The signs were that Sale would have missed the season long before March. They also dealt Price off and didn't re-sign Porcello. The only guy they brought in was Perez. Perez wasn't going to take the place of Sale, Price AND Porcello. They were already under water long before ERod went down. They CHOSE not to sign any starting pitchers and went for a gumbo of Eovaldi, Perez, Weber, an opener and then Covey/Hall/Springs three headed monster as the 5th starter. https://www.mlb.com/news/red-sox-2020-season-opening-day-roster-projection The reinforcements they were waiting on were Brian Johnson and Zack Godley. They lost so many games because they didn't field a competitive starting rotation. Even if ERod was healthy last year, that rotation was garbage and embarrassing.