Boston Red Sox 2015 All-Star Break Grades: Starting Rotation

Clay Buchholz

In his first seven starts, Buchholz’s ERA inflated to 5.73. But he looked like an ace in his next 10 starts, posting a 1.99 ERA while helping the Boston Red Sox stay in striking ground of the mediocre AL East race. But the often-hurt Buchholz (7-7, 3.26 ERA) landed on the disabled list again and there is no telling if he will be able to regain his form in his return to the mound.

Grade: B

Rick Porcello

There is no bigger disappointment in baseball than Porcello. Expected to fortify an ace-less Boston rotation, Porcello (5-9) owns the highest ERA (5.90) in the American League. The right-hander signed a four year, $82.5 million contract extension before the year began and has rewarded Boston with his worst year of his career.

Grade: F

Eduardo Rodriguez

The 22-year-old left-hander who was acquired in the trade that sent Andrew Miller to the Baltimore Orioles last July has looked dominant in seven of his nine starts. If his two horrific starts—June 14 (9 ER in 4.2 innings in loss versus Toronto Blue Jays) and June 25 (6 ER in 2.2 innings in loss to Orioles)—were excluded from his stats, Rodriguez would own a 5-0 record with a 1.22 ERA. Rodriguez (5-2, 3.59 ERA) looked sharp in his first start against the New York Yankees, picking up a victory in a contest in which he surrendered only two runs in 6.2 innings.

Grade: B+

Wade Miley

Miley’s meltdown against the Orioles showed he was an emotionally weak player. Miley’s 3.39 walks per nine innings rate ranks sixth worst in the league. He hasn’t been an innings-eater as advertised but has managed to salvage his season with decent numbers at home, particularly against left-handed batters.

Grade: C-

Joe Kelly

Kelly asserted he would win the American League Cy Young before the season began. He is currently stuck in the minors.

Grade: F

Justin Masterson

Not much was expected of the former All-Star this season. Nonetheless, the Red Sox had hoped for more than what Masterson—who spent half of the season in the minors/on the disabled list—provided in nine woeful starts. Masterson, who owns a horrific 6.00 ERA, will look to stick on the major-league roster as a long reliever.

Grade: D

Steven Wright

The 30-year-old knuckleballer looked decent in four starts (11 appearances overall) for the Red Sox this season. Wright (3-2, 4.15 ERA) should see more MLB action in the second half of the season with Buchholz on the disabled list for an undisclosed amount of time.

Grade: C+

Boston Red Sox 2015 All-Star Break Grades: Front Office/Management

John Farrell and Ben Cherington have overseen Boston's disastrous first half of the season. (Barry Chin/Boston Globe)

Owner John Henry
Henry was the leading force behind the signings of Hanley Ramirez (4 years, $88 million) and Pablo Sandoval (5 years, $95 million) this offseason, and right now both deals look like duds for the Boston Red Sox. Henry pushed for the two free agent splashes in an effort to increase ticket sales and TV ratings. The Red Sox may be selling more tickets than last year's last-place catastrophe but the team is back in the basement in the AL East thanks to the less-than-stellar performances by their lucrative free agent expenditures. Sandoval is batting just .265 with limited power (7 HRs and 30 RBIs) and has the second-worst fielding percentage among starting third basemen in the American League. And lets not forget he was caught liking a photo on Instagram mid-game. Ramirez, meanwhile, has looked awful in the outfield, runs the bases like a Little League player and managed just one RBI in the month of July. Ramirez has cranked 16 home runs and has been strong at the plate of late, but signing him was a huge risk because of his limitations in the field. He should be a full-time designated hitter—a slot that won't open up until after David Ortiz (who refuses to play first base on a regular basis) retires.

Grade: D-

GM Ben Cherington
As noted above, it was Henry who wanted to bring Ramirez and Sandoval to town. Nonetheless, Cherington is responsible for the trade that netted Joe Kelly and Allen Craig, both players that have been subjected to the minor leagues . Rusney Castillo, the so-called Cuban sensation who received a seven-year, $72.5 million contract this winter, was sent back to the minors after posting an awful slash line of .233/.263/.288. Castillo's woes fall on Cherington, who expected the Cuban outfielder to jumpstart a Red Sox offense that was horrific in 2014. But Cherington's most inexcusable mistake? Signing Rick Porcello to a four year, $82.5 million contract extension that runs through the 2019 season before the right-hander threw a single pitch for Boston (and yet the team refused to give Jon Lester the money he deserved during contract negotiations last regular season). The mid-season pickup of Alejandro De Aza has been a gem and the development of youngsters Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Eduardo Rodriguez has been encouraging, but too many of Cherington's moves have backfired for the Red Sox.

Grade: C-

Manager John Farrell
The Red Sox players have lost track of outs, Sandoval used his bathroom break to go on Instagram and the team shows no willpower against adversity. All of the aforementioned issues fall on Farrell. He also said he "respected" Wade Miley for throwing a tantrum on the mound in a game the disappointing left-hander crapped the bed in a loss against the Baltimore Orioles. From afar, it appears Farrell has lost complete control of the locker room.

Grade: D