Criticism from the fanbase is nothing new for this John Henry-led Red Sox ownership group. It has largely proven ineffective as Henry and Tom Werner usually dispatch their version of Waylon Smithers — Sam Kennedy — to stomp out the brush fires of fan unrest.
But criticism from the players themselves?
Rest assured Red Sox fans, as Kenley Jansen, Rafael Devers and Dustin Pedroia are among the current and former Sox stars doing their part to turn up the heat on Sox ownership after their disappointing and dishonest offseason.
One of the team’s and game’s elder statesmen, the 35-year-old Jansen said he was sold on one vision when signing with Boston on a multi-year deal — only for the team to pull a 180 and abruptly change course.
"I definitely feel frustrated," Jansen said Sunday on the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast. "I came here for two years where year one we were going to compete but by year two they were really going to go after it. I get it, there have been a lot of changes in this organization. They have a different vision now. I get it. It’s part of business.”
Devers’ critiques of Henry and company were far more direct — even though they didn’t come in English.
"They need to make an adjustment to help us players to be in a better position to win,” Devers told reporters on Tuesday through team interpreter Carlos Villoria-Benitez. "Everybody in this organization wants to win. We, as (players), want to win. I think they need to make an adjustment to help us win.
Devers added, "Everybody knows what we need. You know what we need and they know what we need. It's just there's some things that I can't say out loud. But everybody that knows the organization and knows the game knows what we need.”
Even Sox of yesteryear are starting to get their shots in at this ownership group, with Pedroia doing his best “David Ortiz bursting into the interview room during Terry Francona’s postgame press conference” impression by virtually crashing a team dinner for Sox brass on Sunday.
“Last night at dinner, Raquel (Ferreira) and Bres and AC and Eddie (Romero) and I and a few others got a FaceTime from Dustin and he reminded us who’s still out there on the market and what opportunities might be out there,” Kennedy said. “So we appreciate that perspective from Pedey. He was very clear about his feelings.”
It’s easy enough for Henry, Werner and Kennedy to brush off disgruntled fans — many of which they will never meet face to face — but hearing it from current and former players — and not just any players, star players — is a positive development.
Fans can and should continue to hold ownership accountable — it’s already resulted in a changing of the guard this offseason with the shift from Chaim Bloom to Craig Breslow, although that’s looking like a lateral move— but getting taken to task out by your own employees (who have direct lines to Sox decision makers) should carry more weight.
Devers’ critiques stand out above the rest. Jansen is on the back nine of his career and merely a rental. Pedroia, while a bonafide star in his day and an incoming Red Sox Hall of Famer, no longer wears the uniform and isn’t a daily presence.
But Devers is here for the long haul, and not only that, but he is the star of the team. He’s one of the few guys this ownership group actually did pay — and pressure from the fanbase had a lot to do with that.
Such forthright comments from the face of the franchise will almost certainly make their way to Henry’s desk. And unlike other newspaper clippings Henry would probably just toss them in the trash, ignoring Devers’ plea to invest in the team would not bode well for the long-term health of the franchise.
For one, he risks further alienating Devers, who is entering the first season of his 10-year, $313.5 million extension, but could easily force the team’s hand by requesting a trade at any time. Beyond his All-Star contributions on the field, a player of Devers’ caliber and star is a huge recruiting tool for key free agents. Of course, if the team continues to not be interested in signing any, then what does that really matter?
But your reputation around the league still matters. We learned as much when no bonafide front office candidates were interested in the once-coveted job that ultimately went to a relatively inexperienced Breslow.
Players also pay attention and talk, and as long as Henry continues to cheap out on employing real talent, there won’t be a lot of positive conversations involving the Red Sox going on behind closed doors…
Henry may not realize it, or even care, but he may very well be doing irreparable damage to the very team and brand he built up to be the standard for success in the modern era.
Will the cries of Devers, Jansen and Pedroia be enough to force Breslow to break protocol and sign a real pitcher like Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery or trade for one of the many young stars we’ve heard who might be available?
Maybe or maybe not, but they represent the best chance yet to force a stagnant ownership group back into action...
Gethin Coolbaugh is a columnist for Boston Sports Journal. Follow him @GethinCoolbaugh on X/Twitter.