3 Most Overrated Players on the Red Sox

This offseason has been a wild ride for the Boston Red Sox. Just two years after winning a World Series, they are now in the midst of a half-rebuild, having traded star Mookie Betts and pitcher David Price to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, AL East rivals in the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and even the Toronto Blue Jays have all improved, while the Red Sox are overhyping their current roster to help them win PR games.

3. Chris Sale

Chris Sale fell off a cliff ever since signing his massive contract. / Kathryn Riley/Getty Images

The Red Sox looked like gigantic winners after acquiring pitcher Chris Sale from the Chicago White Sox, especially in his 2018 campaign. But once Sale signed his lucrative five-year contract, he fell off a proverbial cliff. Last season, Sale had a brutal first month of the season, before gradually getting his game back...until picking up a season-ending elbow injury in September. In 25 games, Sale accumulated a career-high 4.10 ERA. To make matters worse, Sale will miss the entire 2020 campaign to get Tommy John surgery. Ever since putting pen to paper on his new deal, Sale has been cursed.

2. Jackie BradleyJr.

Jackie Bradley Jr. has been called underrated by many, but he's quite the opposite. / Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

JBJ is constantly tagged with the underrated term, but we hate to break the facts -- it's the other way around. Yes, Bradley Jr. had his shining moments, like the 2018 ALCS in which he won MVP for the series, and he's one of the better defenders in the league. Yet, he can't seem to put it all together for a full season, especially at the plate. In his entire seven-year career, Bradley has never posted a batting average above .270. The Red Sox have given him the money to prove himself, but to no avail. Now, it seems likely he'll play for a new organization in 2021.

1. Nathan Eovaldi

Nathan Eovaldi went from 2018 World Series hero to overpaid relief pitcher in the span of a year. / Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

Nathan Eovaldi was the steal of the 2018 trade deadline, as they acquired him in a trade with the rival Rays. Eovaldi turned out to be the hero of the World Series that year, as he pitched eight shutout innings combined in Games 1 and 2. Given how well he performed in the postseason, the Red Sox rewarded him with a four-year, $68 million deal. That's where it all went downhill. Eovaldi had a brutal 2019, from poor pitching to developing loose bodies in his pitching elbow. He was limited to 23 games last season, where he posted a gigantic 5.99 ERA, while striking out just 70 batters in 67.2 innings pitched. Eovaldi bounced around from team to team due to his injury history, yet the Red Sox are paying him $17 million annually.