Red Sox Fans Get Unsatisfying Answer From John Henry on Ignoring Press

Once a hero among his fans, Boston Red Sox principal owner John Henry has become a mysterious, often villainous figure in those same fans' eyes.

The shift in philosophy with the Red Sox began six years ago, when the club traded superstar Mookie Betts a year before his free agency. Boston has only handed out one contract over $200 million in the years since, and the player in question (Rafael Devers) was traded away 2 1/2 years into the deal.

Perhaps not as importantly, but certainly of concern to many, has been Henry refusing to speak to the press. He last did so in the wake of the Betts trade in February of 2020, and his public support has seemingly diminished over time at least in part to that refusal.

Why Henry says he no longer talks to fans

“I saw it as unproductive,” Henry wrote in an email to Fangraphs’ Jason Schwartz. “Why? Because the Sox have a baseball chief, a CEO, a manager and a chairman speaking. There are plenty of front office voices every day.”

It's been pointed out before, especially in Schwartz's article revealing Henry's email response, but the Fenway Sports Group founder is something of a savior when it comes to print media, because he bought The Boston Globe for $70 million in 2013 and has maintained it as one of the best local news publications in the world.

But buying a newspaper does not force someone to divulge their feelings on what they view as sensitive topics, and Henry has kept himself deliberately out of the crosshairs of tough questions at the same time his actions as owner have warranted them. A team that once cared about winning the World Series at all costs no longer tries to compete with the league's top payrolls, even if they're not exactly a small-market franchise either.

Schwartz's email originally concerned Henry and the Red Sox firing manager Alex Cora in April, so as a last bit of food for thought, here was what the owner had to say to Schwartz on that specific topic:

"I know that local media are frustrated that once again I’m not taking questions from them, but I had a long, close relationship with Alex. I’m not going to discuss why these changes were made. It would be a disservice to Alex and others. This is a very emotional time for my family who loves Alex and his family."

Add us as a preferred source on Google