Boston Red Sox analyst wishes his team had easier division: "The Red Sox would be in a three-way tie for first place in the NL West"

2022 was a season to forget for most Boston Red Sox fans. The team finished with a record of 78-84, and missed the postseason for the fourth straight season.

Although the fanbase was initially optimistic for 2023, some important departures left fans feeling as though the team had taken one step forward and two steps back.

The biggest loss for the Sox was shortstop Xander Bogaerts. The Curacaoan has been with the team since 2013, earning five All-Star appearances and four Silver Sluggers. Additionally, he has appeared in more games at shortstop than any other player in Red Sox history.

"Xander Bogaerts talks decision to leave Red Sox and doesn’t sugar coat it" - Iggy

Bogaerts signed a massive, 11-year contract with the San Diego Padres in the offseason. Soon thereafter, outfielder JD Martinez inked a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Martinez had been with the Red Sox since 2018, and led the MLB in RBIs and doubles in two separate seasons during his time in Beantown.

Although the Boston Red Sox have made a few signings such as Adam Duvall and Masataka Yoshida, the team has a record of 12-11 thus far, and find themselves in the all-too-familiar position of last place in the AL East.

"The Red Sox would be in a three-way tie for first place in the NL West. Not sure what you should do with this information, but just had to share." - Jared Carrabis

In a recent Twitter post, MLB analyst Jared Carrabis lamented his team's recent woes. The well-known Boston Red Sox fan illustrated that if the team were in a less-competitive division, they would not find themselves so far down the table.

Carrabis cited the NL West, where two of Boston's top departees now find themselves. The Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks both have identical records to the Red Sox, with the only difference being that the two western teams are tied for top spot in their division, and Bogaerts' Padres find themselves half a game back.

---

Boston Red Sox cannot seem to break the curse

Part of playing in the AL East, as the Boston Red Sox do, is coming up against not one, but three or four championship-level teams. Although Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees owned the division in 2022, the 19-3 Tampa Bay Rays seem to have already started to run away with the AL East.

For a team like Boston, who lack the firepower of the Blue Jays or Yankees, but also the dynamism of the Rays, 2023 could prove to be a very long season indeed.