There are bad weeks, there are slumps, and then there is whatever the 2026 Red Sox just did against Tampa. A sweep is ugly enough on its own. A sweep where the offense reportedly bottoms out at a level the franchise hasn't touched in 125 years? That is the kind of stat line that gets framed in Cooperstown for all the wrong reasons.
Mike Mutnansky's write-up dropped the 125-year framing that has Sox fans staring at the ceiling.
For context: 125 years ago is 1901. That is the literal first year of the American League. The Sox offense going full deadball-era against a Rays team that is supposed to be the smaller-market upstart is not a vibe you can spin. This is the same lineup that was supposed to bash its way back into October contention, and instead it's putting up numbers your great-great-grandfather would have shrugged at.
The Barstool main account summed up the mood in 7 words.
Might not be the Red Sox year. https://t.co/YvpwW4BKEe
"Might not be the Red Sox year" is the kind of sentence that hits different in June. It's not panic, it's resignation, and that's somehow worse. The Rays don't need to out-spend you when they can just out-pitch a lineup that's collectively allergic to baserunners. If the bats don't show signs of life soon, the conversation in Boston shifts real fast from "who do we trade FOR" to "who do we trade AWAY."
The silver lining? Rock bottom is, by definition, the bottom. The only direction from here is up — assuming this group has another gear, which after a sweep like that is a pretty big assumption. Buckle up.