The Boston Red Sox won a franchise-best 108 games last season, and Dustin Pedroia appeared in just one of them. The veteran infielder played in three games total, and the other two were losses. If you don’t even remember him having an at-bat, you’re not alone.
Pedroia was once one of the most important players on the Red Sox roster, but he became an afterthought as he missed nearly the entire year with a knee injury in 2018. The team had major chemistry issues in 2017 and played with a chip on its shoulder last year, and the end result was one of the greatest championship seasons in MLB history. By most measures, Pedroia had no hand in it.
Pedroia, who is now 35, has tried to battle his way back this season, but a chronic left knee injury has prevented him from staying on the field. After he suffered yet another setback during his rehab recently, he finally admitted on Monday that he is going to take some time off to decide if he wants to keep playing.
Even Pedroia’s biggest fans seem to be begging for the same outcome — just call it quits, Dustin. While you have to admire him for wanting to finish out his career on his own terms, the Red Sox simply don’t need Pedroia. They didn’t need him before Brock Holt was activated from the injured list. They didn’t need him before top prospect Michael Chavis was called up and proceeded to go on a tear at the plate. They didn’t need him when Rafael Devers was struggling at third base. They didn’t need him when their pitching staff was completely clueless and couldn’t buy a win. They haven’t needed him in well over a year, and they aren’t going to need him going forward.
Pedroia said Monday that he’ll have days where he feels perfectly fine and others where “walking is tough.” Most people would take that as a clear sign it is time to retire, but Pedroia has always been a gritty player who tries to tough it out. Again, that’s admirable, but it doesn’t mean he needs to hang around a team that just bulldozed all of Major League Baseball without him.
The list of accomplishments for Pedroia is not a short one. He’s a four-time All-Star, won the AL MVP Award in 2008, was a key part of World Series championship teams in 2007 and 2013, has won four Gold Glove Awards and has a career batting average of .300. He’s easily one of the best infielders in Red Sox history.
That was then. This is now.
You hate to kick a guy while he’s down, but it’s impossible to ignore that when the Red Sox were struggling early in the season, Pedroia happened to be with the team. Ever since he appeared to defend Manny Machado over his teammates in a skirmish with the Baltimore Orioles two seasons ago, there have been questions about Pedroia’s place in the clubhouse. And, for one reason or another, the team seems to play better when he’s not in the picture.
Pedroia was at his best when he wasn’t the most senior member of the Red Sox. His glory years came when Boston had strong leaders like David Ortiz and Jason Varitek. Now, there seems to be an awkward dynamic between him and the guys who weren’t part of those teams. A lot of that may be simply perceived, but at least some of it is real.
At the end of the day, Pedroia is the one who gets to decide when to retire. But if he doesn’t let his health dictate when he hangs up the cleats, the Red Sox might have to. No one wants to see it get to that point, and that is why the fan favorite needs to finally walk away.
