2012 Boston Red Sox Are One of the Most Dysfunctional Teams in MLB History

The 2012 Boston Red Sox are one of the most dysfunctional teams in MLB history.

The season was supposed to be one where the pitchers rebounded from a tough September in 2011, and the players were all supposed to get along with Bobby Valentine.

Both didn't happen.

Boston's ERA ranks 26th in the league at 4.58. No pitcher on the starting staff has more than 11 wins, and Daniel Bard and Daisuke Matsuzaka have been train wrecks as starters.

The Red Sox had major communication issues with Valentine. The ex-Baseball Tonight analyst mouthed off about Kevin Youkilis not playing that hard, leading to Dustin Pedroia standing up for the aging star.

Other examples include how he handled Kelly Shoppach wanting more playing time. He also called the September roster "the weakest in the history of baseball," according to Boston.com. He may have clarified his comments later, but he has really been hard to listen to in recent weeks.

The trade that sent Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to the Los Angeles Dodgers can hopefully turn things around.

No more throwing Daisuke out there just because they have to. No more roles being changed and leaders not showing any passion for the game (Adrian Gonzalez).

What will happen now will be a bunch of farm players being placed in the limelight with a few additions added through trades and free agency.

The 2011 Red Sox may have been even more dysfunctional. The pitchers imploded with a lackluster performance against lowly teams, such as the Baltimore Orioles, who finished with a 69-93 record.

The 2012 Red Sox were projected to be fourth or fifth in the AL East, but no one really saw them finishing too far below .500. Well, maybe a few people did.