A year ago, the Red Sox led a charmed existence, steamrolling their competition en route to a franchise-record 108 wins and their fourth World Series title in 15 seasons.
But in 2019, it seemed that everything that could possibly go wrong did just that for the defending champs.
World Series heroes Nathan Eovaldi and Steve Pearce got new contracts, then promptly got hurt and turned in wretched campaigns. The team's supposed pair of aces, Chris Sale and David Price, didn't live up to expectations and saw their seasons end prematurely due to injury.
The decision to not replace Craig Kimbrel and start the season without a defined closer failed miserably.
Even breakout seasons from Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, and Eduardo Rodriguez couldn't get the Sox within sniffing distance of the postseason.
It all added up to an 84-win season that saw the Sox finish 19 games out of first place in the AL East — and 12 games out of the Wild Card. It also adds up to some pretty brutal grades from John Tomase.
Click here for the 2019 Red Sox report card.>>>>>
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