Red Sox Brass Took Aggressive Approach During Offseason to Pursue Top Talent for 2011
At this point in their ownership, the Red Sox owners are used to success in Boston. So when they watched the Sox finish third in the American League in 2010, they knew they needed to shake things up in the offseason.
While the Red Sox' brass understood that there were many injuries that contributed to the Sox' struggles down the stretch, they didn't want to take any chances on a repeat performance in 2011. Owners Larry Lucchino and Tom Werner sat down with general manager Theo Epstein, and manager Terry Francona at the Red Sox Town Hall to discuss their journey through the offseason.
"We had some unique challenges because we were looking at getting better but at the same time two of our better players were hitting free agency, in Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez," Epstein said. "We had to find a way to either retain those guys and still get better or look to get maybe a bit younger and even more dynamic, if possible."
"We're proud of what's been accomplished over these last nine years," Lucchino added. "But we did finish third last year and I know there were a lot of injuries and a whole lot of other factors to be considered, but that's not where we want to be. If there's one thing I can say with great confidence about this ownership group is that there is a commitment to winning."
Lucchino went on to describe the aggressive approach the owners took to pursuing the top talent on the MLB market.
To hear more from the Town Hall event, check out the video above.
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