OBF: Truck Day, but will Sox again be the bug on the windshield?

The Red Sox truck arrives in Fort Myers tomorrow.

Among the many items on board:

24,000 baseballs

1,100 bats

200 batting gloves

200 batting helmets

160 game jerseys

There was a lot of baggage on board the Red Sox 2025 truck that the team did not publicize:

A 359-360 (.499) record including the postseason since 2020

2 World Series rings won by Mookie Betts since he left Boston

$44 million worth of space below the luxury tax in 2025

$700 million in Monopoly Money offered to Juan Soto

“Truck Day” has become “Groundhog Day” for the Red Sox.

Each year, Wally and Friends greet an ever-dwindling crowd on Jersey Street. Sam Kennedy is asked and answers the same questions about failed free-agent signings and unmet offseason expectations. And a sense of ennui flirting with apathy greets the start of another baseball season in the Hub.

John Henry did not see his shadow on Truck Day. Actually, no one saw Henry or his shadow on Truck Day. This means at least 6 more months of apathy.

All we need is Bill Murray.

This is a big week for Fenway Sports Group. Rory McIlroy won at Pebble Beach Sunday. Truck Day was Monday. And Rors and his mighty Boston Common Golf Bullfrogs clashed with the Los Angeles Golf Club Tuesday night on the pristine tundra of the TGL SoFi Center in West Palm Beach.

TGL means “Tomorrow Golf League.” And it’s always “tomorrow” for those us waiting for the owner of the now Pittsfield Red Sox to explain why his team now ranks among the likes of San Francisco and Seattle in payroll.

It’s been nearly 5 years since Henry answered live unscripted questions in person about his baseball team. A mind-boggling stat that is only matched by the team’s mathematical precision when it comes to mediocrity during that same timeframe.

We can’t make this stuff up. But the Red Sox could not be any closer to being average if they tried. 359-360 over 719 games (including the postseason) is the sort of math that put a man on the moon more than 50 years ago.

Nothing speaks louder than money. And the Red Sox continue to use closed captioning in that area.

The Red Sox stand, via Spotrac, at No. 15 in overall cash spending this upcoming season.

Again, they are masters of the middle.

15th out of 30 teams.

The Red Sox remain a Green Monster for ownership.

In 2024, the Red Sox had a $333 million disparity between the team’s payroll ($224 million) and revenue ($557 million), according to data from Sportico and Spotrac.

Even with the overhead involved running Fenway Park, taxes, insurance, jet fuel, and front office salaries, that’s an impressive return.

This offseason, John Henry and the front office worked a masterful game of 3-card monte.

Red Sox Nation was fixated on Juan Soto. Social media shills reported a deal was done. State Run Media dutifully pushed the possibility of Soto coming to Boston and all that it would entail.

“Juan Soto is talking to David Oritz!”

I wasn’t that gushy watching Tom Brady win his 7th Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox never bothered to make even a qualifying offer to Tyler O’Neill.

The guy who hit 31 bombs from the right-side of the plate for the 2024 Red Sox now plays for Baltimore. He’ll be taking your best pitchers deep over Lansdowne Street for the best team in the AL East. The Orioles signed him to a 3-year deal (with an opt-out after Year 1) worth $49.5 million.

Hard to believe the nerds on Jersey Street let O’Neill leave. He boasted a 2.6 bWAR (whatever that means) and ranked in the 98th percentile of barrel rate. He also murdered lefties with a 1.179 OPS. I believe that is good.

Of course, the Red Sox were never going to out-bid the Mets, or Yankees, for Soto.

Thus, John Henry got to pretend he tried to spend “big money” on Soto, all the while making sure he didn’t have to spend “little money” on O’Neill.

The acquisition of Garrett Crochet has been met with Curt Schilling-pre-2004 hype. Crochet is only 25. And at 6-foot-6, may well be the second coming of Dick Radatz. Only as a starting pitcher. Unfortunately, Crochet has already earned the “injury prone” moniker in his youth. This will be his 6th major-league season. But he’s never gone more than 146 innings.

The good news is that the Red Sox expect Crochet to start on Opening Day. The bad news is that he will be the Red Sox 4th different Opening Day starter in 4 years.

The most exciting thing about the Red Sox remains the ballpark, which celebrates its 114th Opening Day on April 5.

The Red Sox plan to welcome fans from the other 29 MLB franchises with promotions like “Wally or Tessie Squishy Pillow Day;” “Beach Towel Night,” and the promise of a 1975 replica jersey for 7,500 fans against the Reds on July 2.

We’re still waiting for “Trough Night.”

There was no better measure of a man.

Perhaps Alex Bregman ends up in Fort Myers wearing a Red Sox uniform before the team truck heads back north next month.

Bregman has been discounted deeper than a 2-day-old rotisserie chicken at Market Basket. If only he played pro golf.

A deal for Bregman would be a welcomed surprise for many in this deeply jaded fanbase.

And this team could use it.

Bill Speros (@RealOBF and @BillSperos on X) can be reached at bsperos1@gmail.com.