FORT MYERS, Fla. — They’re promising not to be the Dead Sox, but they still have a long way to go to climb out of the grave they have dug.
You did get the sense yesterday the Red Sox are simply mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore. They finished last in the AL East last season. They have gone three straight years with no playoffs.
They have not won a postseason game since Oct. 18, 2008, and now they have new faces everywhere you look, including free-agent additions Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli.
“The thing that is coming back to me from talking to all the players,’’ new manager John Farrell told The Post, “is that these players feel there is a real opportunity to rewrite the story.’’
It’s been the ugliest of stories on and off the field for the Red Sox. Farrell is their third manager in three years.
“There are lots of words and phrases you can use,’’ pitcher Jon Lester said about the team’s attitude. “Pissed off is one.
“We got some new faces this year, which is nice. I think we’ve got a good group of guys. If we go out and do our jobs, it will be a different story. There’s that feeling of a renewed start, but at the same time: pissed off.
“None of us have ever experienced what we’ve experienced the last two years. Last year we got our [butt] kicked day in and day out. That’s tough. You can tell the way guys are going about their business today that guys had a little edge to them. It’s a good feeling.’’
Here’s the scary part if you are a Yankees fan: The aging Bombers could find themselves going over the same cliff as the Red Sox in the improving AL East if they are not careful.
“It’s gotten more difficult,’’ principal owner John Henry said of the competitive landscape for wealthy teams such as his Red Sox and the Steinbrenner Yankees. “There are a lot more restrictions on spending now. There are more restrictions on the draft. So the Red Sox and Yankees have to be smarter. It used to be you could just out-spend everyone, and that’s much more difficult to do these days.
“We haven’t been able to stay with the Yankees as far as payroll, but when we got here there was such a wide gulf between the two teams, we had to concentrate on revenue,’’ Henry continued.
“We had a core philosophy for a lot of the years and we moved away from that philosophy, and it’s hurt us. It’s definitely hurt us. Last year, I think, was the beginning of trying to put us back on the right track.’’
In former manager Terry Francona’s new book, written with Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy, Francona reports getting the sense ownership wanted the team to be sexier, responding to market research to improve sagging TV ratings.
“That’s just laughable,’’ Henry said. “It’s ludicrous to say we’ve signed any player for [public relations] purposes.’’
The Red Sox have had a series of bad free-agent signings and poor drafts. That has caught up to them.
“We haven’t had the kind of depth that we need,’’ Henry said. “Last year was a definite setback. To finish in last place was something I never thought would happen while we owned the team. People can say we are brand-oriented or revenue-oriented, but the fact is we are wins-and-losses-oriented.’’
Said Farrell of all the changes made: “The most important thing is the talent that was brought in. They are guys that are noted team players and they put the other guy first and the team first rather than their own view of the game. The game is the most important thing.’’
Farrell said he wants this team to develop a “relentless’’ mindset.
“That applies to everything we do,’’ he said.
The best Henry could promise was this: “We will contend for a playoff spot.’’
Those 2004 and 2007 World Series titles seem so far away.