Red Sox could have avoided unlucky AL East streak with more balanced MLB schedule

The Boston Red Sox cannot wait for a more balanced MLB schedule to end poor streak against AL East teams.

There must be some kind of way out of here. The Boston Red Sox can’t get any relief.

At least that’s the case since the 2021 trade deadline. Since then, the team is 61-37 against teams outside of the American League East. Against teams within their division, they’re a far more frightening 28-56.

As Bob Nightengale points out, there’s no saving themselves this year if the trends continue. They have a lot of AL East games on their schedule to finish the season. With the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays all currently in playoff positions with a much better Baltimore Orioles club as well, a miracle is unlikely to take place in Boston.

Red Sox schedule won’t help them this year but there is good news for 2023

The 2022 season might end with a lot of angry New Englanders, but next year could be different. MLB will debut its more balanced schedule with lots of interleague play, games against all 29 other teams, and far fewer versus the tough American League East opponents.

More than possibly anyone else, the Red Sox are going to benefit from this change.

Boston began this year with the expectation that they would compete for the division title and maybe settle for a wild card fight. They began the season trending downward only to pick up by the time the flowers were beginning to bloom.

Then came the realization for this ball club that maybe they shouldn’t have gotten off to such a slow start. They went into the trade deadline as one of those teams caught in between buying and selling. They did exactly that. Boston added players like Eric Hosmer and Tommy Pham while selling Christian Vazquez and Jake Diekman. Several upcoming free agents, J.D. Martinez standing out the most, stayed put.

The Red Sox now find themselves at the bottom of the AL East and possibly about to sink lower given MLB’s continued unbalanced schedule in 2022. They won’t catch too many breaks between now and the end of the season. They can play spoiler but more than likely it’s those other teams in the division that will check their schedules and hope to see a visiting Boston club in the near future.

Next year, the Red Sox will have to hope fewer games against their division rivals favors them. It’s a streak they’d like to end but MLB might be making it easier already. Bring on yearly matchups against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, and the other basement dwellers of the National League. Say goodbye to the endless days of playing the Blue Jays, Rays, Orioles, and especially the Yankees.