Boston Fans Should Riot if Rob Manfred Drops Hammer on Red Sox After Weak Astros Punishment

It has truly been an offseason to forget for fans of the Boston Red Sox. First, the organization was forced to divorce from manager Alex Cora for his role in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing operations.

Then, the team offloaded Mookie Betts, arguably the club's best homegrown talent ever, and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a desperate quest to save money. In doing so, they thoroughly embarrassed themselves by failing to conduct proper research on the medical records of Brusdar Graterol -- one of the players they were set to receive in the deal.

Now, fans in Beantown are awaiting Rob Manfred's punishment for the Red Sox' alleged cheating ventures, and if the Commissioner lays down the hammer, fans will have no choice but to riot.

Like the Red Sox, this winter has been a forgettable one for Manfred. He's showed that he doesn't have the proper brashness to properly punish the Astros, and every time he's discussed the scandal, the 61-year-old has made a complete joke of himself.

Given his evident ineptitude, it's not outlandish to think that Manfred might just try to win back the respect of MLB players and fans by levying a crude punishment on the Red Sox, whose alleged endeavors likely weren't nearly as deplorable as Houston's.

With Manfred's decision supposedly coming within the week, it might be time for Boston natives to prep for the worst. After all, this offseason has been anything but affectionate.

Though he may not admit it, Manfred is not being viewed positively at the moment and might just attempt to salvage his brand by dropping the hammer on Boston, even though that would just add to the list of disastrous moves he's sanctioned this winter.