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The Boston Red Sox aren’t just suffering from a disappointing season; its future looks equally bleak. The firing of manager Alex Cora failed to bring about the change the front office hoped for, and the club has since stagnated at 15-17 under interim manager Chad Tracy.
While Boston falters, the American League East remains in a tight race between the Tampa Bay Rays (36-23) and the New York Yankees (37-25). FOX Sports analyst Alex Rodriguez breaks down the division and sees a broader problem, flatly stating that the entire American League “stinks.”
Appearing on FOX Sports’ First Things First, Rodriguez didn’t hold back with co-hosts Nick Wright, Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes. While talking about the Red Sox, he criticized what he sees as a significant competitive imbalance between the American and domestic leagues.
“I don’t think anyone is out of this,” Rodriguez said. “The American League sucks. They really do, in fact. The National League is the opposite, right? If you look out West, I think if the playoffs started today, the Mariners (33-30) would be in.”
By comparison, the National League West is the polar opposite of the more populous American League East. Instead of a two-team race, the NL West features three highly competitive clubs, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres all well above .500.
Rodriguez has lacked faith in the Red Sox since they fired Cora and game planning coach Jason Varitek in early April. He stated that Cora was the best manager in baseball and added that deep down, the franchise knows this is not their year.
“I would use a different measuring stick,” Rodriguez said. “I think the moment you got rid of Alex Cora, the [Red Sox] manager, who I think is the best manager in the game, and Jason Varitek, they decided this is not going to be their year.”
For a team that appears to have thrown in the towel, Rodriguez believes the rest of Boston’s season is simply a countdown to October.
