Following a chaotic off-season, Boston Red Sox fans were eager to see what this season would look like. The team did not extend the contracts of key players and fan favorites Xander Bogaerts, Nathan Eovaldi and JD Martinez, all of whom were crucial to the Red Sox’s limited success last year.

Losing Bogaerts was especially hard on fans. They made this clear last weekend at the Red Sox Winter Fan Fest by booing Red Sox staff while they were explaining why they did not re-sign Bogaerts and why they traded another hometown favorite, Mookie Betts, three years ago.

Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom claims to have a plan, but many, such as The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy, are not sure the team is heading in the right direction. “I don’t think the evaluations have been good. I don’t like the makeup of their team this year; there’s a lot of old guys,” Shaughnessy says in an interview. He believes that the team “should be bringing in more people like [Rafael] Devers who are in the prime of their career.”

Earlier this month, Devers was given an 11-year, 331-million-dollar deal. News of the signing brought much-needed relief to Red Sox fans, especially after Bogaerts was not re-signed. Along with extending Devers’s contract, the team also re-signed Christian Arroyo, Ryan Brasier, Nick Pivetta and Alex Verdugo to one-year deals. But what about new players to replace those lost?

One exciting signing was that of outfielder Adam Duvall, a former Major League Baseball All-Star. Duvall is 34 years old and has 163 career home runs; he is expected to be a good fit for batting at Fenway. Rounding out the off-season, the Red Sox also signed some much-needed pitchers.

Tony Massarotti from 98.5 The Sports Hub sums up the Red Sox offseason: “Well, there have certainly been off-seasons like it, but I can’t remember one that felt as crucial — going into it — that feels as disappointing coming out.” After the Red Sox finished last in the American League East in 2022, many people feel as if the team has been greatly weakened. While new pitchers are expected to make a significant impact, the Red Sox’s lineup still doesn’t measure up against better teams. 

With all of this in mind, what can fans expect from this team next season?

Boston Latin School boys’ varsity baseball captain Douglas George (I) believes that “they can be a winning team, no matter what happens [and he] will always expect them to be a winning franchise.”

Many fans agree with George’s thinking; thus, there exists a generally strong sense of optimism that the Red Sox will be a winning franchise against all odds. They have certainly done so before: in 2012, the Red Sox finished in last place in the AL East but then went on to win the World Series in 2013. So who knows, maybe this year’s team will buck the odds and come out on top.