Sam Kennedy Just Doesn't Get it

Just another press conference containing word salad.

Red Sox fans are not dumb. They are one of the smarter and more invested fan bases in baseball. Red Sox Nation has seen through the lies that the front office has sold them for quite some time. President and CEO Sam Kennedy once again looked completely disconnected from reality in his press conference on Sunday.

There is no doubt that Sam Kennedy has a PHD in deflecting. For the past several years, Kennedy has danced around questions without ever answering them, questions that Red Sox fans desperately want answers to. On Sunday, Red Sox beat writers asked questions that Red Sox fans want answers to. And Kennedy refused to answer.

The big question that was asked was if no-trade clauses are an organizational policy. Kennedy responded with, “If Alex Bregman wanted to be here, ultimately he’d be here.” Kennedy was complimentary in what Bregman meant to last year’s team but quickly changed his tune and put the blame for why Bregman is not in Boston on Bregman. Kennedy never actually answered the question and deflected to how discussing operations does not give the Red Sox advantages in contract negotiations. The answer that Kennedy gave is exactly why Red Sox fans cannot believe anything that comes out of his mouth.

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

When Alex Bregman decided to sign with Chicago, Red Sox reporters Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive reported that the Red Sox stated that it was “Organizational policy” for why they would not match the Cubs no-trade clause. The no-trade clause appeared to be a key reason why Bregman ultimately left Boston to sign with the Cubs.

For the majority of the off-season, the Red Sox front office was talking a big game. They were talking about bringing back Bregman and adding a player like Pete Alonso or Kyle Schwarber. It would have been one thing for Red Sox fans to speculate getting two of those players but this was coming from reports from reporters who were talking with the front office. The Boston front office chose to set these expectations. When it turns out that the Red Sox did not sign any of those three big name free agents, it opens the door to questions. And when the Red Sox choose to tell reporters that a no-trade clause is “Organizational policy” and the reason they did not bring back Bregman, they deserve to get questioned about it.

One of two things are true. Either the Red Sox really do have a company policy of no longer offering players a full no-trade clause or they just were unwilling to offer Alex Bregman one. Tom Werner told the Boston Globe today regarding an organizational policy on no-trade clauses, “We don’t. There is nothing more I can say.” But why didn’t Sam Kennedy give the same answer? Why did Kennedy decide to throw Bregman under the bus? I don’t understand why Sam Kennedy cannot give Boston fans are real answer to that question. CBO Craig Breslow shouldn’t have to sit there and answer that question because it’s not his policy. Kennedy chose to sit there and ignore the question. And to make matters worse, he blamed Bregman for not wanting to be in Boston.

In his press conference today, Sam Kennedy talked about how intelligent and passionate Red Sox fans are. Yet, nobody is buying what Kennedy was selling in his press conference. If Kennedy would have said something like, “We chose to not offer Bregman a no-trade clause because it limits options and flexibility for the future,” it would have been understandable. Fans may have been frustrated with that answer but at least it’s an actual explanation.

Kennedy once again repeated himself from previous press conferences on the success this organization has had during their ownership tenure. He also talked about how FSG is driven to bring another championship to Boston. However, it’s difficult for Red Sox fans to believe that FSG is truly motivated to win when no-trade clauses are preventing the organization from signing impact players. And Red Sox fans are beyond tired of listening to ownership and the front office refuse to take accountability for their actions.

At this point, Red Sox fans know better than to expect honesty whenever Sam Kennedy talks. It’s just annoying to have to listen to him speak on the behalf of FSG and sit up there and dance around the questions that Red Sox fans deserve answers to. Sunday’s press conference continued to solidify that this is not the same motivated ownership group that took over the club and won four championships. Motives have changed but the question that many still want to know is why. That question may never get answered.