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Red Sox CEO Kennedy: ‘Pressure is definitely on’

By The Associated Press

Red Sox Baseball The Boston Red Sox take batting practice at spring training baseball camp on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, in Fort Myers, Fla. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) (Brynn Anderson/AP)

By The Associated Press

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy admits the organization heard lots of displeasure from the fans during the offseason.

“Pressure is definitely on the 2023 Boston Red Sox,” Kennedy said on Monday morning at the team’s spring training complex on the first full day of workouts.

Following the departure of shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who signed a $280 million, 11-year free-agent deal with the San Diego Padres during the offseason, and finishing last in the AL East for the fifth time in 11 seasons, Kennedy knows the fans are bothered by stars leaving and inconsistent results.

“We certainly had a lot of interest in our offseason and we heard a lot from fans. We have to be competitive. If we’re competitive it’ll take care of any lack of interest,” Kennedy said.

“We didn’t deliver on 2022 and we need to do a better job of communicating our message to our fans. That’s on me frankly. I’m the leader of the organization and if we’re not effectively communicating our strategy to our fans, that’s on me. That’s on us. We need to get better at it.”

With owner John Henry, who politely declined to speak to the reporters on hand, the Red Sox started to take the field just before 10 a.m.

Fittingly, left-hander Chris Sale was one of the the first ones out the door following a clubhouse meeting that had Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez and manager Alex Cora address the group.

Sale has thrown just 48 1/3 innings in the regular season during the first three years of a $145 million, five-year extension he signed with the club in March 2019. His health could be a first step to erasing the poor taste of 2022.

Cora said his point was simple: “We’ve got to get better. That’s the whole message.”

Former second baseman Dustin Pedroia addressed the infielders on a field and Martinez watched pitchers, including Sale, on another that saw crowds outside that were a bit smaller than usual at the start of school vacation week in Massachusetts.

“It was really good. It was really positive,” Kennedy said. “Some special guest appearances by some well-known Red Sox alums.”

Kennedy also had a simple message for those predicting another bad season.

“As long as I’ve been around, they’re usually wrong. I don’t put a lot of stock in them,” he said. “We’ll let the players do the talking.”

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