Fewer years on player contracts, more money and team chemistry; the story of the 2013 Red Sox.
Yes, it was just two years ago that the Red Sox crawled from the wreckage of an abysmal 2012, assembling a team that never lost more than three games in a row, bonded by growing bushy beards and had the most productive left field in baseball by platooning Jonny Gomes and Daniel Nava.
After that season was capped with a World Series trophy and before the Duck Boats rode down Boylston Street toward the marathon finish line, baseball gurus were dissecting every move made by then-Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington.