The Thursday, October 1, 2020

*

Jackie Bradley Jr. is eager to look back, but just as eager about whatever’s coming next

Julian McWilliams

Jackie Bradley Jr. strolled into Thornton’s Fenway Grille late Monday morning. Despite a black mask and black Under Armour hat, the workers still noticed the center fielder.

He’s been going there for years. It’s a favorite spot of Bradley and his wife, Erin — she loves their spicy breakfast potatoes, Bradley the cinnamon French toast and the syrup. The syrup, he says, doesn’t soak up the bread too much, allowing it to maintain its crispness.

He greeted the workers before turning over his left shoulder to ask where his companion wanted to sit. Bradley then paused for a moment.

“Let’s sit outside.”

Despite gray skies and potential rain, Bradley had a lot to soak in just a day after his season ended.

The Red Sox are all Bradley’s ever known. It was the organization that drafted him in the first round out of the University of South Carolina in 2011, that saw him steamroll through the minors, set spring training on fire in ’13, and earn an roster spot only to see him fall flat. It was the team that saw him struggle, then succeed, then struggle some more. Then succeed some more. Then struggle again.

Nine years later, Bradley is entering free agency. It’s a moment that, depending upon who you ask, many suspected he wouldn’t reach, at least with the Red Sox. This was a feat.

“This is a big deal,” Bradley said. “Once you first get to the big leagues, your goal is, ‘How can I stick in the big leagues?’ And then once you finally get your feet under you, it’s like, ‘Alright, well, if I get three years, I get to arbitration.’ You get three years [and] arbitration, it’s like, the next step is, ‘Alright, well, how can I get to free agency?’ ”

Bradley calls this the final stage, or close to it. His last goal is to get to 10 years in the big leagues, which will allow him the maximum Major League pension once he retires.

“It’s just a special, special achievement because it’s such a hard thing to do," he said, between bites of that French toast, eggs, bacon, and those potatoes (of which he sent Erin a picture). "Yeah. And, you know, there’s, there’s a lot of things in between that, you know, help you get there.”

A number of those people who helped him showed up on his phone that morning. There was a text from , congratulating Bradley with a picture of the pair posing with Bradley’s 2018 Gold Glove. Dustin Pedroia texted as well, calling Bradley the ultimate professional who battled through the ups and downs. And, of course, there was the FaceTime call from his Erin and their daughter, Emerson, showing off the latter’s skills on the harmonica.

This was part of the village that helped keep Bradley going when the times were both tough and good. Particularly in 2014.

Despite being on the big-league club due to a injury, Bradley kept his apartment in Pawtucket near the Sox' Triple A affiliate just in case he got sent back down. (He spent all but two and a half weeks in late summer with Boston.) Bradley, in a season where he just .198, would make the hour drive to Fenway each day alongside Erin.

“Erin and I would just sit in the car in just complete and utter silence,” Bradley said. “I was just completely baffled or angered by the way I had performed. It weighed on me heavy.”

In a way, this is his victory lap. He emerged from his darkest hours as a Gold Glover, All-Star, ALCS MVP, and champion. Now, a free agent. A polarizing figure in Boston who received his fair share of criticism throughout his tenure.

“You know, as much crap as I got from the people, the fans or whoever it may be,” Bradley explained, “what they could possibly say to me wouldn’t affect me more than how I felt — what I knew I was capable of doing. In a way, I never forgot it. I never forgot it. You will always remember the things that were said to you. The things that were brought up. But, you know, but how do you use that? How do you go about it? How do you learn from that?”

Bradley turned his chair toward the street. In a sense, admiring the road that he’s traveled and what he’s built. The playground across the street from Thornton’s is where he used to take Emerson. The Bradley family will grow even more soon; Erin is due next month with their second child, Jackie Bradley III.

Bradley, too, has grown, and remained authentically himself. He’s frugal, driving the same white Cadillac CTS-V he bought when he was drafted. It has roughly 99,000 miles on it — miles of doubt, miles of happiness.

Like Bradley, though, it’s lasted.

“You know, a lot of people like to say they’re proving people wrong or their critics wrong,” Bradley said. “I come from the mold where I like to prove to the people that support me, that love me, my family. I like to prove them right.”

Bradley’s mostly been getting around on foot the last two weeks or so. He shipped off his car, and the scooter he rode every day to Fenway. It’s provided him a different way to soak up the city he’s called home. The relationship he’s cultivated in the organization, and outside of it.

There’s no telling where Bradley might end up next season. Even in a pandemic-plagued year, he’s excited to go through this free-agent process. There are scenarios he must weigh, like how valuable he could be in another ballpark besides Fenway, where his fielding capabilities are limited due to the dimensions. Imagine if he had even more room to ?

“I would love to see Jackie play center field in a big outfield like Colorado,” former teammate said during a phone conversation. “Where you can get to see him run around and get to see him be reckless in the outfield. I always just enjoyed it when we went on the road, just because being able to watch our outfield play the outfield in a different park.”

Around 2 p.m., it began to drizzle, prompting Bradley to pull out his phone and check the radar. He glanced up toward the Boston sky before looking back down.

“Oh, yeah. It’s about to rain until 4 o’clock," he said. "Let’s get out of here.”

He had soaked in enough.

How will the Red Sox alter their roster in response to a last-place finish? Here’s what the precedent says

Alex Speier

How will the Red Sox forge a path forward?

Precedent suggests the answer is obvious: The Red Sox have responded to past last-place finishes with free agent binges.

After the 2012 mess, the club re-signed , then added eight mid-tier free agents on one- to three- year deals, a veteran bridge that produced a championship. That offseason balanced short- and long-term interests. The Sox didn’t sign any players who required the sacrifice of a draft pick, while the addition of veterans bought time for a young core to develop in the upper minors.

The 2014 campaign, in which the offense cratered, resulted in an ill-fated spree on position players. The Sox invested more than $250 million on Rusney Castillo, Pablo Sandoval, and Hanley Ramirez.

The consequences of those signings were not only felt in their poor play, but in the two 2015 draft picks (roughly the Nos. 50 and 75 selections) sacrificed to sign Sandoval and Ramirez, both of whom received qualifying offers.

Without the draft-pool money from those picks, the team passed on , who was selected by Cleveland in the 17th round but didn’t sign because he was looking for a bonus more in line with an early- round pick. After playing at Oregon State, Madrigal was the No. 4 overall pick in 2018, and is now starting for the White Sox in the playoffs.

After another last-place finish in 2015, in which young talent fueled a promising six-week season-ending kick, the Sox signed David Price to a record-setting seven-year, $217 million contract — making the decision to spend big rather than trade away young talent, while also steering clear of free agents who would require sacrificing a draft pick.

In each instance, the Sox committed more than $100 million — and after both 2014 and 2015, more than $200 million — in guaranteed contracts to address their roster deficiencies. History points to a franchise that doesn’t sit still in the face of embarrassment.

It’s not a given that history can be repeated after a year when Fenway Park remained empty for baseball games and lost a summer slate of concerts, particularly given the uncertainty surrounding the resumption of mass gatherings in 2021. Nonetheless, Red Sox president/CEO Sam Kennedy said the team can afford, to some degree, to look beyond its short-term losses.

On the other side of the pandemic, MLB has huge revenue increases in the form of new national TV deals that will take effect starting in 2022, while there is a long-term expectation that spectator sports will begin anew.

“Will [the pandemic] have an impact on our budget? Yes, of course it will, because of the devastating impact it’s had on our revenues this year, and obviously next year is uncertain. That said, I don’t know what the outlook for 2021 looks like yet with respect to the virus. And as that becomes clear, we’ll be able to act in real time and make decisions,” said Kennedy. “There’s a long-term view. We know we’re going to withstand operating losses. We’re prepared for that, plan for that, and I think you’ll see the Red Sox continue to invest in our baseball operation the way we have the last 20 years.”

If that remains the case, then the Sox may have a chance to reshape their organizational depth for years to come, even if they don’t spend past next year’s luxury tax. Assuming that J.D. Martinez doesn’t opt out of his deal and that the Sox exercise their option on lefthander Martín Pérez, the Sox payroll for next year sits at a projected $170 million-$175 million — about $35 million–$40 million below next year’s $210 million luxury-tax threshold. Even assuming the team sets aside $10 million for in-season moves, that’s a lot of potential spending power in an offseason where other teams may look to shed payroll.

Projecting the cost of the 2021 Red Sox roster Here's an overview of how each position group (or other group) could contribute to the luxury tax threshold. Category Average Annual Value ($M) Starting 74.1 Relievers 8.7 Everyday players 55.77 Bench 17.1 Minor-league 40-man 2 Benefits 16 In-season moves (promotions, trades, signings) 10 PROJECTED TOTAL 183.67 LUXURY TAX THRESHOLD 210 PROJECTED $ (MILLIONS) OVER THRESHOLD -26.33 DATA: Alex Speier

Projecting the 2021 Red Sox roster As it stands now, here's how much each player could contribute to the Sox payroll next year. Position Player Average Annual Value ($M) Salary type Pitchers Traded David Price 16 Guaranteed 25.6 Guaranteed SP1 Nate Eovaldi 17 Guaranteed SP2 Eduardo Rodriguez 8.3 Arbitration estimate SP3 Martin Perez 6 Option SP4 0.6 Pre-arbitration estimate SP5 0.6 Pre-arbitration estimate RP1 4 Arbitration estimate RP2 0.9 Arbitration estimate RP3 Austin Brice 0.8 Arbitration estimate RP4 Ryan Weber 0.6 Pre-arbitration estimate RP5 Darwinzon Hernandez 0.6 Pre-arbitration estimate RP6 0.6 Pre-arbitration estimate RP7 Phillips Valdez 0.6 Pre-arbitration estimate RP8 Colten Brewer 0.6 Split agreement Everyday players C Christian Vazquez 4.52 Guaranteed 1B 0.6 Pre-arbitration estimate 2B 0.6 Pre-arbitration estimate SS 20 Guaranteed 3B 5 Arbitration estimate OF1 5 Guaranteed OF2 0.7 Pre-arbitration estimate OF3 ? Arbitration estimate DH J.D. Martinez 19.35 Guaranteed Bench Bench1 2 Arbitration estimate Bench2 Yairo Munoz 0.6 Pre-arbitration estimate Bench3 0.6 Pre-arbitration estimate Bench4 Jonathan Arauz 0.6 Pre-arbitration estimate Injured List Dustin Pedroia 13.3 Guaranteed DATA: Alex Speier

If the Sox are willing to add to their payroll, roster spending cuts by competitors could result in opportunities. Perhaps teams will essentially “sell” prospects if they can be attached to onerous contracts, giving the Sox a chance to advance chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom’s goal of “maximizing the core of young players that you have long runways with."

The market is expected to be flooded by non-tenders of potential mid-tier free agents, meaning there’s a possibility that the Sox could take a page from their 2002–03 (David Ortiz, Bill Mueller, Kevin Millar, etc.) or 2012–13 (Shane Victorino, , , , , and more) playbooks to add a number of players on relatively modest, multi-year deals in pursuit of Bloom’s other goal of adding depth.

The Sox probably aren’t in a position where all-in moves, including the signing of top free agents or the trade of top prospects for rental veterans in hopes of putting them over the top for the coming year, make sense. That’s particularly true given the coming class of free agents.

Pitcher Trevor Bauer, J.T. Realmuto, and outfielder George Springer headline this winter’s free agent class. All will be 30 or older by the start of next season, with both the expectation of decline over long-term deals and the likely cost of a second-round draft pick (as well as international bonus pool money) for signing them. Despite the Red Sox' desperation to regain not only competitiveness but also market relevance, those players don’t look like ideal fits — particularly with a looming 2021-22 free agent class that will include twenty-somethings Francisco Lindor, , and Javier Báez.

But if the Sox are, in fact, willing to look beyond the lost revenues of 2020 and likely 2021, then conditions may permit them to focus chiefly on building depth, and in so doing propel themselves from disappointment to contention.

* The Providence Journal

Heavy turnover expected on Red Sox 40-man roster

Bill Koch

BOSTON --- This isn’t the sort of extra time the Red Sox should welcome.

Postseason action started across on Tuesday and spilled into Wednesday. Wildcard matchups filled time slots on a host of television networks, beginning in the afternoon and lingering well into the night.

Boston was left out of the expanded playoff field and the fun. Instead, the Red Sox are forced to pivot toward the hard work of rebuilding their 40-man roster. Those discussions have already started among the front office at Fenway Park.

“Regardless of whether that turns into two moves or 20 moves, we just need to be ready,” Boston chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said Tuesday. “I think the key for us is we’ve got a mindset of being as active as we can, creating as many options as we can, and then following through on the ones we think are beneficial to the organization.

“It’s hard to know where that will lead, but the key is we’re going to want to make moves that benefit us.”

The pitching staff will be an obvious area of focus for Boston. But most clubs don’t fall into last place and finish 16 games behind the division winner solely because one part of their operation failed. The Red Sox have significant holes to close in several areas before they can narrow the gap to the Rays and Yankees.

Boston will have all of October to make some decisions. MLB roster deadlines – setting the next 40-man, triggering club options, tendering contracts – all kick in days after the conclusion of the World Series. That doesn’t mean the Red Sox aren’t already well down the road toward determining who will stay or leave, and we’ll examine that a bit here.

Extended injured list (7): Chris Sale, Dustin Pedroia, Andrew Benintendi, Eduardo Rodriguez, Zack Godley, Colten Brewer, Kyle Hart

This is one of the ways clubs finagle extra 40-man spots throughout the season. Players on the 60-day injured list – for this shortened season, the 45-day injured list – don’t count against the total. Now they will.

Sale, Benintendi and Rodriguez are locks to be added. Pedroia is entering the final year of his contract and is unlikely to take the field again. It might finally be time for the Red Sox to publicly admit what they’ve surely known for a while now – he’s unlikely to wear their uniform in a game again.

Godley is arbitration eligible and should be nontendered. Brewer will be on the fringe while Hart could be outrighted to the minor leagues after posting a 15.55 earned-run average in four appearances.

Under contract (7): Chris Sale, J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, , Dustin Pedroia, Christian Vazquez, Andrew Benintendi

Pedroia could retire and bring an end to the speculation regarding his chronic left knee troubles. The Red Sox could designate him for assignment. Either way, this is trending toward a sad divorce between the franchise and a proper club legend.

Otherwise, barring any offseason trades, Boston almost certainly will bring back the other players it has under contract. Martinez is unlikely to opt out of the final two years of his deal. Only Bogaerts and Vazquez would return maximum trade value.

Arbitration eligible (11): Eduardo Rodriguez, Matt Barnes, Jose Peraza, Zack Godley, Kevin Plawecki, Dylan Covey, Rafael Devers, Nick Pivetta, Ryan Brasier, Austin Brice, Ryan Weber

This group was identified according to Spotrac and is based on service time. An admission up front – there could be more or fewer Red Sox players eligible. The calculator ran short of batteries while trying to keep track of all the roster moves this summer.

Rodriguez, Barnes, Plawecki, Devers, Pivetta, Brasier and Brice would all seem to be locks. You can probably add Weber to that list as well. His performance out of the and possible value as a long man narrowly outweighs his struggles as a starter.

Peraza finished the year at the alternate site in Pawtucket, Godley posted an 8.16 ERA and Covey showed diminished velocity while pitching to a 7.07 ERA – no thanks to all three. Expect them to be nontendered.

Club option (1): Martin Perez

Flip a coin on this one. Perez will be due $6.25 million should the Red Sox keep him in 2021, and that seems a decent price for a starter at the back end of the rotation who also brought a nice presence in the clubhouse. It’s a contract that a contender could absorb at the deadline if Boston is out of the playoff race yet again.

The argument against Perez includes declining fastball velocity (94.1 mph in 2019, 92.1 mph in 2020), an unlikely repeat of his good luck (.266 batting average on balls in play) and a 1.34 WHIP. A younger arm like Tanner Houck or Nick Pivetta could take his place on Opening Day. An outside addition via trade or free agency could also push Perez out of the mix.

Pre-arbitration eligible (25): Jonathan Arauz, Christian Arroyo, Yoan Aybar, CJ Chatham, Michael Chavis, Bobby Dalbec, Deivy Grullon, Matt Hall, Darwinzon Hernandez, Tanner Houck, Mike Kickham, Robinson Leyer, Tzu-Wei Lin, Chris Mazza, Yairo Munoz, Cesar Puello, Jeffrey Springs, Robert Stock, Domingo Tapia, Josh Taylor, Andrew Triggs, Phillips Valdez, Alex Verdugo, Marcus Walden, Marcus Wilson

Most of the Red Sox decisions will come here, and there’s a ton of fat to trim. Arauz, Arroyo, Chavis, Dalbec, Hernandez, Houck, Taylor, Valdez and Verdugo should all be locks. Grullon could be retained as organizational catching depth while premium velocity gives Leyer and Tapia more of a chance to stick around as right-handed relievers. Mazza and Springs could be long men or spot starters while Lin and Munoz could be vying for one spot – they both profile as utility men.

Walden enjoyed a strong 2019 out of the bullpen and a brutal 2020. That productive season on his track record could him from being outrighted to the minor leagues. Aybar was the lone member of the 40- man who didn’t play for Boston or work at the alternate site this summer – that could suggest trouble for his future. Wilson was the final 40-man addition at Pawtucket and could be facing the same jeopardy.

Otherwise? Clear it out. Hall, Kickham, Stock and Triggs were all roster filler on the worst pitching staff in club history. Build some flexibility by liberally cutting ties among this group.

Rule 5 Draft eligible: Bryan Mata, , Jeisson Rosario, , Hudson Potts,

Mata, Groome and Seabold have all yet to throw a pitch above -A. With that said, are you willing to lose any of them? Pitching prospects, especially in the Red Sox organization, should be treated like gold.

Rosario, Potts and Wong were all acquired in 2020 trades. To leave them exposed risks lessening your return for , and David Price. If you’re a seller who doesn’t retain and maximize the compensation received, what was the original point?

There are more than six players in the Boston system who are Rule 5 eligible. These are the most noteworthy names. Jeter Downs and Jarren Duran will highlight the 2021 group next offseason – that is, of course, if neither one of them arrives in the big leagues sooner.

Projected Red Sox 40-man roster

Pitchers (22): Barnes, Brewer, Brasier, Brice, Eovaldi, Groome, Hernandez, Houck, Mata, Leyer, Mazza, Perez, Pivetta, Seabold, Rodriguez, Sale, Springs, Tapia, Taylor, Valdez, Walden, Weber

Catchers (4): Grullon, Plawecki, Vazquez, Wong

Infielders (9): Arauz, Arroyo, Bogaerts, Chavis, Chatham, Dalbec, Devers, Lin, Potts

Outfielders (5): Benintendi, Martinez, Munoz, Rosario, Verdugo

* MassLive.com

Boston Red Sox had zero positive COVID tests after first week of summer camp: ‘I think we did a fantastic job’

Chris Cotillo

The Red Sox didn’t win many games in 2020, but they largely won the battle against the everyday threat of COVID-19 during the regular season.

After having four players (Bobby Dalbec, Darwinzon Hernandez, Eduardo Rodriguez and Josh Taylor) test positive for the virus at the beginning of summer training camp in July, the Red Sox had no further positives for the rest of the season. While other teams -- including the Marlins, Cardinals, Mets and Athletics -- had to postpone games after players tested positive, the Red Sox played their schedule without issue.

Boston’s season was undoubtedly impacted by the pandemic, as Rodriguez developed a mild heart condition (myocarditis) after battling the virus and missed the whole season and Hernandez and Taylor -- two key bullpen pieces -- were both limited after missing summer camp. But the club managed to stay safe for the duration of their 60-game season, which made now-former manager Ron Roenicke proud.

“I think a lot of that, with this club not having any positives during the year, is the protocols that were put in place by MLB,” Roenicke said during the final week of the season. “But also, the extra lengths we went to here as an organization. Starting up top, making sure that was a priority, to make the guys safe, the staff safe and everybody safe. I think we did a fantastic job with that.”

At Fenway Park, the Red Sox moved players out of the home clubhouse and transformed luxury suites into personalized dressing rooms that each held two players. Roenicke was strict with his players and coaches, enforcing social distancing and mask-wearing to prevent any spread within the team’s ranks.

“Our medical staff was constantly on things, on all of us, on trying to make sure we’re doing the right things,” he said. “The separating the players and putting them up in the suites, that kept us in a better spot to where we wouldn’t be more likely to contract something. I know we’re not perfect. I know, at times, we’re not wearing our masks enough. Sometimes we’re too close together. But it’s hard to completely do everything right.”

In late July and early August, widespread outbreaks within the Marlins and Cardinals threatened the rest of the MLB season and caused multiple teams to be shut down for more than a week at a time. By scheduling dozens of seven- doubleheaders in late August and September, the league was able to have 28 teams complete a full 60-game schedule and two teams (St. Louis and Detroit) play 58 games.

The fact the league completed its regular season was an accomplishment in itself. Roenicke felt as though baseball reached its tipping point during both Miami and St. Louis' outbreaks.

“If things would have gotten worse from there, who knows what would have happened with the league?” Roenicke said. “You can’t just shut down two, three or four teams and still plan on going about business. As it turned out, it worked out well. Those teams made up most of their games. I thought the season, as hard as it was, I thought it went well.”

Looking ahead to 2021, teams like the Red Sox have a template for how to navigate through a season played during a global pandemic.

“I think it’s constant, but as an organization that’s the reason why we haven’t had any positives,” Roenicke said. “We’ve been pretty adamant on what we’ve told the players and trying to make sure they’re staying safe.”

* WEEI.com

Should the Red Sox make a run at George Springer? It's complicated.

Rob Bradford

George Springer is a perfect fit for the Red Sox.

Let’s get that out of the way.

He is a right-handed hitter who can play an above-average center field. We could stop right there and it would be a huge step in the right direction for a Sox’ team that is trending toward losing Jackie Bradley Jr.

But there’s more. Springer is a , an entity the Red Sox don’t really possess. And, by the way, he is a very good leadoff hitter, totaling an .884 in a spot in the lineup he has manned more than any other player in Major League Baseball over the past three seasons (2,013 plate appearances).

He is a clubhouse good guy, and a Connecticut native who went to college in the Nutmeg State.

When it came to how the Red Sox might spend some of their Mookie Money this offseason, Springer wouldn’t be the worse idea.

But it’s not that simple. (It rarely is, right?)

For starters, Springer is 31 years old. When it comes to committing significant free agent contracts to big- name free agents, doing so when the player is already a full year on the wrong side of 30 is a dicey proposition. And make no mistake about it, this is a player who won’t come cheap.

Marcell Ozuna (who is 30) might have put himself in position to close in on Springer when it comes to free agent dollars with his outrageously good 2020 season, but when it comes to free agent position players those two are at the top of the heap.

Then there is how the Red Sox prioritize what will be their prime drafting position.

If the Sox sign any player who receives a qualifying offer (which Springer will), they will be forced to surrender their second-highest draft pick. Assuming Rob Manfred sets the draft order based on 2020 records, the Red Sox will be picking fourth overall, which means a Springer signing would mean forfeiting something in the vicinity of the 41st overall selection.

For a team that is desperately trying build sustainability through the Draft, that isn’t nothing.

"I think it’s just something you have to make sure you’re factoring in," said Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom. "I wouldn’t ever rule it out, but I think you always have to make sure you’re valuing every aspect of any potential move."

And finally one has to look at how it might impact the organization's top outfield prospects.

Jarren Duran seems on the cusp of contributing at the big-league level, although his left-handed bat doesn't help balance an outfield already consisting of lefty hitters Alex Verdugo and Andrew Benintendi.

The next top two outfield hopefuls in the Sox' minors are Gilberto Jimenez and newly-acquired Jeisson Rosario, both of whom might actually enter the big-league conversation for the 2022 season at their current rate. They are also share the same skill-set, with their games predicated on speed.

It's not to say you don't commit to a player like Springer because of unproven prospects, but such issues have to be considered when locking in on the type of salary the free agent outfielder will command.

And none of this includes the uncertainty regarding exactly how much money the Red Sox will be comfortable paying out in the free agent market with the economics of baseball being as uncertain as they are.

In another year, in another world, Springer to the Red Sox makes all the sense in the world. But this is this year and this world making sense of anything -- particularly baseball free agency -- isn't exactly a easy proposition.

* NBC Sports Boston

Too bad Sox can't Cash in with next managerial hire

John Tomase

It's a question on the mind of more than one Red Sox fan, judging from : if the team is looking for a Kevin Cash type to replace Ron Roenicke as manager, why not just hire Kevin Cash away from Tampa?

The answer is easy. He's in the middle of a long-term contract and almost certainly isn't going anywhere.

The Cash questions make sense, because Chaim Bloom was a member of the Rays front office when they hired the former Red Sox catcher in 2015 to become their rookie manager at age 37. All Cash has done since is establish himself as one of the best managers in baseball, leading the Rays to 90 and 96 wins in 2018 and 2019, and then a 40-20 record this year that's the best in the and projects to 108 wins over a full season.

He has done it by pioneering concepts like the opener, starting the first all-left-handed lineup in history against Red Sox righty Andrew Triggs, and winning within the framework of Tampa's small-market payroll. He'd be a natural fit for Boston, thanks to his experience here as a player, his familiarity with Bloom, and his understanding of sabermetrics.

But days after the completion of the 2018 season, the Rays ripped up the final year of Cash's original five- year, $5 million contract and signed him to an extension through 2024 with an option for 2025. If he completes that deal, he will surpass as the longest-tenured manager in franchise history.

"Obviously my family and I are thrilled and incredibly humbled,'' Cash told the Tampa Times the day he signed. "I don't know if surprised is the right word, or flattered that they were willing to give me that long of a deal.

"This shows the long-term commitment from the Rays in wanting to see this through and continue to get the organization back to where it was in (the playoff years of) 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013.''

Tomase: 10 reasons to be optimistic about 2021 Red Sox There's no reason for the Rays to grant the Red Sox permission to speak to Cash, and it's hard to see his motivation for wanting to leave a contender and World Series favorite for what's shaping up to be a lengthy rebuild in Boston, even with the latter's clear financial advantages.

Now Tampa bench coach and Cash's right-hand man Matt Quatraro? Maybe that's a different story . . .

* BostonSportsJournal.com

Assessing the Red Sox coaches and their chances of returning

Sean McAdam

For their first order of business, the Red Sox need to hire a new manager. That much is obvious.

Maybe it will be and maybe it won’t.

If it is Cora, they won’t be able to so much as talk to him until late in October. Cora’s suspension from all things Major League Baseball remains in place until the completion of the World Series. The earliest the World Series could be concluded is Oct. 24, in the event of a four-game sweep. A World Series that goes the full seven games would finish on Oct. 28. And that’s assuming no delays due to COVID-19, pestilence or locusts.

(Hey, it’s 2020. As noted hardballer Kevin Garnett once reminded us: “Anything is possible!”)

In the meantime, there would be nothing to preclude the Red Sox from interviewing other candidates during October – unless those candidates are members of an organization still competing in the postseason. And even in that instance, remember that Cora himself was interviewed by the Red Sox in New York while the Houston Astros were involved in the 2017 ALCS.

Finally, there’s the matter of addressing the coaching staff, about which chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said Tuesday that the Sox would be offering an update in the “coming weeks.”

For now, the staff is in limbo. The holdover coaches from Cora’s staff have contracts that expire at the end of next month; the newcomers have deals that run past this year. But all find themselves in a kind of netherworld, uncertain if they’re going to return, and if they do, for whom they’ll be working.

If the Sox decided on starting and hiring someone other than Cora, and insist that a new manager inherit some of the existing coaches, it could get awkward as managers understandably like to have a say on the makeup of their staff. Then again, because the Red Sox are likely to turn toward a relatively young and inexperienced candidate, that person might not have the status or standing to insist on choosing his entire staff.

A look at the staff, the status of each coach and the likelihood that each returns. To streamline, I’ve eliminated two “assistant” coaches — hitting coach Pete Fatse and pitching coach .

Also, when it comes to projecting the chances of a particular coach returning, the odds obviously would be impacted by a re-hiring of Cora, since four members of the staff coaching under him from 2018-19.

PITCHING COACH: .

Bush just finished his first year in the position after serving the organization in a variety of roles in previous years. He was brought on board to provide a more analytical approach to the position. The 2020 pitching staff, of course, performed horribly, but it’s difficult — if not impossible — to lay that at Bush’s feet. Many of the 27 pitchers — not including the three position players tossed into emergency duty — were simply not major league caliber.

Chances of returning: Strong.

Bush is highly regarded and has a familiarity with many of the younger pitchers in the organization, having worked for a number of seasons in development. If the Red Sox want any continuity when it comes to their pitching program, retaining Bush would be a way of accomplishing that.

FIRST BASE COACH:

Goodwin has been on the staff for the past three seasons, and as such, his contract is expiring. Goodwin is popular with the players, doubling as the team’s outfield coach, and on that basis alone, performed well, given the strong season enjoyed by the team’s outfield group. (The Red Sox led the league in outfield assists and also graded out as a third-best defensive outfield as measured in Defensive Runs Saved by Fangraphs). Like Bush, Goodwin’s ties to the organization predate his time on the major league coaching staff, having coached in Lowell and also serving as a roving minor league outfield and baserunning coach.

Chance of returning: Possible if Cora returns; doubtful otherwise.

THIRD BASE COACH:

Febles interviewed for the managerial position last winter before the Red Sox turned to Ron Roenicke. Like Goodwin, Febles’ association with the Sox goes back before joining the major league staff — way back, in fact. He’s been part of the organization since 2017, having spent four seasons as a minor league hitting coach and another seven as a minor league manager at every level except Triple A. Febles has also been responsible for coaching the infielders and is popular with the team’s Latin players.

Chance of returning: Decent, in some capacity, with or without Cora returning.

HITTING COACH:

Hyers has overseen a strong offense in all three of his seasons as the team’s hitting instructor, and worked in other roles (scout, minor league hitting coordinator) for a total of seven seasons. The Red Sox have been a Top 5 team in the American League in runs per game (first in 2018; fourth in 2019; fifth in 2020). His easy-going approach with players allows to him gain their confidence and trust. One alarming trend from 2020 — the Sox becoming less selecting and dropping to ninth in the A.L. in walks — likely won’t be held against him.

Chance of returning: Strong.

BENCH COACH: Jerry Narron

Narron, who also served as Grady Little’s bench coach for the Sox in another lifetime (2003), was Roenicke’s personal choice to serve as his bench coach. (The two had worked together during Roenicke’s managerial tenure in Milwaukee.) With no other obvious connections to the present Red Sox organization, it’s impossible to imagine Narron, one of the oldest coaches in the big leagues this past season, returning to the staff.

Chance of returning: None.

BULLPEN COACH: Craig Bjornson

Bjornson was plucked from the Astros to join Cora as the Red Sox’ bullpen coach as the final hire of Cora’s Boston staff. Initially, there was some concern that Bjornson might be implicated in the Astros’ sign-stealing investigation from 2017, but the report didn’t mention him,.

Chance of returning: None without Cora returning. Only iffy even if Cora does.

* The Athletic

Forecast: Red Sox have a lot of back-end roster cuts to make over the next month

Chad Jennings

In the past year, the Red Sox have turned over more than half of their 40-man roster, and they’re going to have to significantly change it again this offseason.

Because of players on the injured list, the current 40-man includes 47 names. That’s already seven too many, and the minor league system has at least five players, probably six – and maybe seven – who need Rule 5 protection.

That means as many as 14 players have to be removed by the middle of November, and that’s before the Red Sox make any sort of offseason addition to play center field, add depth to the pitching staff, and perhaps compete for second base playing time. There’s going to be a lot of turnover in the coming weeks.

Such adjustment will be nothing new under chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, who’s put 28 players on the 40-man roster since he arrived 11 months ago (that’s not counting the six he’s added and already removed). Bloom has retained only 19 players from the roster he inherited last October, and some of those will be gone by January. Including, perhaps, Dustin Pedroia.

Change is coming for the Red Sox roster, but this is where things stand at the start of the offseason.

Half the roster seems safe Barring a trade, these 20 roster spots look secure.

Starters (6): Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta

Relievers (4): Matt Barnes, Darwinzon Hernandez, Josh Taylor, Phillips Valdez

Catcher (1): Christian Vazquez

Infielders (6): Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Christian Arroyo, Bobby Dalbec, Jonathan Arauz, Michael Chavis

Outfielders (3): Andrew Benintendi, Alex Verdugo, J.D. Martinez

For the most part, this is an obvious group. Valdez, Arroyo and Arauz were waiver and Rule 5 pickups — typically strong candidates to be designated for assignment — but all three played well enough to keep. Martinez could opt out, but that seems unlikely. Perez pitched well enough to exercise his $6.25 million team option. Chavis had a bad year, but putting him on waivers seems extreme for a 25-year-old with power, some defensive versatility, and minor league options remaining.

The only free agent Of the 47 players on the current roster, only Jackie Bradley Jr. will automatically become a free agent at the end of the World Series. Theoretically, the Red Sox could agree to an extension before that happens, but it seems inevitable that he’s going to hit the open market. That’s one open spot (but a spot that will have to filled one way or another).

Non-tender candidates Typically, non-tender candidates are those arbitration-eligible players whom the Red Sox would rather lose than give a pay raise. The current roster has six possibilities.

Pitchers (4): Ryan Brasier, Austin Brice, Zack Godley, Andrew Triggs

Position players (2): Kevin Plawecki, Jose Peraza

Non-tender seems especially likely for Godley, Triggs and Peraza, but Brasier, Brice and Plawecki might have done enough to stick around. Brasier and Plawecki were particularly good this season and would remain relatively cheap for a middle- reliever and a trusted backup catcher, respectively. Brice did not have overly impressive numbers, but the Red Sox seem to like him, especially for right-handed matchups.

Seven obvious candidates to go The Red Sox have to clear a lot of roster space, so let’s start with these seven particularly strong candidates to be designated for assignment.

Pitchers (5): Dylan Covey, Matt Hall, Mike Kickham, Robinson Leyer, Domingo Tapia

Position players (2): Tzu-Wei Lin, Cesar Puello

Covey, Kickham, Hall and Puello felt like placeholders to get the Red Sox through the season, and Hall in particular could clear waivers to serve as minor league depth next season (the Red Sox do like his ). Tapia and Leyer have live arms but were used in ways that suggest they lag behind several others in the pecking order. Lin is the most recognizable name here, but he hit just .154 this season, and his versatility has become redundant with some of the team’s recent additions.

Seven less obvious candidates to go Two years ago, Marcus Walden seemed a sure candidate to lose his roster spot, but remained all winter and then had a good 2019 season. Last winter, Ryan Weber seemed an obvious candidate, but he too survived the winter and wound up in the Opening Day rotation. Every year, it seems, there’s at least one player whom the Red Sox like a little more than it seems, and a few more they deem a little more expendable than expected. Consider these seven:

Pitchers (6): Colten Brewer, Ryan Weber, Marcus Walden, Chris Mazza, Jeffrey Springs, Robert Stock

Position players (1): Yairo Munoz

My instinct is to consider both Brewer and Munoz relatively safe to survive the winter, especially considering the way the Red Sox used them before their injuries. Both are young, cheap and versatile.

Beyond those two, Stock’s blazing fastball might be intriguing enough to keep, while Mazza and Springs can still provide depth to a team that needs it. Walden is only a year removed from a good season, and Weber was excellent most of this season. After those first three starts, he had a 2.73 ERA in his final 14 appearances. He finished the season with a lower ERA than Perez.

A question of the future Teams want to preserve their young talent, so perhaps these five deserve some benefit of the doubt, but there is also reason to wonder whether the Red Sox are fully committed to them going forward. All five were added to the roster in the past year. Could they be waiver fodder already?

Pitchers: Yoan Aybar, Kyle Hart

Position players: Deivy Grullon, C.J. Chatham, Marcus Wilson

Were three bad starts enough to get Hart taken off the 40-man roster and perhaps lost on waivers? The only other player here who got any big league time this season was Grullon, a catcher claimed off waivers this summer, and given the lack of catching depth, it’s probably worth keeping the former Phillies prospect.

Of the other three, only Chatham was even in the player pool all season, but he wasn’t given a big league call-up and might now be redundant with Arroyo and Munoz on the roster. Wilson was added to the player pool in September, suggesting the Red Sox aren’t planning to cut him loose (though it was notable when he wasn’t included in the pool from the beginning). Aybar was never in the player pool despite his spot on the 40-man. He’s a hard-throwing but inexperienced lefty who could be expendable for a more reliable alternative.

Rule 5 eligible prospects Eight months ago, the Red Sox had only one or two prospects who definitely would need Rule 5 protection this winter. The recent trades, though, have changed that quite a bit. Today, these six stand out as needing spots on the 40-man:

Pitchers (3): Bryan Mata, Jay Groome, Connor Seabold

Position players (3): Connor Wong (C), Hudson Potts (3B), Jeisson Rosario (OF)

Rule 5 eligibility is based on years of minor league experience, and a lot of notable Red Sox prospects including Jeter Downs, Jarren Duran and are not yet eligible. Of those who are eligible, this list does not include catcher Jhonny Pereda — who was in the player pool, which suggests he could be in line for a 40-man spot as well. Seabold, Wong, Potts and Rosario were all trade additions this year, and the Red Sox surely don’t want to risk immediately losing them in the Rule 5.

Prediction The Red Sox need to open seven spots soon after the World Series to activate players from the injured list. One spot will open when Bradley becomes a free agent, and six more can open easily enough by designating Puello, Peraza, Covey, Godley, Triggs and Kickham for assignment, letting each one become a free agent.

By mid-November, the Red Sox should have figured out how to get Pedroia off the roster, which will open one spot for a Rule 5 candidate, and they can open five more by designating Lin, Walden, Hall, Leyer and Tapia. If some of those players clear waivers, the Red Sox might keep them as minor league depth.

After that, it’s all a matter of adjustment based on other moves depending on how many spots the Red Sox have to open for free agents, waiver claims, trade acquisitions and perhaps another Rule 5 pick.