, remains the largest ever given by chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. When Hernández reported to spring training, it became clear he was going to be used as more than a secondary role player. He was Alex Cora’s chosen leadoff hitter (and preferred second baseman, though that eventually changed). He got off to a rough start at the plate, but his bat came to life in the second half and his defense was spectacular in center field. In the end, Baseball-Reference’s version of WAR labeled Hernandez just as valuable as Xander Bogaerts. At the time that he signed, Hernández seemed to be more penny pinching by the Red Sox, but he proved a difference-maker once the games got started.

Also in January…

• Red Sox are next step on Bianca Smith’s pioneering path
• Rafael Devers’ next contract is tricky. Just ask arbitration guru Matt Swartz
• Red Sox, after a decade of pivots, still trying to find a stable path

February

Another homegrown outfielder traded in his prime

The rumblings started in early January when The Athletic was the first to report that the Red Sox were in “serious trade talks” about Andrew Benintendi. They were said to be looking for prospects, preferably pitchers and outfielders. Just before the start of spring training, exactly one year after trading Mookie Betts to Los Angeles, the Red Sox sent Benintendi to Kansas City.

Was it worth it? In the short term, no. Benintendi had a solid year with the Royals (104 OPS+, 2.4 WAR, numbers vaguely similar to Alex Verdugo’s), while his immediate replacement, Franchy Cordero, didn’t hit enough to even stick on the big league roster. But the point of the trade was to further replenish the farm system, and Josh Winckowski — one of four minor leaguers in the deal — already has emerged as one of the system’s best arms and landed a 40-man spot this winter. The other prospects are lower in the system, but if even one of them works out, the trade could be worthwhile as 2022 is Benintendi’s final year of team control.

Also in February…

• Inside the ‘laboratory’ the Red Sox are using to fix their infield defense
• The Yankees fan in Red Sox country: Adam Ottavino’s college days in Boston
• Dustin Pedroia retires from Red Sox. These are the moments that built his legend
• Logging each pitch her son threw, Tanner Houck and his mom reach majors together

March

‘I think we knew how to win’

It took a few months for the full story to be told, but a surprisingly relevant, competitive, enjoyable Red Sox season began with a spring training that was essentially impervious to outside noise. Media access was limited, and while the Red Sox knew they were considered underdogs, the tone in camp was one of contention and possibility. Many of the team’s newcomers, including Renfroe — and Cora’s long-time friends Hernández and Marwin Gonzalez — had come from winning organizations, and so the disappointment of 2020 was basically wiped clean and easily replaced by a sense of purpose.

“I told Marwin and Kiké, ‘This is what’s going to happen: You have to help me out with this,’” Cora said. “‘We have to let (the team) know that we’re going to be good.’”

Whitlock and Nick Pivetta looked great in their early bullpens. Nathan Eovaldi came into camp strong and healthy. J.D Martinez felt he’d fixed a mechanical flaw that haunted him the previous season. There was a sense of confidence and camaraderie, with a goofy Coach of the Day chain alongside what Bloom called, “the purposefulness with which everybody was going about their work.”

“I think we knew how to win,” Renfroe said. “We knew how to go about winning.”

Also in March…

• Life as Public Enemy No. 1: Like it or not, Chaim Bloom sticking to his plan to build Red Sox a winner
• Why the Red Sox are teaching their catchers to catch with one knee down
• At 18, first-rounder Nick Yorke has chance to show Red Sox were right about him

April

Wait, is this team actually good?

Looking back at our stories from the month of April, there was a pretty obvious theme: the slow acceptance of this group’s legitimacy. When the Red Sox opened with three straight losses to the Orioles, their detractors had plenty of ammunition, but what followed was a nine-game winning streak that proved more telling. The Red Sox moved into first place on April 8 and mostly stayed there until the end of July.

April is when the Red Sox began waving to acknowledge big hits. It’s when they built a reputation for come-from-behind wins. It’s when they wore those yellow-and-blue uniforms (and they didn’t look half bad). It’s when Nick Pivetta outpitched Jacob deGrom, and Matt Barnes was as good as any reliever in baseball. The Red Sox had a slightly better record in June, and obviously October carried more weight, but the month of April was a statement. This was not going to be a team to ignore.

Also in April…

• Dennis Eckersley’s highs and lows, from fist-pumping swag to World Series walk-off: ‘Shut up and let life happen’
• Delivering Doug Mirabelli: State trooper relives twists and turns of Red Sox catcher’s post-trade ride to Fenway
• Depth, versatility, flexibility: So far, Chaim Bloom’s vision for the Red Sox bearing fruit

May

A team worth watching

Just how much did the Red Sox prove during their tremendous month of April? Enough that The Athletic on May 10 voted them the best team in all of baseball. Our weekly Power Rankings had leaned toward the Dodgers, but the Red Sox were convincing enough to momentarily take the throne. There was an acknowledgment that they were not a slam dunk for the top spot, but no team was definitely better. The Red Sox had a legitimate chance to make a World Series run.

And it was a good time to be a good team, because the world was opening up again.By the end of May, Fenway Park was as full as it had been in nearly two years. Still not sold out — some fans, it seemed, were not quite ready to be surrounded by many people — but the energy was back, and the Red Sox were worth watching.

“You don’t have to worry about your energy level when you have the crowd like that,” Adam Ottavino said. “It’s just going to be there. It’s just a natural hormonal reaction, and you just try to embrace it and use it.”

Also in May…

• Proof of concept: Red Sox showing they can win and build at the same time
• Inside Garrett Whitlock’s long road to recovery that led him to the Red Sox
• Five states, five games: Along for the ride with the Red Sox organization on minors opening day

June

‘Hopefully, we can play today the way he played the game’

By June, a good Red Sox team was a fact of life. They were good, and everyone knew it. Flawed, of course, but undoubtedly good, and an 18-10 record for the month further solidified their spot among the top teams in baseball.

But on June 25, they paused briefly to celebrate a player who could no longer help them on the field. Dustin Pedroia fought back tears as former teammates spoke of his competitiveness and the Red Sox announced his immediate election to the team’s Hall of Fame. Alex Cora said he hoped his team would play like Pedroia that day, and sure enough, they started an eight-game winning streak that very night.

“If there’s one teammate that I would pick to play the rest of my career with, it would have been you,” David Ortiz said in a video board message. “I don’t think you can ask a player for more than you gave us.”

Also in June…

• Rafael Devers is finding stardom for Red Sox when on the field, and comfort when off it
• Bobby Dalbec’s roller coaster: Rookie trying to stay confident, positive even as results elude him
• The personalities behind the scenes: Alex Verdugo breaks down the Red Sox clubhouse

July

Fourth overall

Coming out of the All-Star Break, the Red Sox were a first-place team gearing up for some changes. They finally called up Jarren Duran, finally added Tanner Houck to the rotation, and eventually traded for Kyle Schwarber and a couple of relievers (a seemingly underwhelming trade deadline that proved more impactful than it first appeared).

But the biggest addition — if all goes well — was a high school kid from California.

With the fourth pick in this summer’s draft, the Red Sox selected Marcelo Mayer, a left-handed hitter considered by some to be the most exciting talent in the entire class. It was the Red Sox’s highest draft pick in 54 years, and the team spent months preparing for different scenarios and opportunities. In Mayer, they may very well have found their shortstop of the future, and just maybe a long-time double-play partner for 2020 first-rounder Nick Yorke, but that’s getting ahead of ourselves. In July, there was only a ranked draft board and three teams picking ahead of them.

“There was like a slow trickle of excitement that worked around the room,” amateur scouting director Paul Toboni said. “Scouts were getting notifications probably from friends or whoever it might be (that Mayer was going to fall to the Red Sox). It was cool to see because there was genuine excitement on everyone’s face.”

Also in July…

• The karate kick seen ’round the world: 20 years later, Izzy Alcantara’s boot to catcher’s face lives in minor-league lore
• Breakout first half ends with contract extension for Red Sox closer Matt Barnes, stability for bullpen
• Alex Verdugo hit by ball thrown from stands as anger, frustration boil over for Red Sox in Yankee Stadium

August

Boston, we have a problem

This is when things started to fall apart a little bit. August began with the Red Sox in the middle of a five-game losing streak — they were swept immediately after the trade deadline — and that slide would extend to losing eight of nine, enough to go from a 2.5-game lead to a 3-game deficit in the American League East. And it took a while for things to get better. Chris Sale’s return was triumphant, butBarnes was falling apart and Cora wasn’t holding back.

“I can put it plain and simple for everybody,” Cora said to kick off one postgame interview. “I don’t think you guys have to ask too many questions today. We didn’t pitch, we didn’t play good defense, we didn’t hit. It wasn’t a good effort today. Where we’re at right now, we have to get better. That’s the bottom line.”

Also in August…

• How an early August hitting session with Kyle Schwarber turned Bobby Dalbec’s season around
• Tanner Houck’s spot in Red Sox rotation doesn’t always come with spot on Red Sox roster — and it’s costing him
• Talent and promise in ‘baseball heaven’: Behind the scenes with a scout at the Cape Cod League
• Red Sox prospect Triston Casas shining yet again on the international stage

September

COVID-19 outbreak

It was in late August that the whole thing started, but it was in the month of September that the Red Sox felt the full weight of a raging COVID-19 outbreak. Between August 27 and September 12, a dozen Red Sox players and two staff members tested positive for the virus. Another player and one more coach were quarantined as unvaccinated close contacts.

What started with Kiké Hernández’s positive test before a flight to Cleveland eventually saw Xander Bogaerts pulled in the middle of a game when his test came back positive in Tampa Bay. By Sept. 9, the outbreak had reached the top of the Red Sox rotation with Chris Sale testing positive. Along the way, Christian Arroyo, Martín Pérez, Matt Barnes, Hirokazu Sawamura, Yairo Muñoz, Jarren Duran, Nick Pivetta, Danny Santana, and Phillips Valdez also tested positive, while replacements ranging from Brad Peaco*ck and Stephen Gonsalves to Taylor Motter and Jack Lopez kept the Red Sox afloat on the pitching staff and in the middle infield. José Iglesias, a desperation signing in the middle of the outbreak, actually emerged as a shockingly vital piece down the stretch.

Between Hernández’s positive test on August 27 and Sale’s return from the COVID I.L. on September 17, the Red Sox played 19 games — including seven against the Rays, and six on a tough road trip against the White Sox and Mariners — and went 10-9 to stay alive in the wild-card race.

Also in September…

• Other teams stopped playing because of COVID-19 outbreaks. Why were the Red Sox told to keep going?
• Just … breathe? Red Sox believe deep breathing ritual may be key to focus at the plate, and Rafael Devers is all in
• How an early August hitting session with Kyle Schwarber turned Bobby Dalbec’s season around

October

Season’s defining moment: ALDS Game 2

October was wild from the very beginning. The month of September ended with five losses in six games, and it really seemed the Red Sox were about to slip right out of the postseason. But October started with a must-havethree-game sweep of the Nationals. Then came the wild card game win at Fenway Park. Then the brutal loss in Game 1 of the division series, which set up the defining moment of the Red Sox postseason run.

Game 2 seemed to be a lost cause when Chris Sale gave up a first-inning grand slam and didn’t come back out for the second, but Tanner Houck was brilliant in long relief, the offense was relentless, and the Red Sox rallied to win not only the game, but the series. They didn’t lose another game against the Rays.Of course, the playoff run fell short in the ALCS — even after the Red Sox took control of that series with a couple of wins in Houston — but the division series, and Game 2 in particular, was a defining moment. The Red Sox didn’t win it all, but they put up a real fight, which was more almost anyone expected.

• He wanted to be Rick Porcello, and wear his #22. Now Garrett Whitlock has Porcello’s respect, and soon maybe his number
• After 10 years in MLB, Nathan Eovaldi is peaking. And that’s no coincidence for the Red Sox ace
• Whenever the Red Sox have something to celebrate, they turn to their own cake boss, Bekah Eovaldi

November

Red Sox leave room tomaneuver

There were legitimately big decisions finalized in the month of November, but I’m stuck thinking the most relevant might have been the Red Sox’s decision about which prospects to protect from the Rule 5 draft. Let me explain…

In November, the Red Sox picked up Alex Cora’s two-year option, they chose to keep Christian Vázquez for one more season, J.D. Martinez declined his opt out, Kyle Schwarber did opt out, Eduardo Rodriguez signed with the Tigers, and the Red Sox added Michael Wacha. All of these were bigger, more important headlines than a few Rule 5 decisions. But those big moves were fairly predictable, right? Even Wacha, while kind of coming out of nowhere, basically fit the Red Sox’s M.O.

What’s interesting about the Rule 5 decisions is that the Red Sox left themselves room to maneuver by leaving themselves a little bit vulnerable. Rather than prospect hugging — something they’ve been accused of doing lately —the Red Sox left a few notable young players exposed while keeping some 40-man spots wide open for future additions. They could easily have protected Gilberto Jimenez and Thaddeus Ward if they really wanted to, but they prioritized a nibble roster, setting the stage — it seems — for bigger moves in the new year. We’ll see if that plays out.

Also in November…

• ‘One-Nothing!’: Rookies Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock will compete over anything, and the Red Sox benefit
• How the Red Sox unearthed prospect diamonds in the rough Brayan Bello and Gilberto Jimenez
• Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers win Silver Slugger Awards

December

One last surprise before the lockout

Basically, the whole month of December has been a frozen wasteland devoid of baseball news. But the Red Sox did make some headlines right before the lockout. Literally minutes before rosters were frozen, the Red Sox executed an out-of-nowhere trade that sent Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee and brought Jackie Bradley Jr. back to Boston. We’d been predicting a Renfroe trade for several days, but the reunion with Bradley didn’t seem to be on anyone’s radar — perhaps even Chaim Bloom’s — until the trade itself came together.

Coupled with the signings of Wacha, Rich Hill and James Paxton to stabilize the rotation, the Red Sox entered the lockout with some of their necessary work done. They have pitching depth and positional versatility, but now they’re in a holding pattern while the rest of us wait to see if they’re going to add a big bat (perhaps to play an outfield corner) and meaningfully supplement the bullpen (perhaps with someone to close ahead of Barnes). The Red Sox have not been motionless this winter, but when the league’s standstill comes to an end, there will be more to do.

Also in December…

• The Red Sox keep adding minor-league depth. Now, where do they play all these guys?
• Red Sox minor-league notes: Triston Casas, Marcelo Mayer and a focus on depth and versatility
• Back-end relief, a righty bat and what else? When lockout is lifted, what’s on Boston’s to-do list?

(Top photo of the aftermath of Hernández’s walk-off hit to win the ALDS: Matthew J. Lee / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Chad Jennings is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Boston Red Sox and Major League Baseball. He was on the Red Sox beat previously for the Boston Herald, and before moving to Boston, he covered the New York Yankees for The Journal News and contributed regularly to USA Today. Follow Chad on Twitter @chadjennings22