John Henry Misses The Reason Behind Red Sox Fans’ Frustrations: There’s a ‘False Narrative’ Surrounding BOS

While fan unhappiness continues to rage, Boston Red Sox primary owner John Henry addressed what he called a “false narrative” around the organisation.

John Henry Misses The Reason Behind Red Sox Fans’ Frustrations: There’s a ‘False Narrative’ Surrounding BOS

In the most recent instance, John Henry received boos from the crowd at Fenway Park during an NHL Winter Classic game. He made an effort to minimise the severity of the turmoil in an interview with Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic:

“There is a false narrative surrounding the club. It really took hold in 2022. There were even false reports of booing at Fenway Park during the Winter Classic. I think those factors and losing Xander to San Diego were the biggest factors. Those are the fans you would believe are the least likely to try to shout us down, but it happened. Did anyone report the standing ovation at the end?”

Rafael Devers’ unclear future caused some worry when Henry received a cold greeting on January 2. Concerns that the third baseman would be sent like Mookie Betts in 2020 arose since he and the Red Sox had not yet reached an agreement on a long-term contract extension.

Devers has already agreed to a 10-year, $313.5 million deal with Boston, but even that wasn’t enough to heal the damage from the previous several seasons.

John Henry doesn’t exactly have his finger on the pulse either, as seen by his reaction when questioned about Xander Bogaerts.

Before agreeing to an 11-year, $280 million contract with the San Diego Padres, Bogaerts had played his whole career for the Red Sox. Henry responded in only six words to McCaffrey’s question about what Boston might have done better to keep the four-time All-Star: “We could have offered 12 years!”

Simply put, the Red Sox aren’t operating like the third-most valuable MLB organisation, and they shouldn’t be in a situation where they’re either selling away an elite player (Betts) or losing a bidding battle for a fan favourite (Bogaerts).

The four World Series championships won by Henry and the Fenway Sports Group during their rule serve as a concrete indicator of their success. Yet the goodwill from previous victories only goes so far, particularly in a market like Boston where standards are so high.

Henry’s Sunday interview might not be assisting his cause.

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