2018 has never felt so far away. It really was only two years ago when the Boston Red Sox turned in the most dominant season in franchise history, winning 108 games and their ninth World Series title. Since then, things have gone steadily downhill.
The follow-up campaign in 2019 was a disaster from spring training all the way to the end of the season which saw the Sox finish in third place in the AL East and out of the postseason without a chance to defend their title. Yes, they were beset by injuries and several players under-performed, but despite the bright spots (breakout seasons from Rafael Devers and Eduardo Rodriguez and a stellar season from Xander Bogaerts), there was a feeling from the very first pitch on Opening Day that something just wasn’t right with the team.