Red Sox's John Henry Called 'Goon' In Scathing Review Of MLB Ownership

Being an MLB owner means taking some brutal criticism on occasion

Apr 15, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox owner John Henry at Fenway Park before a game against the Minnesota Twins. Every player is wearing number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Frustrations are high as the Boston Red Sox brace themselves for a third straight postseason from the couches.

Though they looked like contenders at times during the 2024 season, the Red Sox ultimately fell apart during the second half. As they so often have during the recent struggle years, fans have begun to point at ownership as a key culprit for the Red Sox's misery.

John Henry, who bought the Red Sox before the 2002 season, has seen an unprecedented run of success in the franchise's history. His team broke an 86-year title curse in 2004, then added three more World Series victories in the next 14 years.

It's hard to imagine an owner fumbling the amount of goodwill Henry and his Fenway Sports Group partners had earned throughout their tenure. But as the budget has tightened and the losing increased in the 2020s, discontent has begun to fester.

On Wednesday, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report put Henry on blast, naming him as one of the owners contributing to Major League Baseball's "not-so-secret crisis" by failing to invest properly in his team.

"John Henry, Boston Red Sox: Blames Red Sox fans for having high expectations that he himself set," Reuter said.

Reuter called Henry and several fellow owners "goons" for taking their fans' allegiances for granted. He also referenced an interview with the Financial Times in which Henry suggested that Red Sox fans were asking too much for wanting to contend for titles every season.

"Because fans expect championships almost annually," Henry said back in June, "they easily become frustrated and are not going to buy into what the odds actually are: one in 20 or one in 30."

In 2019, the year after they won the World Series, the Red Sox had the highest payroll in baseball. In 2024, they've plummeted all the way to 12th, nearly $130 million behind the New York Mets. They were a non-factor in the last few years' major free-agent negotiations, and most fans' fear is that they will be again this winter.

Henry told the Financial Times he has no intent to sell the team, and Red Sox fans haven't begun ratcheting up any pressure in that regard. But if he and FSG want to restore some trust with the Boston fan base, it's clear there's work to be done heading into the winter.

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