Mets, Red Sox run prevention focused in wrong direction

The New York Mets and Boston Red Sox had similar offseasons.

The Mets and Red Sox spent the offseason looking to improve their run prevention. Both teams had star players leave, with first baseman Pete Alonso departing for Baltimore, closer Edwin Diaz signing with the Dodgers and third baseman Alex Bregman receiving a long-term deal with the Cubs after the Red Sox bungled contract negotiations.

Both teams also made controversial moves in their quest to improve their run prevention. The Mets acquired second baseman Marcus Semien and signed infielder Jorge Polanco to take over at first. The Red Sox handed an unexpectedly large contract to pitcher Ranger Suarez and traded for infielder Caleb Durbin to replace Bregman at third.

Mets, Red Sox struggling in virtually every facet of the game

Likewise, both teams have had similar results on the diamond. The Mets are in the midst of a nine-game losing streak and have a 7-13 record, sitting in the NL East basement. The Red Sox are a half-game out of the basement in the AL East, pending the outcome of the Blue Jays-Rangers game, at 8-11.

Any run prevention has come at the expense of their offenses. The Mets have scored just 69 runs this season, and they have scored one or fewer runs against starting pitchers in nine of their last 11 games. The Red Sox have not been much better, having scored 78 runs on the year. The Red Sox lineup entered Friday ranked 23rd in the majors with a .676 OPS, the Mets were ranked 29th with a .617 OPS, ahead of only the rebuilding White Sox.

The Mets and Red Sox looked to completely overhaul their rosters during the offseason. Thus far, the results have been disappointing at best.