It's a Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad World

   No, Lester hasn't been traded yet, but it seems all but inevitable now.   Rumors are circulating about Lackey being traded as well.   Imagine a rotation led by Clay Buchholz.  Sad and scary times indeed!   The offense is doing their usual sputtering thing, even though Xander is showing signs of improvement at the plate, if not in the field.  On the other hand, JBJ seems to have undone whatever progress he had made.   The Red Sox were annihilated by the Blue Jays yet again and have dug themselves back to 12 games under .500.   They are a worse team this year than they were in the 93-loss 2012, led by Bobby Valentine.

    If they lose 40 of the 54 games remaining, they will lose 100 games for the first time in nearly 50 years.   After winning a World Series, however improbable and fluky that win was, following it up with a 100 loss season is hard to fathom.   It's about as Jekyll and Hyde as it comes.   The current ownership may have seen three World Championships in its tenure, but it has also seen the team go from worst to first back down to worst again (and, in all likelihood, even worse than the first "worst".).   The trade deadline may very well be a fire sale leading to a long rebuilding process.   They ownership may spin a tale about quick rebuilding, but when you sell away your top pitcher, a homegrown guy at that, with no ready replacement, no "Plan B", the quick rebuild story is BS.   Sell off Lackey too?   Is the plan "Wait 'til 2020"?   Or is there a plan at all? 

    Winning the World Series last year was a great thing, but it raised expectations.   As for me, I wasn't expecting a repeat.   I was, however, expecting them to at least be competitive, or even somewhat respectable.  But this?   I was not expecting this, but maybe I should have been.    After all, the front office did some significant subtraction from the team what won it all without adding much to offset what they took away.   What kind of message did that send the team?   "Sorry, but we're not going to help you this year.  You're on your own.  Good luck with that."?

    What the Red Sox are putting out on the field now is disheartening, depressing, and a far cry from just a short year ago.   With the moves the front office seems to want to make, expect more of the same in the years to come.   I fail to see how drifting about aimlessly in the bottom of the MLB barrel will help the development of the prospects on which the Red Sox are banking so heavily.