The Saturday, March 28, 2020

* The Boston Globe

Ron Roenicke considers himself a student and a teacher. His next subject? Managing the Red Sox

Tara Sullivan

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The scene you would assume most shaped the newest of the Red Sox has played out in countless American backyards, an exchange so familiar it closes one of the most highly regarded baseball movies, “Field of Dreams,” when Ray Kinsella says, “Hey dad, you wanna have a catch?”

Ron Roenicke certainly enjoyed many California evenings playing catch with his father, Floyd, whose willingness to throw batting practice without a protective screen meant that he walked away bruised by the shots Ron and his brother Gary scorched back at him. But it also meant the world to his boys.

That both would end up in the major leagues is one testament to their father’s influence, to the example Floyd set not simply by reminding them of his own hitting prowess with a few clear-the-fence blasts but also by helping them hone their skills.

Because as much as the lives of the young Roenickes were about catching a baseball (or a football, or a basketball, depending on the season), lessons weren’t learned because they came from a fellow athlete. They were learned because they came from a teacher.

It was in those moments of instruction that a father took time to fix a batting stance, position an , or properly curl a small pair of hands around a bat handle, or that a brilliant and patient mother sat down to go over an English, algebra, or science assignment, that the true foundation of Ron Roenicke was set.

It was in those moments, in a household led by two teachers where education was the bedrock and the true family backdrop was a chalkboard, that Roenicke was shaped.

“My dad was pretty serious — I know he was always serious when we were playing ball," said Roenicke. "And my mom, she was a little different; I remember her laughing a lot when I was a kid.

“My mom was good at everything, one of those students you’re just jealous of who got one B in college. With my dad, because he was coaching baseball and basketball at that time, I can remember the different things, practices, how to approach hitting.

"Both my brother and I learned so much obviously by him teaching, but also us trying to figure it all out. Yeah, he was a really good teacher both in the classroom and for me growing up.”

If coaching is merely teaching dressed up in a uniform, then Roenicke is its master craftsman, shaped by the most important people around him.

Teachers, teachers everywhere: Ron’s grandfather, a longtime superintendent of school districts. His grandmother, an accomplished schoolteacher. His mother, Corliss, a grade-school teacher. His father, a high school math teacher and later an administrator. His wife Karen, a physical education teacher at the high school, middle school, and adaptive levels. His mother-in-law, Alline Kranzer, a kindergarten teacher. His grandmother-in-law, Katherine Mahanay, a special ed teacher. His son, Lance, a high school PE teacher.

“Teaching and coaching go hand in hand,” Lance is saying over the phone from Sante Fe Christian Schools, where he also coaches the varsity baseball team. “I fell in the middle of that. They work so well together. Both are all about how you work with individuals, how you connect with each one.

“When you can help someone really find success, that is so rewarding. And that’s the biggest thing for my dad. If you can help one person maybe do something in a way that prolongs their playing career or helps them win a job or helps them win a ballgame, it’s so rewarding to feel like you’re making a difference. That’s what coaching is and that’s what teaching is.”

Targeting this job It was just a few short months ago that the Red Sox were in complete disarray. Before the world would go on collective hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic, before baseball’s spring training was shuttered along with all other major sports events in the country, the Red Sox were already operating in chaos.

They had parted ways with manager in the wake of the sign-stealing fiasco in Houston, where he had been bench . The scandal hit the Sox hard. Stunned by the rapidity of it all, the brain trust had to restore order, and in short order.

How could the Sox possibly find the right man to replace such a popular manager, one beloved within the clubhouse walls, a bilingual former player who had earned respect across the game, one who was so engaged with the public and the media? The Cora shadow was going to be long and dark, threatening to swallow anyone unprepared for the unavoidable comparisons to a manager who only two seasons ago, in his debut on the job, won a .

Enter Roenicke.

When his turn came to sit down for a job interview, the 63-year-old bench coach was ready.

“I have never gone after a job harder in my life than this job,” he said early in spring training. “I wanted it more than any job I’ve had. Just because I thought it was right. It was the right fit to get us through a period and also hopefully get us back in the playoffs.”

‘I have never gone after a job harder in my life than this job. I wanted it more than any job I’ve had. Just because I thought it was right. It was the right fit to get us through a period and also hopefully get us back in the playoffs.’

His résumé was strong. The two years sitting beside Cora came after years learning alongside with the Angels and were bolstered by a largely successful four-year managerial stint in Milwaukee from 2011-15.

But there are plenty of good résumés out there. What Roenicke had to sell was the stability he would bring, and not just because he was a familiar face, but because he was a trusted familiar face, one who could guide players through turbulent times that also saw top players and get traded to the Dodgers.

“There have been a lot of manager jobs open, but he would never go and put his name out there, he just thought, ‘It’s in God’s hands and it will come to me,’ ” said his wife Karen. “For this one, he thought, ‘I need to take care of this team, and I know that I’m the guy to do it, so I’m going to let them know that.’ ”

The pitch worked.

And then? It was right back to work.

Invested in his players Roenicke’s first task — organizing spring training — was one he did for Cora anyway. His next step — interacting daily with players as their manager rather than the bench coach — didn’t require much change on his part either.

Even now, as the sports world grapples with so much uncertainty and teams have social-distanced themselves into far-flung corners of the map, the calming voice of Roenicke has connected from California to all points Red Sox. Though nothing can replace in-person work, this temporary new normal has reminded us that the mere sight of a child’s teacher on a computer screen can revive a flagging spirit, that the connection is what matters most.

“Basically that’s what I feel like, that I’m a teacher,” Roenicke said. “I think most coaches would feel the same way. We’re dealing most of the time with younger people, and we’re not just instructing them on baseball or whatever it is in the classroom, but on life also.

“I know that I’m interested in what guys do off the field, I’m interested in their family, and I think the good teachers dig down deeper than just what they are teaching, more teaching them about life and what they’re going to need to do later on. What can happen in life, how to get through it, and anything they can help that student.

"With us as coaches, it’s trying to figure out every person as an individual, what makes them tick, what helps them in baseball, and then in life.”

With a curious mind that rarely slows down, Roenicke is both an engaged and engaging man. He reads voraciously, including the entirety of Louis L’Amour’s library of books roughly three times apiece (they help quiet his mind before sleep), though he counts nonfiction works such as “Lone Survivor” and “Unbroken” among his favorites.

He is a master woodworker. He rebuilt a 1940s Woody car. He fishes. He golfs. He did glasswork until his hands bled, which forced him to give it up. He recently took over his late father-in-law’s cattle ranch.

His players might not do many of those exact things, but they have interests of their own, and Roenicke is invested in their lives. When you’re ready to hear what others have to say, they are far more receptive to what they need to hear from you. It’s how teachers connect with students. It’s how this manager connects with his players.

“Because he’s been here, he’s a known commodity,” first baseman said. “He’s such a smart guy. In-game stuff, some of what he picks up on, he sees the game really slow. He’s able to pick out little things that can help you constantly.

"Obviously he’s more of an outfield guy and talks with them a little more as far as defensive side of it, but base running, where you’re supposed to be in each spot, throughout the game, he’ll see it all.”

After 43 years in the game (drafted on five different occasions, Roenicke signed his first minor league deal in 1977, made his major league debut in 1981, and has been coaching at the major or minor league level since 1992), he has seen it all. He doesn’t love the term “lifer” — it is far too limited to contain his many interests — but he has loved his life in baseball. It never stops being interesting.

“As long as I’m in this game, when I’m out on the field or in the stands, I still see something new almost every day," he said. "You wouldn’t think that. Maybe 200 games a year and to see something or hear something new every day? It’s pretty amazing.”

Spoken like a true student, the product of a world full of teachers.

Red Sox grow part-time relief pool to $1.5 million, include Aramark vendors

Michael Silverman

The Red Sox decided that concessions workers at Fenway are part of the Red Sox family after all.

The 1,000-plus game-day employees of Aramark, the concessionaire sub-contracted by the team to sell hot dogs and beer, mix drinks, and keep suites stocked at Fenway Park will now be able to partake in an expanded pool of relief aid for game-day workers affected by the shuttering of the baseball season.

The pot of relief money will grow 50 percent, from $1 million to $1.5 million, with the Aramark concessionaires joining Red Sox game-day staff such as ticket-takers, ushers, and grounds crew as recipients of the aid.

The $1 million aid plan was announced two weeks ago.

Details on how much money will go to each employee and when have yet to be hammered out, but Zineb Curran, vice president of corporate communication, said the funds are an acknowledgement of the role all game-day employees play.

“We consider all of the Aramark workers at our ballparks to be part of the extended Red Sox family, and while we understand that this support doesn’t fully mitigate the impact of what they are experiencing, we hope it will provide some measure of help and relief during this challenging period,” said Curran.

The Aramark workers at Fenway this week began circulating a petition to ask the Red Sox to pay them, even though Aramark hires and cuts their checks.

The Philadelphia-based company has not yet responded to multiple attempts for comment this week. The union and Aramark have held talks, but they had not progressed.

Carlos Aramayo, president of Boston Local 26 which represents the workers, was thrilled to hear the news.

“That is fantastic,” said Aramayo. “Obviously, we want to know what the details are, and I’m sure we’ll get that sorted out, but that is very exciting to hear that that decision was made and the Red Sox are looking to do the right thing.”

Fenway’s Aramark workers have already missed one training day for which they would be paid, and would have had two more days to work before the previously scheduled April 2 home opener. With the season on hold at least through the middle of May, at least 19 games of the 81-game Fenway slate will be, at minimum, delayed.

MLB, players reach agreement, set financial rules for 2020 season

Alex Speier

Baseball owners and players finalized an agreement on Friday establishing many of the financial rules that will govern a 2020 season that is shrouded in considerable uncertainty as the sports world adjusts to the shifting realities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At its heart, the agreement was built on two elements should the season be canceled: First, in the event that there is no season, that players who are on the 40-man roster, the 60-day injured list, or on an outright assignment to the minor leagues with a major league contract will receive credit for as much big league service time in 2020 as they accumulated in 2019. In other words, players who were slated to become eligible for free agency next offseason will still reach the open market, and players who were in line to arrive at salary arbitration for the first time will do the same.

In exchange for that concession, players agreed that owners won’t have to pay their salaries if there are no games. Owners will, however, provide a $170 million advance to players spread across April and May that the players will not have to pay back should there be no games. If there is a season, salaries will be prorated based on the duration of a season (so a half-season would result in a player receiving half his salary).

"As we sat down and had our discussions with the league, the players understood the gravity of the pandemic and the hardship being experienced by everyone in our game and all those outside of our game,” said MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark in a conference call. "The players also understood the extraordinary measures that we were taking and need to be taken in our country and in the baseball industry, including a near-term shutdown, in order to preserve public health and safety.”

The agreement doesn’t specify when or if games will be played given the unknown course of a public health crisis. But players and owners nonetheless reached agreement on a number of concepts for the coming year. Among them:

▪ The sides have a shared goal of playing as many games as possible. The agreement outlines potential atypical measures to discuss in pursuit of that goal, including the playing of games in empty stadiums, the extension of the regular season into October (and thus the possibility of extending the playoffs into November), both regular season and playoff games in neutral sites, scheduled day-night doubleheaders, and a reduction of off-days. Clark characterized players as "very open” to the possibility of playing in empty ballparks to accelerate the start of the season. "Players want to play,” he said. "That’s what we do. That’s what they do. Being able to get back on the field, being able to play, even if it means fans are watching back at home, being able to play even if that means their fans are watching at home, being able to play for their fans, is something they’ve all expressed a desire and interest in doing.”

▪ The resumption of the season will rely on the guidance of public health authorities, with local, state, and federal regulations as well as travel restrictions all having a significant impact on when that might be. The MLBPA secured a voice in the process with the agreement. Clark said that, to this point, a cutoff point (date or number of games) hasn’t been established after which the season would be canceled. "We are still remaining as optimistic as we can that we will be able to play as many games as possible,” said Clark. "As of right now, we remain committed to [a season].”

▪ Both sides are willing to discuss several innovations in the atypical season and use it as something of a laboratory, including: the possibility of expanding the playoffs beyond 10 teams, seven-inning doubleheaders, and more.

▪ Players will seek expanded rosters at the start of the year.

▪ It remains to be seen how teams would prepare to resume a city – whether that would be in their home cities or for another round of spring training in Florida and Arizona, and how long players would need to prepare for the season.

▪ While there was no change in the luxury tax threshold of $208 million for the coming season, and player salaries will be calculated based on their full rather than their potentially prorated amounts, if a season isn’t played, no teams will pay the luxury tax.

▪ Although the Red Sox overhauled their roster this winter to get under the luxury tax threshold, if the 2020 season is canceled, according to an MLBPA spokesperson, "There is no reset — everything will be frozen and restart as if 2021 was 2020 for CBT purposes.” In other words, the team’s luxury tax rates would not reset in 2021 to those of a first-time luxury tax payer if the team surpassed the $210 million threshold in 2021.

Instead, the team would be penalized for going over the luxury tax threshold in previous years — a potential penalty with implications for how the team looks to bolster its roster entering next year. Of course, that’s only in the event of a canceled 2020 season.

One caveat: If there is no 2020 season, no team would be considered a CBT violator for purposes of penalties such as draft-pick compensation attached to the signing or departure of a free agent who receives a qualifying offer.

▪ The MLB draft can be reduced from 40 rounds to as few as five rounds, and the 2021 draft can be reduced to as few as 20 rounds. That reduced draft was viewed by the players as a preferable alternative to another possibility, namely canceling the draft this year.

▪ The international amateur signing period can be moved back from July 2 to Jan. 15, something that would keep more cash in the hands of teams and delay the timing of its distribution to those players.

* The Boston Herald

Red Sox to help Aramark workers at Fenway Park, increase pool to $1.5 million

Jason Mastrodonato

Hourly workers at Fenway Park who are employed through Aramark had their petition answered by the Red Sox on Friday afternoon.

The Red Sox announced they’d increase their pool of money to help hourly workers from $1 million to $1.5 million and will now include Aramark employees who work at Fenway.

“The Aramark family is a central part of ours (at Fenway Park and JetBlue Park), and we are glad that these individuals will now benefit from this aid,” team president Sam Kennedy wrote in an email to the Aramark employees.

Originally, the $1 million was allocated only for the 1,300 seasonal and part-time workers who are employed directly through the Red Sox.

But on Thursday, the Local 26 union, which covers about 1,000 Fenway Park workers who are employed through Aramark, began a petition asking the Red Sox to offer their support to third-party employees as well. As of Friday, the petition had over 2,000 signatures.

Friday afternoon, the Sox announced the change to their funding.

“This pandemic is teaching us many vital lessons,” Kennedy wrote. “Perhaps none more critical than the importance of supporting one another. We care deeply about all of you and appreciate the commitment and support you have provided and will continue to provide to this organization and our fans.”

It remains unclear if the Red Sox will find a way to help the seven Aramark employees who were scheduled to lose their health insurance due to not accumulating enough working hours during MLB’s postponement.

Thursday, John Ferolito, who is entering his 14th season working at Fenway Park via Aramark, said he was concerned for those seven employees, and others who felt left behind by the Sox’ original pledge.

“It’s scary,” he said. “The unknown is the worst part. It would be nice to see the little guy get some respect for once. Get a little help. Not get looked the other way or walked on. Now is the time to help the people who help the Red Sox.

“When there’s a rainout Tuesday afternoon, two days later we learn it’s rescheduled for a Thursday afternoon. Those people re-schedule their day jobs to work a doubleheader. It’s the little things. We’re doing stuff for you guys at the drop of a hat. Where are you when we need you?”

The Sox informed Aramark employees and the Local 26 union on Friday afternoon of the news to include them in the coverage.

Kennedy wrote in the email to Aramark folks that the Sox are still exploring other ways to help those specifically affected by MLB’s postponement and the coronavirus.

“We will be in touch with specifics on eligibility once those details are finalized,” he wrote. “We recognize that this funding in no way fully mitigates the impact of what you are experiencing, but we hope that it will provide some measure of help and relief during this challenging period.”

* MassLive.com

Coronavirus: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox legend, thanks Mass. General Hospital workers in video

Chris Cotillo

Red Sox legend David Ortiz shared a heartfelt video thanking doctors and nurses at Mass. General Hospital on Friday night, expressing his gratitude to medical staffers for their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ortiz, who spent nearly seven weeks at the MGH last summer after suffering a gunshot wound to the back in mid-June, knows first-hand how hard the hospital’s staff works in treating patients.

“Hi everyone. I just want to take this moment to say thank you so much," Ortiz said in the video. “Thank you very much to every single nurse and doctor at Mass. General Hospital. We all are cheering for you because we know how much you guys are sacrificing to help people out through this incredible epidemic time.”

Massachusetts has 3,240 cases of coronavirus as of Friday, according to the state’s Department of Health. The number of coronavirus-related deaths in the state increased to 35 on Friday.

“Thank you very much. God bless all of you," Ortiz continued. “We all know how much you guys are sacrificing. Sacrificing your family, your friends and yourself to continue helping people to get through this epidemic time. God bless you all. We are all cheering for you, from everywhere in this country, because we know how great you guys are, especially me. I know how wonderful you guys are at Mass. General Hospital, so thank you very much and God bless you.”

Coronavirus: Boston Red Sox expand funding for ballpark workers to $1.5 million, covering Aramark employees

Chris Cotillo

The Red Sox announced Friday that they have increased their commitment to help ballpark workers impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic from $1 million to $1.5 million, including Aramark workers who will not be paid as long as the MLB season is suspended.

In an email to employees, team president and CEO Sam Kennedy said the team had committed an additional $500k to help ballpark concessions workers who are not able to work remotely during the coronavirus crisis.

“We are pleased to report that over the past week we have been able to expand that offering to Aramark employees by supplementing the original financial commitment to a new total of $1.5 million,” Kennedy wrote. “The Aramark family is a central part of ours (at Fenway Park and JetBlue Park), and we are glad that these individuals will now benefit from this aid.”

The Red Sox, along with the other 29 major league teams, originally announced a $1 million commitment to pay ballpark workers affected by the postponement of the season. They upped their commitment to include Aramark workers after the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato reported those employees were petitioning the Red Sox to provide help after not being included in the original payment plan and being told that Aramark was not planning to pay employees for lost wages.

“While the Sox and every other MLB team pledged $1 million each to help support hourly workers during the pandemic, those funds were applicable only to the 1,300 employees who worked directly for the Red Sox,” Mastrodonato reported. “The third party employees who call Fenway Park their office during the baseball season feel left behind.”

Kennedy wrote that the Red Sox Foundation is exploring additional ways to provide assistance to those affected by the coronavirus crisis, including “all members of the Red Sox family and our Red Sox Nation community at large.”

“We recognize that this funding in no way fully mitigates the impact of what you are experiencing, but we hope that it will provide some measure of help and relief during this challenging period,” Kennedy wrote.

The regular season has been delayed at least until mid-May and is likely to be pushed back further as the virus spreads throughout the United States. If the season is canceled, clubs are expected to revisit the topic of funding for ballpark workers who will have lost six months of wages.

Coronavirus: MLB rosters expected to expand to 29 players for first month of regular season, transaction freeze now in effect (report)

Chris Cotillo

MLB rosters are expected to expand to 29 players for the first month of the regular season once it begins, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. The season has been indefinitely delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the United States.

Rosters are temporarily frozen until the league makes plans for when its season will begin, as Evan Drellich of The Athletic first reported Thursday night. Transactions of any kind are temporarily disallowed as part of the labor agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association that was finalized Friday.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said earlier this month that he expected a transaction freeze.

“We recognize there’s going to be new developments, not just with the coronavirus but for industry business as well,” Bloom said. "We’re fully prepared that the next several days are going to include a lot of new information.”

If baseball does play part of a season in 2020, it’ll likely come after an abbreviated spring training lasting 2-4 weeks. Because pitchers might not have the time to get fully ramped up before the season begins, the league is allowing rosters to expand so teams can have an appropriate number of arms to get through the season.

The league is considering a wide variety of scenarios in regards to a revised schedule, including pushing regular season play into October and November and expanding the postseason, which could be played at neutral sites. As ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Friday, MLB will not begin its season until bans on mass gatherings and travel are lifted and medical experts agree that holding games will not pose a health risk to players and fans. Though commissioner Rob Manfred expressed hope earlier this week that the season could get going in late May in early June, it appears as though the league is in for a much longer delay and, quite possibly, the cancelation of the entire season.

Potentially in anticipation of Friday’s roster freeze, the Red Sox made a handful of minor moves Friday. The club added non-roster invitee Yairo Munoz to its spring training roster and optioned four pitchers -- Colten Brewer, Matt Hall, Chris Mazza and Jeffrey Springs -- to the minors.

Coronavirus: MLB 2020 season won’t begin until bans on gatherings, travel end (report)

Meredith Perri

The 2020 season will not begin until bans on mass gatherings and travel restrictions are lifted.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan tweeted Friday the additional details from the agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association on how to handle the various issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The deal also calls for medical experts to determine whether or not playing the games could potentially cause a a health risk for not only the teams, but those in attendance.

According to a graphic created by the New York Times, at least 23 states have citizens who have been urged to stay at home because of the pandemic. In Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker’s executive order from earlier this week included a restriction limiting gatherings to 10 people.

Passan added that there was one potential exception to the agreement.

“The caveat agreed to by the players and league is that they will consider playing games at neutral sites instead of home ballparks — and will consider the feasibility of playing in empty stadiums and just how proper a solution it may be for both sides and especially fans,” Passan tweeted.

In addition, MLB and the Players Association reportedly agreed that:

Draft picks will get only $100,000 of their bonuses in 2020. Half of the remainder will be due July 1, 2021 and the other portion will be due July 1, 2022. Teams cannot trade draft picks or international slots. MLB could hold a combine in 2020 and 20201 for amateur players. The same bonus rules will apply to the 2021 draft If the the 2020 season does not take place, drug suspensions will not carry over to 2021. If the season does take place, the drug suspensions will be served. Those agreements join the list of stipulations already reported Thursday evening.

* WEEI.com

The story behind dancing at 's doorbell

Rob Bradford

It was the first week of baseball's coronavirus-induced hiatus and a lot of people had a lot of time on their hands. So when Ashley Kelly, wife of former Red Sox pitcher Joe Kelly, posted a string of videos of her husband's buddy Brock Holt dancing in front of the Kellys' front door it took off on the internet.

Appearing on the Bradfo Sho podcast, Joe explained how the viral videos came about.

With Holt's family still in Boston and the Brewers' utilityman living out of a suitcase in an Arizona hotel room, the Kellys invited him to stay in their Scottsdale home. Not only did Holt become fast friends with Knox Kelly, the hosts' young son, but he also figured out a key feature at the house Ashley particularly relied on.

* NBC Sports Boston

Dustin Pedroia picked a notable time to put his $8.95M Mass. mansion on market

Darren Hartwell

We know where Dustin Pedroia isn't riding out the current coronavirus pandemic.

The Boston Red Sox second baseman has put his Chestnut Hill, Mass., mansion up for sale, according to Realtor.com.

The 8,500-square-foot compound -- located less than a mile from Tom Brady's former Brookline home -- has a listing price of $8.95 million.

The home itself is pretty spectacular: There are seven bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, an in-ground pool and a home gym, along with the usual perks you'd find in a professional athlete's pad. (You can check out more photos here.)

How Red Sox fared in our 'MLB The Show' season simulation But what's notable is that Pedroia is trying sell a Boston-area home he's owned since 2013.

The 36-year-old has played in just nine games over the last two seasons and will begin the 2020 campaign (whenever that starts) on the 60-day injured list after suffering a "significant setback" in his rehab from offseason knee surgery.

Pedroia and the Red Sox have been adamant that he isn't retiring yet, and the veteran second baseman could just be looking to downsize from his sprawling mansion.

But it's also possible Pedroia has realized he won't be playing many (or any) games for the Red Sox going forward and no longer needs a permanent residence in the Boston area.

After all, Brady put his Brookline mansion on the market last August before the New England Patriots' 2019 season -- and look where he is now.

* The Athletic

Red Sox roster likely will expand to 29. Here’s our projection for who makes cut

Chad Jennings

We still don’t know when, or even if, the baseball season will begin, but we are getting some clarity about the framework that will be in place should the season move forward.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich reported this week that Major League Baseball and the players association have reached an agreement on key issues of service time, salaries and the amateur draft. The agreement keeps open the possibility that Mookie Betts could become a free agent without playing a single game for the Dodgers. According to Rosenthal and Drellich, if the season is canceled, players will receive the same number of service time days they received in 2019, more than enough for Betts to reach the open market this offseason.

Remarkably, the Red Sox might have traded a non-season of Betts for salary relief and three young players. (They also might have lost out on a minimum-salary season of Alex Verdugo, a small price to pay under the circumstances.)

The service time agreement was a concession of the league. In return, the players agreed to prorated salaries should the season be shortened. The two sides also agreed on a limited amateur draft, perhaps as little as five rounds instead of 40.

Among the other possibilities for 2020 are a restructured postseason, potentially including games at neutral sites. It also seems that rosters will expand at the start of the season, helping ease the workload concerns following a short spring training. Rosters will freeze for now, and according to two sources, players optioned before the freeze will not be subject to a minimum number of days in the minor leagues. They can be recalled at any time, including for Opening Day (hence the large number of players optioned this week, including four Red Sox pitchers).

Bob Nightengale has reported that when the season does start, rosters are expected to expand to 29 players for the first month. Given that expectation, here’s a fresh Red Sox roster projection for the coming season — whenever it might be, and if it happens at all.

Catchers Christian Vázquez, Kevin Plawecki, Jonathan Lucroy (3)

The Red Sox were considering three catchers anyway, and the expanded roster makes it even easier to add depth at that position. And it’s a good position to have it under these circumstances. Vázquez almost certainly will remain the starter, but the Red Sox surely would want to limit how often he catches a full nine innings right out of the gate. That he and Lucroy can also play first base adds some limited versatility.

Infielders Mitch Moreland, Michael Chavis, José Peraza, , , Tzu-Wei Lin, Jonathan Arauz (7)

The point of the expanded roster is to ease the early-season workload, which makes Rule 5 pick Arauz a solid option. He can slide into any infield position, and presumably, he and Lin would let Bogaerts and Devers take a few innings off when games are basically decided. If a team was considering a Rule 5 pick with a 26-man roster, it’ll surely keep one on a 29-man roster.

Outfielders , Jackie Bradley Jr., Kevin Pillar, J.D. Martinez, Yairo Muñoz (5)

The wild card here is Verdugo. Will the season be delayed long enough for him to be ready for Opening Day? Even if he’s healthy enough to play, would it make sense considering he hasn’t seen live pitching in months? It might depend on the setup that leads into the season.

In the meantime, the Red Sox earlier this week signed utility man Yairo Muñoz to a minor-league deal (after he abruptly left Cardinals camp and wound up released). He’s mostly an infielder by trade, but he’s played all three outfield positions, and that’s where the Red Sox could use him the most.

If one of the non-roster returns to camp and makes a quick impression, the Red Sox could ride the hot hand, open with someone like John Andreoli or César Puello as an extra outfielder, and basically decide between Muñoz and Arauz for the 29th man. Adding a castoff from another team seems less likely now that every team will have room to carry its more borderline players.

Starting pitchers Eduardo Rodríguez, , Martín Pérez, Ryan Weber (4)

When camp ended, Weber was making a compelling case for one of the open rotation spots, and given a lack of alternatives, he surely will be a heavy favorite when things resume. The Red Sox have always liked him a little more than it seems, and at this point, it makes little sense to project anyone else as the fourth starter.

The question is whether the Red Sox will carry a traditional fifth starter, but based on what we’ve seen so far, that seems unlikely. Weber might have been the No. 5 if were healthy, but without him, the team seems to be discussing the opener quite a bit. If the hiatus goes long enough, Collin McHugh (elbow injury) could be the fifth starter (or third or fourth).

Relief pitchers Brandon Workman, , , Darwinzon Hernández, Josh Taylor, Marcus Walden, Austin Brice, , Colten Brewer, Brian Johnson (10)

Assuming they use an opener, this is more like a nine-man bullpen — one extra guy — but with Johnson serving as a bulk guy every fifth day.

The first six names in this bullpen are basically a given. Brice, too, might be a lock since he’s out of options and was pitching well when camp shut down. Beyond that, it gets less certain.

Brasier and Johnson survived the last round of cuts before rosters were frozen, which suggests they have an inside track. Brewer was among those optioned earlier this week — along with fellow 40-man pitchers Chris Mazza, Matt Hall and Jeffrey Springs — but players optioned before the freeze can be recalled at any time, including for Opening Day. Brewer was pitching well, and Ron Roenicke had mentioned him as another multi-inning option. He could be an opener or a long man when the season starts.