Red Sox star calls out management, issues big challenge as season begins

The Boston Red Sox have had an alarmingly quiet offseason, and that doesn't seem to be sitting well with one of the team's best players. During his first media availability of spring training on Tuesday, third basemen Rafael Devers seemed to call out management and the front office and issue a challenge to them to help give the Red Sox the help they need to compete in the American League East.

“They need to make an adjustment to help us players to be in a better position to win,” Devers said, per MLB.com's Ian Browne. “Everybody in this organization wants to win, and we as players want to win, and I think they need to make an adjustment to help us win.

"Everybody knows what we need. You know what we need, and they know what we need. Everybody who knows the organization or knows the game knows what we need.”

Devers did not directly acknowledge the need, but starting pitching has been a significant weakness and concern for the Red Sox all offseason, and it really hasn't been addressed. Even as prominent starting pitchers like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery remained unsigned as free agents. 

What makes the lack of roster movement so alarming is that the Red Sox were already at the bottom of the American League East standings while several teams (Baltimore and the New York Yankees) made significant additions of their own this offseason. 

The Red Sox have missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons and won just 78 games in each of the past two seasons. 

It's a stunning fall for a franchise that won four World Series between 2004 and 2018 and was consistently a landing spot for superstars. That is no longer the case, and  the team even traded superstar Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The lack of results and spending has made Red Sox ownership a target for criticism among fans, media and former players. Now it is starting to come from current players.