Red Sox Are 13-21 and the Clubhouse Is Already Turning on Itself

This is how a season completely falls apart in real time. The Red Sox are a mess right now, sitting at 13-21 and tied for the fewest wins in the American League. Only the Mets have fewer wins in all of baseball with just 11. The on-field product is bad, and now that badness is seeping into the clubhouse in a way that tells you everything about where this team is headed.

Veterans and Young Guys Are Already Pointing Fingers

After another loss to the Astros, catcher Wilson Contreras opened up about the team's vibe since Alex Cora got fired. His take? The tension actually went away when Cora left. "When Alex wasn't in the dugout, the team was like [exhale noise], like loose," Contreras said. "But it doesn't matter. We have to play better. We have to find consistency."

Here's the problem: Contreras seemed to suggest that the young guys on this team aren't handling the early-season struggles well. When asked about that take, young shortstop Marcelo Mayer pushed back hard. "To me, that's kind of an excuse: blame the young guys," Mayer said. "But at the end of the day, we're all playing baseball, we're all pros. We all know what we need to do. I don't think we're doing a good job with runners in scoring position."

So now you've got veterans blaming the youth movement and the young guys firing back. This is exactly how a clubhouse combusts.

The Cora Problem Never Really Left

Before Cora got fired, he took a pretty obvious shot at the roster. "We've got a bunch of kids that are learning the game. It's my job to keep teaching them the game," he said. That kind of commentary plants seeds. Then this past weekend against the Astros, young outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela was upset that veteran Trevor Story wasn't in position to make a play on a throw that should have been an out. Instead of owning the mistake, Story talked about "handling it the right way" and keeping it "between us."

There's plenty of blame to go around here. The old guys aren't performing. The young guys aren't handling the pressure. And interim manager Chad Tracy is inheriting a clubhouse that's already fracturing just a week into his tenure. That's not a good sign for his future with this team.

The Red Sox are falling apart before Memorial Day, and this is only the beginning. Things are about to get a lot worse.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.