The former Red Sox player is shot in the Boston office before returning to Fenway

The Boston Red Sox haven’t been the best team in baseball in recent years, finishing last in the AL East in 2022 and 2023 after unexpectedly reaching the ALCS in 2021.

Part of the problem was Boston’s mishandling of the lineup in recent seasons, which continues to this day. There has been a clear and obvious change in Red Sox philosophy that has resulted in less spending, and it’s not just the fans who see it and have been influenced by it.

Former Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo slammed Boston’s front office for how they handled the lineup ahead of his return to Fenway Park for the first time since being traded to the New York Yankees.

“We didn’t have the parts we needed,” Verdugo said (via MassLive ). “Not getting them at the trade deadline was tough… It would have been nice to see a little more initiative when I was there to just force a win.

While some will be upset by Verdugo’s statement since he is a former Red Sox and current Yankee, he is not wrong. Boston should have done more to help the team, and it wasn’t necessarily Chaim Bloom’s fault then or Craig Breslow’s fault now. It all comes from the top of the chain.