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A fuming Dave Portnoy has seen enough of the Red Sox’s current ownership.
After All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman bolted Beantown for a five-year, $175 million deal with the Cubs, the long-time Red Sox fan and Barstool Sports honcho went scorched earth against owner John Henry.
“John Henry is the worst human alive right now,” Portnoy, 42, said on FS1’s “Wake Up Barstool” Monday. “The fact [Fenway Sports Group] owns the Red Sox, they don’t care about them. Fenway Sports Group, get these guys out of here, sell the team.
“You don’t care about the team, you treat us like we’re the Minnesota Twins or some small market team. Get John Henry out of here!”
While the Red Sox have been active this offseason, including acquiring veteran starter Sonny Gray, first baseman Willson Contreras and starter Johan Oviedo in trades, Bregman’s departure marks a major loss.
The Red Sox maintained interest in re-signing Bregman all offseason, with manager Alex Cora addressing the two-time World Series champion hours before news of his Cubs contract broke.
“You’ve got to ask him,” Cora said of Bregman returning. “The ball is in his court … I like the player. We like the player. Let’s see what happens.”
Boston reportedly refused to include a full no-trade clause and could not align on the structure of deferred payments in Bregman’s contract.
Portnoy also referenced Boston’s management of All-Star Rafael Devers, whom the team traded to the Giants last June after months of drama surrounding third base — which he ultimately ceded to Bregman.
“The Red Sox, John Henry, what they did…” Portnoy added. “Rafael Devers, who is supposedly the face of the franchise, they had him locked up forever. They bring in Bregman to play third base, don’t tell Devers, Devers gets mad, Devers gets shipped out. They get Bregman for a cup of coffee; he signs with the Cubs.”
With Bregman gone, it’s likely the Red Sox will continue exploring potential infield upgrades.
Boston was connected to Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte before Arizona took him off the trade market, and has also emerged as one of several teams interested in Bo Bichette, along with the Yankees and Phillies.
Philadelphia reportedly met with the Bichette on Monday.
Despite the high-profile departures, Red Sox general manager Craig Breslow dismissed having any regrets with how they unfolded.
“Rather than spend a ton of time on the particulars of these cases, what is most important is 1) how we respond to improve our roster in the near term and 2) how I can learn from the experiences and allow that to inform how I approach the role going forward,” Breslow wrote in an e-mail Q&A with MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “Neither outcome we face right now is ideal, but both will be evaluated over a longer time horizon.”
