Category: Red Sox

Follow the Real Estate: Dustin Pedroia Just Put His House On the Market

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Realtor.com – Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia is hoping to tag a buyer for his luxury residence in Chestnut Hill, MA, an upscale enclave outside Boston.

The two-time World Champ quietly snapped up the home in 2013—the year he helped lead the Sox to a World Series victory. Pedroia’s red-brick Colonial, listed for $8.95 million, is less than a mile from the compound of departing NFL star Tom Brady, which is also still on the market, for $33.9 million.

With 8,500 square feet, the light-filled layout includes seven bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms spread across three levels.

Follow. The. Real Estate.

We literally just saw a very similar situation play out over the last year with another Boston legend. Despite denials from some local media guys that Tom Brady putting his Brookline house on the market had anything to do with him intending to leave New England; he ended up doing just that. So while it doesn’t necessarily mean anything imminent because all of these guys have multiple houses, can afford to buy a new mansion tomorrow, oh and theres no sports going on anytime soon anyways, but pay attention to this.

I don’t think anyone realistically expects Dustin Pedroia to play for the Red Sox again, but I always held out hope maybe he could get healthy enough to suit up as a part-time DH or something. Well this move makes it seem like Pedroia may be ready to call it a career and retire somewhere else. Maybe thats back in California where he grew up, out in Arizona where he dominated in college, or down south just to escape these bullshit winters. I despise Boston winters and I haven’t had multiple grueling knee surgeries so I can’t imagine Pedroia wanting to stick around post-playing career.

Lets not retire his number just yet, but I can’t imagine this is a positive development for the possibility of Pedroia playing again. Retiring as an athlete sucks, being forced into retirement early and having a potential Hall of Fame career derailed because of injuries is just cruel.

So while I think Pedroia may want to lay low for a while, I can’t imagine him not getting back into baseball in some fashion. He has always been positively obsessed with baseball, going so far as to take grounders at second from his knees while rehabbing. Someone with that type of passion and knowledge of the game could absolutely manage or work in a front office, but I think it would be a disservice to the entire country if Pedroia didn’t go into broadcasting. He was never at a loss for words, routinely talked shit to anyone and everyone (including Brady Quinn over ping pong), and was just a blast to listen to so I hope to see Dustin Pedroia in the booth one day.

Quarantine Classic Game Re-Watch: Aaron F. Boone Game (2003 ALCS Game 7)

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Quarantining for weeks on end to help slow the spread of a global pandemic does not offer too many unique benefits. Especially in a time without the normalcy of the sports world and the much-needed escape it always provides. HOWEVER (Stephen A. Smith voice) you can’t help but discover classic sports games being shown all over your TV right now, ranging from every sport over the past 30 years or so. And re-watching some of these games obviously is not equivalent to enjoying the 2020 Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight of March Madness or Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, but alas it’s something! Last weekend, for example, I found myself glued to watching the entire classic 1992 regional final game between Kentucky and Duke for the first time. And then Friday afternoon on MLB Network I stumbled across Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS between my beloved New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Being that it was one of my favorite games in 30 years of being a Yankees fan and nearly 17 years since I’d seen all 13 innings in full, needless to say I was locked in on my couch for the next three and a half hours. And for all my fellow Yankees fans who read The 300’s… so can you!

To quickly bring us all back to October 2003, the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry was at a fever pitch (no pun intended) and the ALCS had already included one of the more surreal moments I’ll ever remember as a sports fan (please don’t click the below clip if you have difficulty watching senior citizens being assaulted).

I still remember 13-year-old me being FUMING mad at Pedro Martinez as he pointed to his head while Jorge Posada was screaming at him from the steps of the dugout. Pedro had just drilled Karim Garcia in the back and following a Manny Ramirez over-reaction to a Clemens high pitch the next thing you knew the benches were cleared and a 72 year old Don Zimmer was charging at and taking a swing at none other than Pedro himself. Pedro proceeded to casually toss him to the ground. Just an insane scene all around. God, I miss hating a team as much as I hated that Boston Red Sox team. What a rivalry man. As good as both teams were from 2017-2018, Tyler Austin charging the mound against Joe Kelly just wasn’t quite the same as those ’03-’05 days.

So that brings us to October 16, 2003 and Game 7 of the ALCS. The Red Sox had just won Game 6 in the Bronx to force a decisive Game 7 and to try and continue their run to win their first World Series in 85 years. The starting pitching match up? Some guys named Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez; not too shabby. The setting? The old Yankee Stadium (RIP). Now obviously 17 years later that game is mainly remembered for its last pitch and how Aaron F. Boone earned his middle name in Boston. But the beauty of re-watching some of these old games is all of the great stuff and critical plays in between that even some of the more die-hard Yankees and Sox fans would be hard pressed to remember. All of that was a long way of saying this game was deemed the sixth greatest game in the history of baseball by MLB Network for a reason…

First observation in re-watching is that unmistakable big-game feeling back in the old Yankee Stadium which was second to none and you could feel it through the screen big time as the game started. The early years of the new Yankee Stadium felt like a morgue in comparison. There was something about the old place on 161st Street and River avenue.

The palpable buzz in the Stadium didn’t last too long as Trot Nixon, a long-time notorious Yankee killer in those days, crushed a two-run homer off Clemens into the right field bleachers in the top of the second inning. A Kevin Millar blast to lead off the fourth gave the Red Sox a 4-0 lead and left a silent Stadium and a bleak outlook for the Yanks World Series chances. That Pedro guy was pretty good and he was absolutely dealing to that point.

I had completely forgotten that Roger Clemens had said that 2003 was going to be his last season pitching. Until it wasn’t and he ended up being Brett Favre before Brett Favre when it came to his retirement. Anyways, in what was thought at the time to very possibly be his last professional start, Clemens was pulled by Joe Torre in the top of the fourth inning with base runners on first and third and nobody out. Enter Mike Mussina. Making his very first relief appearance of his 13-year career. Mussina was already 0-2 in that ALCS and was being asked to keep the deficit right there at 4-0. And that’s exactly what he did, and then some.  

The Class of 2019 Hall of Famer kept his team alive and in the game at a time when they needed it the most. But coming back from four runs down against the greatest starting pitcher of his generation remained a pretty daunting task. A couple of solo homeruns by Mike Francesa’s favorite Yankee Jason Giambi brought the Yankees to within two entering the 8th inning. That was until David Ortiz stepped to the plate against David Wells and sent a hanging curveball to the moon. An absolute back-breaking homerun that extended the Red Sox lead to 5-2. Little did Yankees fan know at the time but 2003 was just a preview of the endless seasons that David Ortiz would torture our lives by hitting clutch home run after clutch home run. That season, his first in Boston, Ortiz hit eight home runs against the Yankees (regular season and post) and he didn’t stop doing just that until the day he retired in 2016.

But that brings us to the bottom of the eighth (also known as my favorite half inning in all my years of being a Yankees fan) and thanks to Grady Little, Pedro was still on the mound.

The Fox broadcast showed a sign in the crowd at the beginning of the inning that said “Mystique Don’t Fail me Now’. It’s hard to describe (or remember for younger Yankees fans) but at this point in 2003, coming off the dynasty of winning four championships in five years from ’96-‘00 and even winning all three home games in the epic 2001 World Series, Yankee Stadium mystique was very much a thing and it was the ONLY thing giving me hope down three runs and five outs away from losing to our biggest rival.

To be fair to Grady Little, high pitch counts were not as much of a death sentence for a starter back in 2003 and Pedro’s was right around 100 entering the inning. Especially in a do or die Game 7 in which you’re attempting to break an 85-year drought. Also, from a Yankees fan perspective, I remember wanting Little to take the ball from the future first ballot Hall of Famer and hand it to the likes of Alan Embree or Mike Timlin. But no matter where you stood on whether or not Pedro should’ve started the inning, there’s absolutely no defending leaving him in after he consecutively gave up a one-out double to Jeter and line drive single to Bernie Williams, cutting the lead to 5-3. Thankfully he did just that and Hideki Matsui proceeded to rip a double down the line to set up second and third before Jorge Posada hit a bloop double to tie the game at five and send Yankee Stadium into an absolute euphoric frenzy.

We all know how the game ends but this would be the worst 2003 ALCS Game 7 blog of all time if I didn’t mention or include the first pitch of the top of the 13th inning…

It really couldn’t have been a more unlikely player to hit one of the biggest and most memorable home runs in Yankee history. The Yankees acquired Boone at the trade deadline and he hit a pedestrian .254 for the Yanks in the regular season before going 2-16 in the ALCS prior to that at-bat. Believe it or not he didn’t even start the game! The starting third basemen that night was of course the immortal (and proclaimed ‘Pedro killer’) Enrique Wilson. And then who could forget following the ’03 season Boone famously broke his leg in a pickup basketball game and would never again put on the Yankee pinstripes (as a player anyways).

The epilogue to this classic of a championship series game was the Yankees losing to the Marlins in six games. I’d love to delve further into breaking down that World Series but this blog is solely a Game 7 ALCS recap. Sorry folks!

Final Re-watch thoughts: Looking back 17 years later it was nice to watch a game during a time when the Yankees still dominated the rivalry with the Red Sox. If you were lucky enough to live under a rock during the next 17 years of the rivalry, let’s just say things have changed a bit in who has had the upper hand and let’s leave it at that. But there were definitely worse ways to spend three plus hours in the midst of a Coronavirus quarantine world than to re-watch the last game when the Yankees were on top of the rivalry and “1918” chants were still a thing.   

Today Should Have Been Red Sox Opening Day

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In a serious case of you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, today should have been Opening Day for the Red Sox. The team we’ve all ripped to shreds over the last several months for having worse managerial skills than a Chili’s GM isn’t playing on Opening Day and that is sobering.

I know it’s out of MLB’s hands because we have much more dire issues to face as a country, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling like Will Smith wondering when his dad is coming back.

In the absence of real baseball I have resorted to treating MLB The Show more seriously than I probably should. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Hell, Raffy Devers may become the first player in baseball history to win MVP while committing triple digit errors in the field!

To be honest though, a shortened season would most likely benefit a team like the Red Sox, who have a rotation consisting of one legitimate pitcher and a bunch of injury concerns, journeymen, and should be Triple-A lifers. But if baseball doesn’t come back until July like I fear, you could squeeze a bit more out of workhorses like Eduardo Rodriguez (assuming he doesn’t slip on a roll of stockpiled toilet paper and dislocate his knee cap). Granted baseball would like to maintain a regular schedule, if not pack more games in with doubleheaders. Manfred said exactly that on SportsCenter the other night while embellishing just a bit.

“Obviously, our fans love a 162 game-season and the postseason format we have.“

Then you have the absolutely moronic suggestion from Scott Boras to play 144 or 162 games depending on when the season starts and just extend the postseason all the way into December with a Christmas World Series at a neutral site. Really? Imagine the Yankees hosting an ALCS game in the middle of December?

In all likelihood though Rodriguez wouldn’t need to make 30+ starts. You obviously can’t have him making multiple starts per week, but you could eliminate the concern of innings counts and managing guy’s workload in preparation hopes of a postseason run. Same goes for Nathan Eovaldi. It also gives guys like Dustin Pedroia a few more months to recover from injuries and potentially get right for the season.

Glass half full bullshit optimism? Yup, but with no baseball on Opening Day and no games coming anytime soon I think we all could use a little optimism right now.

Chris Sale is Getting an MRI On His Elbow. COOL!

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ESPN – Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale is having an MRI on Tuesday after experiencing soreness in his elbow following his first live batting practice session.

Manager Ron Roenicke acknowledged concern as the team awaits the results, which will be sent to Dr. James Andrews for evaluation.

It was pretty absurd for the Red Sox to tell everybody that Chris Sale was getting pushed back to start the season because he had pneumonia, not because his elbow is apparently a train wreck. Then again thats par for the course with this ownership group who seem to think we’re all stupid. Tell me you don’t like my firm. Tell me don’t like my idea. Tell me don’t like my fucking necktie. But don’t tell me that Chris Sale is going to miss Opening Day because he had a bad cold.

It was his first time throwing to live batters since last August and after throwing just 15 pitches he felt soreness in his elbow the next day. Now he’s going to see Dr. James Andrews who hands out Tommy John surgery recommendations like they’re candy so prepare for the worst, Sox fans. In fairness he did go see Andrews last year and avoided surgery after opting for a PRP injection…but he didn’t pitch again until this week. Not good.

So this obviously begs the question of was the Chris Sale extension a good idea or an unmitigated disaster? Well considering the 5 year extension didn’t even kick in until this season and Sale missed huge chunks of time last year and won’t be ready to start the 2020 season….then yes this is problematic. In the interest of transparency, I was all for this extension when Sale signed it because it offered a steep discount for an ace at $30 million per year. The cost of pitching only continues to go up as Sale’s 2020 salary is still behind Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer, Zack Greinke, Stephen Strasburg, Justin Verlander, David Price, and Clayton Kershaw. However, my enthusiasm for the extension was based on the Red Sox medical staff being pretty confident that whatever injuries Sale had before didn’t pose long term issues. Well, it would seem that was a swing and a miss because he’s had nothing but health concerns since the ink was dry on that deal.

We’ll wait to see what comes out of Sale’s MRI, but this does not seem like it’s going to end well. Welp, the 2020 Red Sox continue to be the biggest shit show in town and they don’t even play a game at Fenway for another month.

So the Red Sox Let Fan Favorite Brock Holt Walk Over Chump Change

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Brock Holt was your classic overachiever; a super utility guy that turned into a legitimate All-Star for the Red Sox. I think he gets a little overrated by Boston fans as most fan favorite dirt dog type players do, but he was a solid contributor and great clubhouse guy. Well the Sox let him walk over what amounts to peanuts as the details of his contract with the Brewers finally came out.

So for a team that doesn’t have a proven every day second baseman, 4th outfielder, and is cobbling together first base just let it’s best utility guy go for nothing. I don’t get it.

Not to mention the Sox could use a little good PR after this tumultuous offseason so maybe giving Brock Holt $3 million would have been worth the good will it would have garnered with fans. I mean the guy all but said he hates Milwaukee in his first interview wearing a Brewers hat.

So you can’t tell me the guy wouldn’t been open to coming back if the Sox offer was even remotely close.

The team’s top 3 outfielders currently are Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr. and JD Martinez, who cannot play outfield every day. Then you have Kevin Pillar ($4.25M), who’s fine, and Alex Verdugo as your 4th OF except he has a little thing called a broken back so it might be hard for him to patrol Fenway in the near future.

Is this a move thats going to make or break the season? Of course not, but after trading Mookie Betts and David Price in salary dumps, taking Eduardo Rodriguez to salary arbitration over $600K, and Dustin Pedroia all but certain to announce his retirement sooner than later, the Red Sox probably could have ponied up the $3M to re-sign a fan favorite.

The Red Sox OWN a Newspaper, Yet Were Reaching Out to Social Media Influencers to Spin the Mookie Betts Trade

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Hey Red Sox, where was my offer? I’m out here defending the Mookie Betts trade for the price of on the house and now I hear about this? What exactly does something like that even go for these days?

So another glowing story in the news for the Sox who are batting a thousand this offseason. Red Sox CMO Adam Grossman spoke to WEEI in response to that report down in Fort Myers on Wednesday morning.

“We started probably about seven years ago. In some ways, it has always been there. Celebrity-driven marketing … We have fans like Matt Damon or Cardi B, we want to attach ourselves to those. But also as social has taken off these individuals who have become influencers have become more important. What we started to do about seven years ago was connect more to parents. With parent bloggers and influencers. We have had meetings with them about seven years ago when we created this Red Sox Mom’s Group. That was at it’s early stages about seven years and it has expanded. Again, as we look at all of the assets we have influencers are a channel in that.”

Normally I would just chalk this up to typical bubbly PR speak, except he repeats the words “seven years ago” four different times in the span of one paragraph. Hmmmm

Grossman’s right, influencer marketing is a strategy thats been around for a long time so this is nothing new, but if the team really was out there asking local influencer’s to spin the Mookie trade then that is hilarious. I mean the team literally owns a freaking newspaper so they could always use the State Sponsored Media, but even John Henry probably knows the kids aren’t checking boxscores in the paper anymore.

Any time your team is getting compared to the Fyre Festival on it’s own flagship network though means maybe it’s time to reassess your public perception.

The 300s Previews 2020 MLB Giveaways: The AL East

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With the Super Bowl in the rear view mirror, and the dog days of the NHL and NBA seasons upon us, it’s time to look forward to baseball season. Long summer days will be here before we know it, so now is the time to take a look at the schedules, put in those summer vacation requests, map out the road trips and book some flights.

If you’re going to make the trek to a new ballpark this season, why not get a free souvenir while you’re there? I planned my first trip to Kauffman Stadium around a Royals 50th season hat giveaway. I drove to Milwaukee a few summers ago specifically to add a powder blue Paul Molitor Brewers jersey to my collection. I once scheduled a California vacation around around Angels Oktoberfest to snag a free glass boot mug. Maybe that free powder blue Cardinals jersey is the incentive I need to finally get to Busch Stadium this summer.

With just over five weeks to go until Opening Day, The 300s will take a look at some of the best giveaways on the docket for the upcoming the 2020 MLB season. You won’t find details on schedule magnets here. We’re on the lookout for jerseys, bobbleheads, and other unique knickknacks. Stuff you can put on the shelves of your own Adam Shefter office at home. So let us help you pick out the dates to circle on your calendars, and let the Quest For 30 continue.

Today, we kick off this series by taking a look at the promotions and giveaways on tap in the American League East in 2020.

NEW YORK YANKEES

All items presented to the first 18,000 fans at Yankee Stadium unless otherwise noted.

  • Friday, April 24, will be Don Mattingly Bobblehead Night.
  • Sunday, May 10, will be Mother’s Day and before the Yankees take on the Red Sox that night they will hand out Yankees purses to the first 18,000 fans 18 and older.
  • On Friday, May 22, the first 18,000 fans 21 and older will receive a 2000 World Champions Commemorative Beer Stein from Budweiser.
  • Aaron Judge will get the bobblehead treatment on Friday, July 10.
  • On Saturday, July 11, the first 18,000 fans 21 and older will receive a Yankees Camo Cap from Budweiser for Military Appreciation Day.
  • Tuesday, July 21, will be another cap night. No further details yet on what type of cap will be offered this evening.
  • Thursday, August 6, will be Andy Pettite Bobblehead Night.
  • While not a giveaway day, Old-Timers’ Day 2020 will be Sunday, August 9.
  • August the 21st be with you. The Yankees will be giving out Gleyber Torres Mandalorian bobbleheads on that night.
  • Friday, September 25, could be a cool night in the Bronx so the Yanks will be handing out Yankees knit caps that night.

TAMPA BAY RAYS

Mostly bobbleheads in our highlights of Rays 2020 promotions. Bobbleheads go to “all fans, while supplies last.”

  • On Saturday, May 9, the Rays host the Rangers and will give out Charlie Morton audio bobbleheads.
  • On Saturday, May 30, the Rays host the Brewers and will give out Willy Adames audio bobbleheads.
  • Tyler Glasnow will get the audio bobblehead treatment on Saturday, June 13, as the Rays host the O’s.
  • Saturday, June 27, will see the Rays hand out Ji-Man Choi audio bobbleheads as they host the Mariners.
  • Tuesday, July 28, will see Blake Snell get the audio bobblehead treatment as the Rays host the Marlins.
  • Saturday, August 29, will be Austin Meadows audio bobblehead night as the Rays host the Twins.

BOSTON RED SOX

No details yet on how many fans will receive each item. We’ll update this post as that information becomes available.

  • David Ortiz will be inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in April, and on Tuesday, April 7, fans at Fenway will receive a Big Papi Red Sox Hall of Fame Series bobblehead.
  • Also getting inducted into the Sox Hall in April is Manny Ramirez. He gets his Red Sox Hall of Fame Series bobblehead on Tuesday, May 19.
  • On Tuesday, May 26, Red Sox fans can receieve a Red Sox bucket hat.
  • Rafael Devers bobbleheads will be given out on Tuesday, June 16.
  • A hat designed by Xander Bogaerts will be given out on Tuesday, June 30. No further details are available at this time, but it has to be better than this year’s Sox spring training hat.
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  • On Tuesday, September 22, Fenway fans will receive a Pedro Martinez Funk Pop.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

All items presented to the first 15,000 fans at Rogers Centre unless otherwise noted.

  • On Opening Day, Thursday, March 26, the first 45,000 fans will receive a Blue Jays t-shirt as the Jays open up against the Red Sox.
  • On Saturday, March 28, the Blue Jays will be giving away Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Home Run Counter bobbleheads.
  • Tuesday, March 31, will be the first dollar dog night of the season in Toronto, known as “Loonie Dogs Night” north of the border.
  • Monday, May 18, will be Cavan Biggio “Hit For The Cycle” Bobblehead Giveaway Day.
  • Saturday, May 23, will be Blue Jays Country Day and  the Jays will be handing out army green Blue Jays hats to mark the occasion.
  • On Saturday, June 6, fans will receive a Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Piña Power Beach Shirt.
  • On Friday, June 26, the Blue Jays will hand out Hyun-jin Ryu blue replica jerseys.
  • Wednesday, July 1, will be Canada Day and fans can receive a Vlad & Dad dual bobblehead to celebrate.
  • On Friday, July 31, the Blue Jays will hand out Randal Grichuk #NEWBLUE replica jerseys.
  • On Saturday, August 1, fans will receive a Blue Jays floppy (bucket) hat.
  • “Bo Flow” Bobblehead Giveaway Day will be Monday, August 3.
  • A hat designed by Hyun-jin Ryu will be given out on Saturday, August 29.
  • On Saturday, September 19, some chilly fans could walk home in a Blue Jays vest.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Most giveaways listed below go to fans 15 and over, unless otherwise noted.

  • For Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10, the first 10,000 female fans 18 and over will receive an Orioles infinity scarf.
  • On Monday, May 25, the first 15,000 fans will take home an Orioles beach towel.
  • On Saturday, May 30, the first 20,000 fans will taken home a Jim Palmer bobblehead.
  • On Sunday, May 31, the first 20,000 fans will receive an Orioles cap.
  • The first 20,000 fans 21 and over at Oriole Park on Friday, June 19, will take home an Orioles floppy hat, thanks to Miller Lite.
  • On Saturday, June 20, the first 20,000 fans will take home an Oriole Bird Hall of Fame bobblehead.
  • The Orioles will hand out Orioles soccer jerseys to the first 20,000 fans on
    Saturday, June 27.
  • Birdland Hawaiian shirts will be given out to the first 20,000 fans on
    Saturday, July 18.
  • The Orioles will hand out 1970 World Series Brooks Robinson replica jerseys to the first 20,000 fans on Saturday, August 8, as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1970 World Series.
  • Saturday, August 22, will be Boog Powell bobblehead day for the first 20,000 fans as the O’s host the Red Sox.
  • Sunday, September 6, will be Cal Ripken, Jr. bobblehead day for the first 25,000 fans as the O’s host the Yankees.

 

Highlights of the A.L. East slate include the Yankees 2000 World Champions Commemorative Beer Stein, Big Papi and Manny Ramirez Red Sox Hall of Fame bobbles, a Blue Jays powder blue jersey, and a 1970 World Series Brooks Robinson jersey.

The Blues Jays look to have the most promising giveaway slate in the division, while the Rays could stand to add some variety. The O’s have a promising slate planned as well but lose points for limiting many giveaways to fans 15 and older. Understandably, alcohol sponsored givewaways are limited to fans 21 and older by most teams, but good luck to the Baltimore retiree working at Camden Yards on June 20 trying to explain why little Timmy doesn’t get an Oriole Bird bobblehead.

 

Red Sox Ownership Defiant in the Face of Fan Backlash

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Boston.com – Red Sox fans are not at all happy, and the team knows it.

Well before the Red Sox traded away one of the best players in Major League Baseball, fans had begun to tune out, either by turning off NESN or not filling the seats at Fenway Park toward the end of last year’s 84-win, playoff-whiff of a season...Kennedy said last fall that attendance over 79 games at Fenway Park last season was down 0.7 percent, while NESN ratings dropped 23 percent.

The day after the Betts trade, Kennedy said overall ticket sales were behind last year’s pace by more than 15 percent, and that the renewal rate of season-ticket holders was down from the usual percentage in the high 80s to the low 80s.

Ticket sales are down. Season ticket renewals are down. Ratings were *significantly* down already last year. THEN the Red Sox traded Mookie Betts and David Price. I wrote extensively about the trade and how I’m not losing any sleep over it, but Betts was a fan favorite and arguably the best player in the game so a little fan backlash was to be expected. Yet, Red Sox ownership somehow still looked wildly unprepared for the heat. John Henry, Tom Werner, and Sam Kennedy had their annual picnic table presser down in Fort Myers this morning and it went about as well as a Jeb Bush pep rally.

Henry then released a statement on the team’s twitter account that compared trading a former MVP to the time they traded a burnt out, broken down player in Nomar. Not exactly the same, John.

“I know many of you – particularly our youngest fans – are angry or disbelieving or sad about it. I know it’s difficult and disappointing. Some of you no doubt felt the same way when we traded Nomar in 2004.”

I am amazed at how poorly the Red Sox handle the media year after year. Few organizations in America would benefit as much as the Red Sox from a complete PR overhaul. Henry was not only glib to the reception of the Mookie trade, but he openly scoffed at legitimate criticisms.

Kennedy said nobody has asked for a refund – “I think you underestimate our fans,” said Henry at the suggestion – and that the team will not roll back the ticket price increase, another idea that amused Henry.

“As a result of making trades?” he asked.

Red Sox fans don’t complain about paying one of the highest ticket prices in the league, but thats only because they expect the team to compete and spend, every year. It may not be fair to expect the Sox to have the top payroll in the league every year, but it is fair for fans to be upset when the team raises prices (again) and subsequently dumps two of their best players to shed payroll.

Henry can continue to spin tall tales every time he denies this trade was a salary dump, but thats exactly what this was. As I said in my blog about the trade last week, I am an adult and I understand there are budgets in business so while fans may not be happy about it, I get it. But when Henry continues to outright deny it after saying it *himself* just a few months ago is a bad look for the team.

Both Henry and Kennedy wanted to alter, by almost 180 degrees, the prevailing and understandable perception that the Betts trade was made for purely financial reasons. It’s a line of reasoning that was launched last September by Henry himself when he told reporters “This year we need to be under the [competitive balance tax].”

Henry downplayed the notion that financial tailwinds steered the trade.

“…It’s surprising that anyone would think we would outspend every other team in baseball every single year. To me, that’s a little surprising…it has nothing to do with CBT.”

To be fair, this could still be a very good Red Sox team heading into the 2020 season. With young studs like Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Eduardo Rodriguez and veterans like JD Martinez and Chris Sale (if healthy) – it would not shock me to see this team in the mix for a playoff spot. Boston fans aren’t stupid though. This team could be pretty good, but this trade was still a way to shed payroll while recouping assets. Both can be true.

Henry and co. tried to stump on their track record of spending, which includes leading the league the last two years, and never being outside of the Top 5 in terms of payroll since they took over.

Guys, thats what you’re supposed to do.

The Red Sox and Fenway Sports Group as a whole are one of the most valuable franchises on the entire planet. You don’t get credit for acting accordingly.

Not to mention, A LOT of that spending that Henry and Kennedy are fond of pointing to is littered with horrific contracts that nearly sunk the team for years at a time. Carl Crawford, Pablo Sandoval, Rusney Castillo, David Price, Nathan Eovaldi etc. etc.

So we are now just 38 days away from Opening Day, but it seems like the noise surrounding the team is only rising. This is before we even get into Alex Verdugo’s stress fracture in his back and the troubling allegations against him, injuries to Sale and Eovaldi, the term “Opener” being thrown around a bit too much for my liking, and the fact this team still doesn’t have a real closer.

It seems like 2020 could be quite the rocky ride for the Red Sox as they prepare to cross what ownership doesn’t want to admit this is; a bridge year.

It’s Official: Spring Training Arrived Before the Red Sox Hired a Manager

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Pitchers and catchers reported today and the Red Sox have still yet to officially name a manager. This is like when you showed up to class as a kid and the teacher was sick, but the school forgot to assign a substitute. Real Lord of the Flies type stuff going on down in Fort Myers right now.

All the rumors point to the Sox promoting last year’s bench coach Ron Roenicke to the manager role, but the team made a point to come out and deny that was official last week soo who the hell knows.

This is exactly what you want to get the 2020 season started right after you just traded your best player and the guy you signed to the biggest pitching contract ever. Nobody in charge. Confusion. Chaos. This team could win 95 games or miss the playoffs entirely and neither would surprise me. Too negative? Well, if you believe my old friend Petyr Baelish, all this chaos could actually be an opportunity for the Sox.

So the Red Sox Traded for a Shortstop Named Jeter

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Did he come with a gift basket?

So the Red Sox and Dodgers mercifully completed the Mookie Betts/David Price trade this week. The Twins backed out of the trade so the Dodgers had to throw in some additional prospects to get the deal done. In addition to Alex Verdugo the Dodgers will now also send catching prospect Connor Wong and shortstop prospect Jeter Downs.

Listen I have never heard of Jeter Downs before this so I won’t pretend to be well versed in his potential, BUT my god would it be great if this guy became a stud for the Red Sox. Nothing would be sweeter than snatching back the name “Jeter” from Yankees fans. He is their sacred cow. If there were Jeter shirts all over Landsdowne, and trust me there will be – just look at all the “Mookie” shirts:

It might just make a Yankees fan hang up his gold chain and unbuttoned pinstriped jersey for good.

Ok so lets get down to brass tacks. Jeter Downs was a 1st round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2017 before being traded to the Dodgers in the Yasiel Puig trade in 2018. Downs was ranked the No. 87 prospect on the MLB 2019 Prospect Watch and jumped up to No. 44 on the 2020 list, which would immediately make him Boston’s top ranked prospect. (I’m not counting Alex Verdugo here since he’s not a rookie anymore, but heading into 2019 he was ranked anywhere from No. 35 to No. 19, depending on who you read.) Brusdar Graterol, the guy who’s injury history apparently blew up the first version of the Mookie trade, is ranked No. 83 for comparison’s sake so a nice little upgrade from the Sox here.

Here’s his scouting report via MLB.com:

“Despite being one of the youngest regulars (age 19) in the pitcher-friendly Class A Midwest League, he produced 13 homers and 37 steals in his first full pro season — numbers matched by only one other Minor Leaguer (Padres outfielder Buddy Reed). The Dodgers acquired him in December as part of a package for Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer.

Downs has the tools to hit for average and power. He combines a simple right-handed swing with a patient, all-fields approach. He’s strong for his size, delivering most of his home runs to his pull side and driving the ball to both gaps.

Downs gets the most out of his average speed, parlaying his aggressiveness and instincts into stolen bases. He played shortstop in his pro debut but spent more time in 2018 at second base, where his arm and range are better fits. He returned to shortstop at the beginning of 2019 and there’s also a possibility that he winds up in center field, but the good news is that he has the bat to profile at all three positions.”

Yea Jeets.