If they were to script the best possible outcome for the upcoming Netflix series about this season’s Red Sox — which has been filming throughout the season — Hollywood’s writers would’ve cooked up something like their first half.
Boston overachieved at every step, persevered through injury, and developed new, exciting stars. It was like “The Bad News Bears” meets “Major League” crossed with your favorite reality show.
But since they submitted their best work -- a dramatic crescendo where the plucky underdog All-Star Jarren Duran hit a dinger that won him the MVP award -- the script writers have been slacking off. The Red Sox have had an atrocious start to the second half, dropping four in a row, their longest losing streak since May.
What could this mean for the front office’s plans at the trading deadline? Given that they needed so much convincing to begin signaling a ‘buying’ before the first half ended, does the team’s recent failure allow them to reverse course?
Jermaine Wiggins weighed in on this topic and who should take the blame for the recent slide on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show Tuesday morning. Listen to the entire segment above.
“I still believe the Red Sox will do something at the trade deadline and I hope that they do something,” Wiggy said.
“But if you’re a Red Sox fan right now, we’ve had this conversation before and we’ve asked the question, this is three years in a row…that the team has struggled after the All Star break.”
The former New England Patriots tight end drew comparisons to his playing career when talking about how his teams approached their attitude around the trading deadline.
“I remember when I played and it was always about, if you want them to do something, we need to show them that we can be competitive and we’re worth doing something for,” he continued.
This year’s Red Sox showed they could be competitive before the All-Star break, but this stretch where they’ve blown five saves in four games has changed that image. Wiggy also further explored the trend of losing in recent Red Sox seasons after the All-Star break.
“Three years in a row after the All-Star break the Red Sox have struggled in the first nine games when you look at where they’ve been. Last year I think that they were a game above .500, they ended up going 5-4. The year before they finished the first nine games, they were 2-7,” Wiggy said.
“And they’re on pace, obviously right now if they don’t hit a lick, they’re on pace to have another year where they’re struggling.”
Greg Hill asked whether Wiggy blamed the manager, Alex Cora, for the consecutive bad starts to the second halves.
“No, I am not blaming Alex Cora,” Wiggy said. “I’m blaming these players.”
Wiggy wondered whether Cora should take some of the blame for the team not looking motivated.
“The manager in Major League Baseball, I don’t give him a ton of credit but I do give him credit for getting guys to buy in, play hard, understand where they are. So what is going on that we’re seeing this again?,” Wiggy asked.
“And how do you knock the front office if they don’t do anything when you look at a team that is showing you that they’re not worthy of investing?”
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