If you're wondering how history will remember the 2024 Red Sox, answer this question about the 2015 edition in five seconds or less: What's your dominant memory of that season?
Exactly.
In fairness, it's probably Rich Hill's two-hit shutout of the Orioles that September, which ended with Mookie Betts robbing Chris Davis at the bullpen fence. Otherwise, that was a straight transitional year – from Ben Cherington to Dave Dombrowski in the front office, from free agency misfires Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez to Killer B's Xander Bogaerts, Betts, and Jackie Bradley Jr. on the field.
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When we think of 2015, if we think of it at all, it's merely as a way station. A year later, the Sox would return to the playoffs while saying goodbye to David Ortiz. And two years after that, they'd win it all with the most dominating season in franchise history.
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In that context, 2024 was always doomed to be an afterthought. Either the Red Sox would finish last again, as Vegas predicted, or they'd manage to hold our attention for a time before inevitably fading.
They gave us Option B, and hooray for that, although that doesn't mean it will have staying power. Management can only hope the truly unforgettable seasons remain part of a hypothetical future where prospects Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel grow into stars. Maybe we'll even catch a glimpse next month.
In the meantime, we should be realistic about the limits that were always going to constrain this season. Ownership didn't empower chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, himself a replacement for Chaim Bloom, to address multiple needs over the winter. So even as youngsters like Jarren Duran, Tanner Houck, and Wilyer Abreu took significant steps forward, there just wasn't enough in support to carry them over the finish line.
The march to mediocrity continued on Monday in Houston, where the Astros walked off the beleaguered bullpen in a 5-4 victory. The Red Sox have now lost eight of 12 while watching their playoff odds plummet to barely 20 percent. Their postseason chances haven't been this low since mid-June.
There's a path out of their current malaise, but it's narrowing by the day and requires more luck than skill. Whereas the July 30 trade deadline offered the illusion of upgrades, now the only hope is that the worst parts of the roster, concentrated primarily in the bullpen, stop sucking en masse. That's it. Either they flip a magical switch, or it's over.
This is how bridge seasons work. We remember them for the foundations they laid, and eventually forget about the effluvia wafting by.
Duran, Houck, Kutter Crawford, Ceddanne Rafaela – they're pieces of the future. The same probably can't be said for Romy Gonzalez, Dom Smith, and Enmanuel Valdez, even though all have contributed at one point or another. If we rewind to 2015 again, they're this year's versions of Ryan Hanigan, Rusney Castillo, and Robbie Ross, guys who can fill out a roster and occasionally play their part, but not anyone you'll be talking about by winter.
Only two weeks ago, I said the Red Sox were taking on a team-of-destiny feel, like last year's Marlins. Improbabilities kept breaking their way, injuries couldn't slow them, and we didn't yet know that their trade deadline acquisitions would become net negatives. Plus, with perhaps the best manager in baseball in Alex Cora pushing the buttons, maybe the Red Sox could play beyond the sum of their parts forever.
But the inevitable narrative of this season has finally caught up to them. They remain firmly focused on the future, even while allowing themselves to be pleasantly surprised by the unexpected delights of the summer.
Here's the thing about summer, though – eventually everything wilts, the leaves change, and the calendar turns to fall. The Red Sox gave us everything they had for months, but this season was always destined to be a footnote.