There was a severe shortage of Red Sox in the 2024 MLB Playoffs. Luckily, there were plenty of former Sox players to watch this October.
Until the Boston Red Sox get their act together and spend enough to compete, Sox Nation will have to settle for watching former Sox play in October. The Red Sox as a franchise made $500 million this past year, yet ownership can no longer afford to pay for a roster over $200 million. Where is all that extra money going, John Henry? I would love to suggest it is going to something nefarious, but Henry seems like a dull dude, so it is probably supplementing everyone’s Roth IRAs at the moment. Yes, the times they are a changin’.
Anyways, we can root for former Sox and for whoever is playing against the New York Yankees, which is now the Los Angeles Dodgers. Some former players should be proud of their postseasons this year. Others actually made the Sox look smart for moving on from them.
Fenway West, The Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers have the largest collection of former Red Sox of any playoff team. RF-turned-utility-infielder-when-needed Mookie Betts still looks weird in so much blue. Fortunately, he broke an 0-22 streak in the postseason, and Mookie has looked sharp. Through 11 games, Mookie has four doubles, four home runs, and 12 RBIs. Must be nice hitting after this Ohtani guy. Fellow utility player Enrique Hernandez is also playing great for the Dodgers this fall. Somehow, he converted a .229 regular season average (and .238 for his career) into a .303 average in the postseason with two home runs in nine games. He has 15 career homers in the postseason, which is 20th all time. The expanded playoffs help, but that’s still remarkable.
In May of 2023, The Red Sox released the head tilting teddy bear RP Ryan Brasier. It was the right move at the time. It seemed his finest hour was in 2018, when he told C Gary Sanchez to get back in the box. By 2023, he looked toast. Now he’s just coming up big for the Dodgers when it matters most. Seems like some form of baseball karma rewarding teams that spend and punishing those that don’t. He’s appeared in six games and was the opener twice. The 5.14 ERA is not great, but he’s helped more than he’s harmed.
Lastly, we cannot talk about former Red Sox in October and ignore the manager of the Dodgers. Dave Roberts is handling the immense expectations placed on the Dodgers well this season. 20 years ago, he had the steal heard ’round the world to help Boston win Game 4 of the ALCS versus the Yankees. Nothing he does with the Dodgers will top that moment. Nothing.
The Other Former Champions
SP Chris Sale had a Chris Sale moment this postseason. After a rebirth in Atlanta during the regular season which should end in a Cy Young Award, Sale missed the postseason. Back spasms sidelined the NL pitching triple crown winner, which was a bummer. 18 wins, 225 strikeouts, and 2.38 ERA is a phenomenal season. Alas, Sale being hurt is something Atlanta should get used to. Tough to stay healthy when you are six feet, six inches yet there are dogs that weigh more than you.
Fellow 2018 World Series Champion SS Xander Bogaerts and the San Diego Padres were forced to play the Dodgers in the NLDS. Bogey hit .167 with one home run and four RBIs. The entire Padres lineup struggled against the Dodgers, getting shut out in games four and five after having a 2-1 series lead in the best of five matchup.
OMG, I almost forgot about SS Jose Iglesias. He started his career in Boston in 2011 but was traded during the 2013 season. Technically, he was a part of that magical 2013 World Series team but became expendable because of another up-and-coming shortstop (Bogaerts). Anyways, Iglesias has to be the largest feel-good story of the postseason by being out of MLB entirely in 2023 to then come back in 2024 and hit .337 in 85 games. He hit .227 in 12 playoff games, but it’s incredible he’s still playing at all. DH J.D. Martinez is also sputtering with the Mets, hitting .222, but that’s close to his regular season average of .235.
The Other Guys
These three final players were here briefly and some unremarkably, but we’ll give them their credit here. DH Kyle Schwarber was fun for the half a season he was in Boston. He continues to pile up postseason home runs for the Philadelphia Phillies. 21 postseason homers rank fourth all time. He only hit one this year before the Phillies were bounced by the Mets. SP Michael Wacha was highly effective in 2022, which is why ownership let him leave after that season. This postseason he started twice for the Kansas City Royals. 8.2 innings and a 5.19 ERA were not ideal. He has a player option to stay in Kansas City so hopefully he does and can redeem himself next October.
Usually, we save the best for last. This time I am hoping people got distracted before they got this far. OF Alex Verdugo is the last former Sox in the postseason. He had the worst regular season of his career, hitting .233 with 13 home runs. Since this was for the Yankees, maybe it was his one last act of loyalty to Boston. Play just well enough to stay in the lineup but bad enough to not help the Yankees win. It’s also possible he felt insecure without the weight of twenty chains around his neck keeping him grounded. In nine postseason games, he’s hitting .194 with 3 RBIs.
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