With the baseball season coming to an end, fans of teams league-wide will be doing one of two things: looking ahead to the playoffs or contemplating what could have been. As for the latter, here are the biggest disappoints of the year in Major League Baseball.
1. Boston Red Sox
One of the most critical issues this team faced was a clash of personalities. After firing Terry Francona for last season’s September collapse, the Red Sox hired manager Bobby Valentine. After early struggles, Valentine criticized Kevin Youkilis, which created a media firestorm. By the trade deadline on July 31, Youkilis, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and starting pitcher Josh Beckett were shipped out of town in an attempt to rebuild the team. The Red Sox, a team that many thought had a chance to win the American League East, now sit 21 games behind their rivals, the New York Yankees.
2. Miami Marlins
In the National League, the Miami Marlins broke the bank this offseason. Miami has traditionally relied on young players and frugality to compete, yet they took the opposite stance when they signed shortstop Jose Reyes, starting pitcher Mark Buehrle and closer Heath Bell. Many were confident that the Marlins could finally challenge dominant teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves for the N.L. East title. The team also moved into a brand new ballpark in Miami. Similar to the Red Sox, the Marlins did not meet their expectations, which created unrest in the locker room. This led to fan-favorite shortstop Hanley Ramirez being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers and a spot at the bottom of their division.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Bucs are one of the league’s most storied franchises but have failed to make the playoffs for the past 20 years. Midway through the year, they had a shot to at least win the wild card. However, Pirates’ youth and inexperience eventually caught up with them, and they have been eliminated from postseason contention. Even though Pittsburgh faltered during the second half of the season, their current roster, which includes MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen, will be competitive in the future.
A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, Sept. 27 print edition. Chris Marcotrigiano is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].
