Red Sox principal owner John W. Henry was in the Red Sox clubhouse following the team’s 5-2 opening day win over the Rangers in Arlington, Texas, yesterday. MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported the appearance on social media.
Henry has been extremely elusive since he was roundly booed by a theater of Red Sox fans at the team’s 2023 Fan Fest, an appearance the Boston Herald’s Gabrielle Starr called “straight out of the pages of Lord of the Flies.”
Fans and media have relentlessly criticized Henry since the trade of Mookie Betts in 2020 for what many view as a half-hearted dedication to preserving a championship-caliber payroll. Once famous for flaunting financial power during the Theo Epstein and Dave Dombrowski periods, the Red Sox have subsequently run under Henry’s Fenway Sports Group with a significantly more cautious and deliberate manner.
Although the company claims it is concentrated on sustainability and long-term competitiveness, the appearance has been much less flatteringâespecially for a team in what has historically been one of baseball’s most passionate and demanding markets.
Many viewed the choice to deal Betts, a homegrown MVP and generational talent, as the moment Henry moved from fighting at all costs to giving financial margins top priority, making a downer of every offseason and trade deadline since. Are the 2025 Red Sox a shift from their recent complacency?
Henry’s infrequent presence and silence in the media have only served to aggravate the situation, as fans are left in the dark about whether the Fenway Sports Group wants a winning club or merely an impressive portfolio of holdings.
Despite the addition via trade of ace Garrett Crochet and the signings of free agents Alex Bregman and Walker Buehler, the Red Sox have not yet completely restored the confidence lost when Betts was traded. Time will tell if they ever can.
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