Red Sox embarrassing lineup should be a wake-up call for John Henry

The Boston Red Sox used to be a team willing to do whatever it takes to find a way to win. Sure, spending large amounts of money in free agency meant that bad deals came along once in a while, but their success in the 2000s has been more than worthwhile.

In recent years the Red Sox, for whatever reason, have peeled back on their spending, and the results have shown. The team has missed the postseason in four of the last five seasons and has finished in last place in the AL East in three of the last four. The lone exception was in 2021 when the team made a surprising run to the ALCS.

We've seen the Red Sox let several of their key players go because of money including Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts, and, again, have seen the result of those decisions with their win/loss record. No, spending only in free agency isn't how you build a consistent winner, but the Red Sox did practically nothing this past offseason. The biggest signing they made, Lucas Giolito, is out for the year after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. Red Sox fans have reason to be frustrated.

The Red Sox sit at 10-9 on the year but that's after a 7-3 start. Their lineup for today's game against the Cleveland Guardians is why fans are so frustrated with ownership.

Red Sox lineup for Thursday's game is as embarrassing as it gets

There are a couple of decent players here. Jarren Duran and Triston Casas are both huge parts of Boston's present and future and are not reasons why this lineup is embarrassing. Even Ceddanne Rafaela is a major part of the future, despite his rough beginning to this season. The rest? Yikes.

What makes this lineup so embarrassing is how much it costs.

The highest-paid player is Reese McGuire, the team's catcher who is making a whopping $1.5 million. Really, John Henry? This is what we're working with?

The total of this Red Sox lineup is $7.9 million. Former Red Sox reliever Joe Kelly makes more than that by himself!

It'd be one thing if this lineup was littered with young talent with high upside, but it's not. Outside of Duran, Casas, and Rafaela, there isn't much to write home about.

It's not Henry's fault that guys like Trevor Story, Tyler O'Neill, and Rafael Devers are hurt, but it is his fault that they're relying on a guy like David Hamilton to be the team's everyday shortstop in Story's absence. It is his fault that the team is relying on Brennan Bernardino to be the team's opener instead of simply adding more reliable starting pitching.

This lineup, outside of the top two, is a disgrace. Plain and simple. This is an organization in a huge market pinching pennies for absolutely no reason. Red Sox fans are supposed to pay high ticket prices and fill Fenway Park for this? If this isn't a wake-up call for Henry to open the checkbook, it's hard to know what will be.