Red Sox Clubhouse Is Fracturing at 13-21 and Veterans Are Already Blaming the Young Guys

The Boston Red Sox are a mess right now, and we're not even at Memorial Day yet. At 13-21, they're tied for the fewest wins in the American League. Only the Mets have fewer wins in all of baseball with 11. The losses keep piling up, and now the finger-pointing has started inside the clubhouse.

After another loss to the Houston Astros, catcher Wilson Contreras opened up about what changed when Alex Cora got fired. The tension that existed under Cora vanished almost immediately, Contreras said. "When Alex wasn't in the dugout, the team was like exhale, like loose," he told the Boston Globe. But here's the problem: that looser vibe hasn't translated to winning baseball. "We have to play better. We have to find consistency. We have to get better," Contreras said.

The Young Guys Aren't Taking It

When Sean McAdam of MassLive asked young player Marcelo Mayer if he agreed with Contreras' take about the young guys struggling to handle early-season pressure, 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. When you don't do that, you don't score runs."

This is how it's going to play out all season: the veterans blaming the young guys, and the young guys firing back. The cracks started showing even before Cora got fired. The night before he was let go, Cora took a shot at the roster and the young players. "We've got a bunch of kids that are learning the game. It's my job to keep teaching them the game," he said.

Blame Is Everywhere

This 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 ended in an out. Story had every right to be called out, but instead of owning it, he talked about "handling it the right way." "We'll keep it between us," he said.

There's plenty of blame to spread around. The Red Sox can't hit worth a damn. The clubhouse chemistry is deteriorating by the day. And now, less than a week into interim manager Chad Tracy's tenure, the locker room is already fracturing.

The offense faces some brutal pitching this week with Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez on the schedule. If the losses keep coming, expect the finger-pointing to get worse.

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