Watching Red Sox Fans Convince Themselves They Didn't Want Juan Soto Is Textbook Stockholm Syndrome.

(Before you jump at my throat to tell me I'm wrong for this take. Just know that if you disagree with me, it means you are agreeing with the curly-haired boyfriend.)

Seeing the Jeff Passan news drop early this evening was like a bombshell hitting. One whose reverberations will be felt for years to come. 15 to be exact. 

It was especially surprising news considering the Red Sox signed Juan Soto over a week ago according to noted Minifan Beyond Average Mick.

But Boston got the rug pulled out from under us by New York again. And not even the Yankees. The junior varsity New York team won out in this one and Red Sox fans everywhere are explaining it away as if its a good thing. 

I'm hearing lots of "win-win" talk. 

It's a win-win that we didn't spend three quarters of a billion dollars, AND, that the Yankees didn't lock him up forever.

To all you people, I say this: you are fucking crazy. 

But it's not your fault. 

You've been conditioned by Dr. Creepy and his stingy business team to believe that Boston is no longer a large market organization, capable of competing with the LA's, and New York's of the baseball world. 

Psychologists have a term for this. 

I hate to break it to everybody but it's not like it's our money. It's John Henry and Fenway Sports Groups. And they long ago made their ticket prices, concession prices, and entire baseballl experience having anything to do with the Boston Red Sox expensive as fuck. It's a given at this point that its an investment to follow and root for this team. But it's one that the fanbase has happily upheld their end of the bargain to for 2+ decades now. While Henry and FSG have not. 

It's time we had a serious conversation about John Henry and Fenway Sports Group (FSG). They had no problem letting Juan Soto slip through their fingers, leaving the Mets to sign him to the kind of megadeal that makes headlines and wins championships. In the meantime, we can't help but wonder if the ownership even recognizes that they own a baseball team in Boston.

It’s not like FSG doesn’t spend money- they just don’t spend it on making the Red Sox a serious contender. They’re out here treating Liverpool FC like it’s the crown jewel of their empire, shelling out millions for players like Mo Salah and Darwin Núñez to keep the Premier League fans happy. Oh, and let’s not forget their stake in the Pittsburgh Penguins. They’ll go all-in on an aging Sidney Crosby and hockey’s cap circus but balk at the idea of bringing Juan Soto to Fenway? 

Make it make sense.

FSG operates like they’re running a diversified investment portfolio, not a sports empire that includes one of baseball’s most storied franchises. Sure, Liverpool’s a global brand, and owning the Penguins might look sexy on their financial reports, but when did the Red Sox become the afterthought of the operation?

They don’t even try to hide it. They’re too busy globe-trotting and making sure Liverpool fans get their Champions League runs while Sox fans get… what, exactly? They have traded GENERATIONAL SUPER DUPER STARS, and assembled a roster that resembles a patchwork quilt, assembled from AAA call-ups and bargain-bin free agents.

Let’s talk numbers. John Henry has a net worth north of $3.5 billion. Fenway Sports Group? Valued at $10 billion and change. You mean to tell me that group can’t afford Juan Soto? That they couldn’t cut the check for the generational superstar whose left-handed swing was practically engineered for Fenway Park? They wouldn’t even entertain it because they’d rather “stay the course” with the payroll?

According to Sox writer Sean McAdam, Boston's highest bid was 15 years/$700 million.

Which is actually more take-home money for Soto in Massachusetts as opposed to New York due to taxes. $385 million vs $382,500,000. 

We’ve seen this movie before. Five years straight on repeat to be exact. One of the greatest players of all time, Mookie Betts, traded away “for financial flexibility.” And the excuses are always the same: “It’s not sustainable,” “We’re building for the future,” “Prospects, prospects, prospects.” 

Meanwhile, the Yankees, Dodgers, and now even the Mets are proving that spending big on elite talent works.

This is Boston, not Tampa Bay. They’re not a small-market team playing Moneyball with a shoestring budget. The fans fill Fenway year in and year out. They pay $15 for a Bud Light, $35 for parking, and Lord knows how much on merchandise because they live and die for this team. The least FSG could do is pretend they care as much as the fans do.

But they don’t. 

They’ve got their iconic business partner Lebron, their shiny new soccer players in England, their Penguins in Pittsburgh, and their cushy seats at every board meeting that doesn’t involve actually improving the Red Sox. 

The truth is, John Henry and FSG have the money- they have plenty of it. They just don’t want to spend it on making the Sox what they used to be: a feared, powerhouse franchise that competes every single year.

So here we are, preparing to watch Juan Soto suit up for the Mets for the next 15 years, to hit 50 HRs a season, while FSG tells us to “trust the process.” Like we're morons from Philadelphia.

Trust this: until they start spending like they mean it, they’re going to be stuck in mediocrity, watching the rest of the league chase rings while they continue to pump out propaganda reminiscing about 2004 to distract us from the average product on the field today. 

We deserve better. Boston deserves better. And if FSG doesn’t wake up soon, they’re going to find themselves owning an empire built on a city that’s finally had enough of their half-measures. Spend the damn money, Dr. Creepy. Or sell the team to someone who will.

p.s. - thank God they didn't buy the Celtics.