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Home , Carl Everett, Casey Kelly, Hideo Nomo, Jerry Sands, Jorge Julio, Juan Centeno

The Red Sox Saturday, April 4, 2020

* The Boston Globe

When can sports resume? Attempts by Asian leagues provide valuable insight for Major League

Alex Speier

Half a world away from home, two healthy former members of the Red Sox sit in two-week quarantines while waiting for baseball to resume in their Asian leagues. In Newburyport, another ex-Red Sox player contemplates the possibility of his own two-week quarantine if he wants to in the coming months.

The three players — former top pitching prospect , first baseman/outfielder Jerry Sands (a member of the organization for roughly four months who never played for the team), and former big league Justin Haley — serve as reminders of the many challenges that await the resumption of sports leagues in the wake of a global pandemic.

While all of the major US sports leagues remain in shutdown as part of the public health response to the COVID-19 spread, three leagues in Asia are in varying states of operation. Efforts in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan to conduct games offer insight into the challenges sports leagues here will face.

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have established a loose date of April 10 by which to have discussions about the resumption of play. Those conversations will be informed by what’s happening in other countries’ efforts to restart.

Among those early lessons:

▪ A positive test can disrupt an entire league

Little has changed in the three weeks since Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus, an event that served as the lead domino for the shutdown first of the NBA and then all US leagues. Because of the possibility of one player’s asymptomatic exposure of teammates and other teams to the coronavirus, whenever sports leagues do try to restart, a single player’s infection can halt a sport in its tracks.

That lesson has been underscored in Japan. Early in , the Nippon Professional Baseball league committed to playing exhibition games without fans; only media, scouts, and team officials were allowed in. All were asked to check their temperature when they entered. The NPB and the J League, Japan’s pro soccer league, set up a joint committee to get the opinions of medical experts about the conditions that would be needed to allow fans back.

Initially, the NPB pushed its start date from March 20 to April 10. Teams continued to play exhibition games, traveling between cities. At the start, there were no protocols to ensure players’ safety, but by mid- March, teams started taking daily temperature checks of players.

On March 23, the league revised its from April 10 to April 24, and decided to scrap exhibition games. Minor league spring training games continued.

That dual-track approach proved misguided just three days later, when minor leaguer Shintaro Fujinama (a well-recognized player) became the first player to test positive. Two of his teammates with the also tested positive.

Initially, the NPB/J-League commission planned to quarantine any player who tested positive as well as those who had been in close contact while letting the rest of the team continue its activities. But one case quickly becoming three — evidence that nearly every member of a team qualified as being in close contact.

While eight of the 12 NPB teams continue to conduct workouts, Hanshin and three teams that played against it have stopped all baseball activities at their facilities. Sands is with Hanshin, on what he described as a “mild quarantine” with his wife and two sons (ages 5 and 3).

“You talk about a 6-foot barrier, the social distancing that everyone is talking about around the world, and I’m in the batter’s box, at first base," Sands said. "It was concerning.

"When we had the diagnosis, honestly it wasn’t very surprising. When you talk about statistics, the law of averages, there was probably someone walking around with it, asymptomatic or they’ve got a sore throat and aren’t telling anybody.”

Members of the Tigers are now getting two temperature checks a day and being asked to report symptoms. Three other NPB teams have also stopped allowing players in their facilities.

The April 24 start of the season was again pushed back Friday, this time without a scheduled date for resumption — raising questions iabout whether there will be a season. The multiple revisions to an announced starting date haven’t been lost on MLB or the MLBPA, which have avoided giving specific estimated start dates.

“If they push it back till whenever and then somebody else gets it, and they’ve started the season, do they push all the games to the end of the year? Do they forfeit them?” said Sands. "If one team has got it and just played two other teams, now they have to be quarantined as well.

'When you have a 12-team league and all of a sudden you quarantine three or four teams because they’ve been in contact with this team or that team, it’s unrealistic [to have a season].

“At the same point in time, when will it be gone? When will we consider it gone? I really don’t know. There are so many questions.

"That’s why I understand they’re trying to get — for the fans and the teams — dates on when they can try to get this going. But at the same point in time, you’re trying to estimate a virus that hasn’t even necessarily reached a peak or apex.”

▪ Global sports create heightened challenges

In January, Kelly had joined the LG Twins of South Korea’s KBO league for spring training, first for three weeks in Australia and then, after a two-day stop in South Korea, for exhibition games in Japan. But with coronavirus cases spiking in South Korea in late February and early March, the KBO delayed the start of its season and sent foreign players home, with plans to have them return two weeks before the start of the season.

Kelly, 30, got back to Arizona in early March and spent two weeks there. During that time, while South Korea’s public-health measures had started to flatten its coronavirus curve, cases started rising rapidly in the US. Though the KBO hadn’t set a new starting date, players were summoned back to South Korea in hopes that they would arrive before flights of the US ceased to be an option and before a mandatory quarantine period took effect in South Korea.

For Kelly, the need to fly to Seoul meant leaving his wife and three-month-old daughter.

“It’s been the toughest couple months of my life, trying to make the right decisions for me and my family,” said Kelly. “But everyone in the world is dealing with tough decisions. I’m thankful I have a job and that I’ll be able to do it.”

Kelly, upon landing, tested negative, but had a mandatory two-week quarantine in his apartment.

“It was definitely frustrating, knowing that the reason I rushed back over here was to make sure I didn’t get quarantined and then I got quarantined anyway,” said Kelly. “That was kind of tough for us to hear after we’d tested negative, but we want to be and take all the precautions necessary.”

The quarantine for foreign players amplifies the difficulty that the KBO faces in starting a season. Kelly, who has an app to report his symptoms (or lack thereof) to the Korean government every day, had been in pitching shape before leaving Arizona, but is now just over halfway through a period in which he is unable to throw or work out.

Once out of quarantine, he expects it will take him at least two weeks to be ready to pitch in an exhibition game, and likely at least another two weeks to be ready to pitch in regular-season games.

Haley, who pitched four big league games for the Red Sox in 2018, is in Newburyport with his wife and 1- year-old daughter. He has been contacted by a team in Taiwan about playing. If he decides to do so, he’s been told he’d have to spend two weeks in complete quarantine before joining the team.

“If I have to sit in a room for two weeks, I can only do so much to stay ready. A two-week break is a very long time,” said Haley. “I’m in great shape. I’m keeping my arm in shape. To sit in a room — which is basically what they’re putting it like — for two weeks, that’s a whole other ballgame. That’s a restart button.”

Kelly’s quarantine experience and Haley’s potential quarantine raise questions relevant for MLB: Will players returning from other countries or even domestic hot zones have to quarantine for two weeks? Industry sources have expressed concern about whether foreign players will be able to return at all, a development that would confront the league with a decision about whether to play games with incomplete rosters or not at all.

▪ It’s a different game without fans

Many eyes are on Taiwan, which is still aiming for a regular-season start on April 11, with games to be played in empty ballparks. Players in the Asian leagues have gotten a taste of exhibition games without spectators.

“It’s a different vibe,” Sands said. “It’s funny. You can hear everything they’re saying and everything we’re saying [in the dugouts]. It’s tough. You don’t realize the little bit of oomph, the little extra effort, the focus you get when you’ve got fans in the stands.”

One industry source called it a “foregone conclusion" that MLB will be playing at least some games this year in empty ballparks to squeeze as many games as possible into the schedule.

While Sands said he hadn’t seen anyone wearing masks in the in the NPB, some KBO players have begun to wear them.

“It just looks really funky,” said Kelly. "If we’re having to wear masks on the field, maybe it’s not the smart thing to be playing.”

Until there’s a coronavirus vaccine, a reliable form of treatment, or vastly improved testing that can isolate those who test positive before they risk spreading the virus, precautions can go only so far in diminishing the public health concerns of bringing two professional sports teams together on a field.

For that reason, while MLB and its players remain hopeful that they will play as full a schedule as possible, there’s also recognition that cancellation of the 2020 season is within the realm of possibility. The experience in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan will offer meaningful signs of what can and cannot be done.

Who is the choice at second for Red Sox: Jose Peraza or ?

Julian McWilliams

The starter at second base for the Red Sox is still up in the air, Ron Roenicke explained during spring training.

Jose Peraza and Michael Chavis are solid ballplayers, but neither carries the résumé or star power of, say, a Rafael Devers or Xander Bogaerts.

"The option is between, really, Peraza and Chavis,” Roenicke said. "That’s basically what we’re looking at there. We wait and we see.

"Really, I know what I would like to do, but if somebody starts swinging the bat and they’re playing great defense, they’re going to play more.”

But does Roenicke favor one over the other as the everyday guy?

If he did, he said with a smile, "I wouldn’t say anything to you.”

Some of it depends on what the Sox decide to do with Mitch Moreland. Is he the everyday first baseman or a platoon type? If it’s the latter, then perhaps Peraza is the everyday fit at second, with Chavis filling in at first when Moreland doesn’t play.

But if Moreland can stay healthy for a season — to this point in his career, he hasn’t — then maybe it’s a tighter battle at second.

Chavis made an impact last year in his rookie season, hitting .254 with 18 homers. He made 49 appearances at first base and 45 at second.

He stayed around the .260 mark all season until he just .156 in 11 games in August after dealing with a shoulder injury. His last game was Aug. 11, and shortly after that, the Sox placed him on the . Once he recovered and was on track to return, he strained his lat.

By that time, though, Chavis had made an impression, going from what was supposed to be a cup a coffee in the majors to being a mainstay on the roster.

"I’d be lying if I said it didn’t worry me at times,” Chavis said last season, regarding the possibility of being sent down. "There was a time period where I was worried about that every single day.”

The Sox have a new boss in chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, so Chavis will have to make another impression. Still, he entered spring training with a bit more clarity on what his focus should be: playing multiple positions and being as athletic as possible.

"I don’t really know where I’m playing or where I’m going to be needed,” Chavis said at the start of spring, "so I’m just making sure I’m available and ready to go wherever I’m needed.”

Chavis has been known for his power since high school.

"The one thing that jumped out right away was his bat speed and strength in his swing,” Mike Rikard, the Red Sox vice president of amateur scouting, said last season. "We were able to scout several practices with him [in high school], and one of the big turn-ons for me is a guy that can hit the ball just as far the other way as he can pulling the ball.”

The power has translated to the big leagues, but so too have the swings-and-misses, which resulted in a 33.2 percent rate last season. Nevertheless, opponents have to respect the power threat.

The biggest concern is in the field; Chavis is a tweener and doesn’t really have a position. Playing every day could expose his weaknesses a bit more.

So that probably makes Peraza the safer bet. Though he can play multiple positions, second is where he has the most experience.

"Second base is my most comfortable position,” Peraza said during spring training. "I played a lot of second base in the minors. I know I can help this team playing there.”

Peraza hit just .239 with the Reds last season, but the year before that, he hit .288 in 683 plate appearances.

Before the spring was cut short, he was 7 for 30.

The Red Sox have enough power in the order with J.D. Martinez, Bogaerts, and Devers; former manager said last year he felt the team struck out too much. Peraza can help with that.

His career high in strikeout percentage was just 14.4 percent in 2019. In 2018, it was just 11 percent. Additionally, Peraza has an 86.5 career contact percentage. He isn’t a big on-base guy, but that could be because he has such great bat-to-ball skills.

During the spring, he left an impression on the Sox and hitting Tim Hyers.

"He’s going to surprise some people,” Hyers said. "Jose’s a good player. We think he’s going to hit.”

The sudden halt of spring training left the Sox with little definition at second base, but it feels as if it’s Peraza’s position to lose.

Second base outlook

Primary 2019 starter:

Projected 2020 starter: Jose Peraza

Major league depth: Michael Chavis

Prospects to watch: C.J. Chatham, Jonathan Arauz

Lawsuit against Red Sox, Astros, and MLB dismissed

Julian McWilliams

A class-action lawsuit filed in January by five fantasy sports bettors against , the Red Sox, and the was dismissed by a judge on Friday.

The lawsuit was based on the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal in 2017, and the alleged Red Sox cheating scandal in 2018. The plaintiffs sought to recover losses sustained by DraftKings fantasy sports participants who did not realize they were wagering on teams that may have been cheating by using electronic devices to aid in stealing opponents’ signs.

"In 2017 and thereafter, the Houston Astros, and somewhat less blatantly the , shamelessly broke that rule, and thereby broke the hearts of all true baseball fans,” Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff wrote in his 32-page court decision document. "But did the initial efforts of those teams, and supposedly of Major League Baseball itself, to conceal these foul deeds from the simple sports bettors who wagered on fantasy baseball create a cognizable legal claim? On the allegations here made, the answer is no.”

Sign stealing is not against MLB rules, but using electronics to steal signs is a violation. The five men who filed the lawsuit alleged fraud, negligence, unjust enrichment, and consumer protection violations against all four defendants, according to Rakoff’s ruling.

Rakoff wrote that the plaintiffs’ theories relating to how the Sox, Astros, and the league benefited at the plaintiffs’ expense were all flawed.

"In short,” Rakoff concluded, "the connection between the alleged harm plaintiffs suffered and defendants’ conduct is simply too attenuated to support any of plaintiffs’ claims for relief. While the verbose, rhetorical, and largely conclusory complaint does manage to plausibly allege a few misrepresentations by defendants, these statements, which are unrelated to fantasy baseball, do not plausibly support plaintiffs’ claims of reliance.”

There still hasn’t been official confirmation by MLB of The Athletic’s report that the Red Sox cheated in 2018 under former manager Alex Cora by using electronics to steal signs. After completing his report on the Astros in January, MLB commissioner said he would have a decision on Cora — deemed as one of the architects in the Astros’ illegal sign-stealing when he was their bench coach — once an investigation into the Red Sox was finished.

Manfred said on March 26 during an ESPN interview that the Red Sox investigation was complete, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he hasn’t had time to write a report on the league’s decision. In 2017, the Sox were fined in 2017 for their use of an Apple Watch as part of a sign-stealing scheme.

A similar suit was filed in January by a Massachusetts man, although Rakoff consolidated the cases for pretrail and case management purposes.

* The Boston Herald

Red Sox’ 10-best seasons in the last 10 years: No. 10, 2016 Jackie Bradley Jr.

Jason Mastrodonato

No. 10: Jackie Bradley Jr. in 2016 Few things are as satisfying to watch as a light-hitting defensive specialist who suddenly turns into Babe Ruth.

And for 29 games in the spring of 2016, we witnessed just that.

Jackie Bradley Jr. had spent the majority of his 2015 season in -A Pawtucket, paying off his debts (or were they the Red Sox’ debts?) for getting a head start on his MLB career in 2013, when the Sox made him the youngest Opening Day outfielder since Dwight Evans four decades earlier.

Bradley would later admit that he thought he was ready, but couldn’t make adjustments quick enough to have any real impact at the plate.

Replaced in center field by Mookie Betts for most of the 2015 season, Bradley finally returned to the big leagues for regular playing time in August. And after Torey Lovullo took over as interim manager for John Farrell, who was battling cancer at the time, most of the Sox’ budding young players like Bradley had flourished.

By spring of 2016, it was clear Bradley was looking like a different player.

Tired of being too patient at the plate, he made changes. The aggressiveness turned into quick results, as he hit .377 with six extra-base hits in 53 spring training at-bats.

And on April 24 in Houston, Bradley had a two-hit game at Minute Maid Park that would start a career- changing month.

“I think the presence of Mookie behind him in the lineup may give the opposition some game-planning to attack Jackie,” Farrell predicted.

Bradley was almost always the No. 9 hitter, and he excelled in the spot. Early in 2016 he was crushing everything, turning on inside pitches and using his sneaky power to launch balls over the right-field fence. But most importantly, he was handling outside pitches, staying with the ball and playing with the .

On May 9, Bradley had his first career in a six-RBI game against the A’s.

“I never lost confidence,” he said at the time. “Never. I wouldn’t know how tough it would be to regain. I just knew that I was going to continue to work, and that’s the one thing that I could do.”

Asked about his hitting streak, which was at 15 games at the time, Bradley explained, “I just try to stay in rhythm. I’m a rhythmatic hitter. I like when things are just flowing, and I don’t think about what my hands are doing, what my feet are doing. I just try to make sure I’m on time to be able to attack the baseball.”

That rhythmic feeling is what former manager Alex Cora would try to help Bradley create two years later, when the center fielder was again struggling and in an extended .

But at the time in 2016, Bradley was feeling it. And he was gaining more attention with each passing day.

On May 25, Bradley pushed his hitting streak to 29 games, tied with in 2005 for the fourth- longest streak in club history.

“I don’t think about it until I’m reminded about it,” he said at the time. “Honestly, like I constantly say, if it ends tomorrow, today, it doesn’t matter. I just want to continue to keep swinging the bat well and keep winning.”

It ended the next day.

Betts needed a day off and Farrell finally moved Bradley up from the bottom of the order.

“It’s just a one-night thing,” Farrell said before the game. “Likely be back in his normal spot tomorrow.”

Bradley took over at the leadoff spot and went 0-for-4. He ended the game standing on deck.

“It was a fun ride,” he said.

The streak was over, but Bradley had made his mark.

After a similar hot streak the previous August, he had finally proven he could handle big league pitching for extended stretches. He was still a force on defense, finishing the season with 13 assists (most among center fielders) and making highlight-reel plays, like when a ball ricocheted off a sign on the Monster, bounced over his head and forced him to make a -like throw across his body to gun down Chase Headley at third base. Headley was so steamed he exchanged words with Rick Porcello and both the Sox’ and Yankees’ benches cleared.

Bradley was that impactful in 2016. He earned his first and only All-Star Game appearance and was 2-for-2 as the American League’s starting left fielder. And he and his wife, Erin, welcomed their first child, daughter Emerson, during the season.

During the 29-game hitting streak, he batted .415 with a 1.271 OPS, nine doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 30 RBI.

He was finally more than just a defensive specialist. And while the streakiness of his game continues to the present day, Bradley’s 2016 season remains one of the most memorable of the last decade.

THREE QUOTES

1. Bradley, after getting on base four times in an 8-0 win over the Yankees on April 30: “Scoring more than the other team usually brings a team a lot together.”

2. Betts, after Bradley’s two-homer, 6-RBI game in a 13-3 win over the A’s on May 11: “A lot of people doubted him from the beginning. I just enjoy watching him prove everyone wrong. He can hit. He can play center field. He can play the game.”

3. , on May 24, two days before the streak ended, when asked how long he thought Bradley would keep it going: “Hopefully for another 70 games. I’m a magician now?”

THREE STATS

1. From Aug. 9, 2015, through Aug. 9, 2016, Bradley hit .289 with a .911 OPS, ranking 18th in MLB in OPS during that span. Ortiz led the majors in that time, with a 1.047 OPS.

2. During the 2016 season, Bradley hit .339 and slugged .572 when batting eighth or ninth in the lineup (61-for-180, 12 doubles, three triples, eight homers). Among players with at least 100 at-bats batting ninth, he ranked first in OBP (.388), SLG (.598), and OPS (.986), and was second in AVG (.341).

3. The Red Sox went 20-5 in games he homered.

MORAL OF THE STORY

Perseverance pays off.

* MassLive.com

Boston Red Sox payroll: how much would Chaim Bloom have to spend in MLB free agency if coronavirus pandemic cancels 2020 season?

Christopher Smith

A canceled MLB season because of the coronavirus pandemic would have serious financial ramifications for all organizations, including the major-market clubs such as the Red Sox, Yankees and Dodgers. Those three clubs generated a combined $1.733 billion in revenues, including $700 million in gate receipts, during 2019, per Forbes.

The Red Sox — who enjoyed $516 million in revenue during 2019 (Forbes) — also would have the Competitive Balance Tax working against them. Boston slashed its 2020 payroll to stay below the $208 million Competitive Balance Tax base threshold and reset its tax penalties.

But those penalties won’t reset if the season is cancelled. Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported via Twitter, “There is no automatic CBT reset if there’s no 2020 season."

The Red Sox exceeded the threshold both in 2018 and ’19. They wanted to avoid receiving the highest tax penalty incurred for exceeding the CBT a third straight year (as a Third-Time CBT Payor, see chart below).

MLB CBT Chart from MLB's 2017-21 Collective Bargaining Agreement

Principal owner John Henry said in September 2019 he planned to stay below the $208 million base threshold in 2020. The Red Sox then slashed $42 million by trading Mookie Betts and in February.

Without a 2020 MLB season, the Red Sox presumably will try to stay below the 2021 $210 million CBT base threshold to reset their tax penalties. The base threshold increases from $208 million in 2020 to $210 million in 2021.

That leads to an important question: How much money will Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom have to spend next offseason in MLB free agency if the 2020 season is canceled? MassLive.com wrote in February that Bloom had set the table to spend in 2020-21 free agency by trading Price and Betts.

But does a canceled MLB season change that?

As mentioned, teams might spend significantly less money this coming offseason anyway after seeing their revenues plummet. Clubs will take a major hit financially even if the season is shortened. The Red Sox made $221 million in gate receipts during 2019, per Forbes.

Boston’s 2020 payroll is at an estimated $194.6625 million, well below the $208 million Competitive Balance Tax base threshold. It obviously has the chance to increase in-season with additional trades/signings and if Collin McHugh reaches certain incentives. McHugh has a base salary of $600,000 but incentives and bonuses could allow him to earn $4.25 million.

Rafael Devers will receive a raise in 2021 because he’s first-year arbitration eligible.

How much will second- and third-year arbitration-eligible players receive in raises from 2020 to ’21 if the season is canceled or shortened? That’s another fascinating storyline to watch.

The Red Sox will have money coming off the books following 2020.

Pending free agents Jackie Bradley Jr. ($11 million), Brandon Workman ($3.5 million), Kevin Pillar ($4.25 million) and Collin McHugh ($600,000) for a combined $19.35 million toward the 2020 CBT.

Martin Perez has a $6.25 million team option and $500,000 buyout for 2021. The Red Sox could buy out his contract to add some payroll flexibility if they wanted to move in a different direction during 2020-21 free agency.

J.D. Martinez also has an opt out clause for the second straight offseason. He counts $23.75 million toward the 2020 CBT. But his yearly salary drops from $23.75 million in 2020 to $19.35 million both in 2021 and ’22. With a front-loaded contract, it seems he’d be more apt to opt out this offseason.

Or will he?

He might not be as eager to test free agency in a bleak financial market following no baseball season.

That said, the Red Sox — who are approximately $13 million below the 2020 CBT — have the ability to free up $25.6 million (Bradley, Pillar, McHugh, Workman, Perez) and would have up to $49.35 million freed up if Martinez also opted out (of course Martinez and others would need to be replaced and Workman certainly is someone they would look to re-sign).

Red Sox 2020 estimated payroll breakdown: Guaranteed contracts: David Price (Red Sox pay $16 million of his $31 million AAV), ($25.60 million), J.D. Martinez ($23.75 million), Xander Bogaerts ($20 million), Nathan Eovaldi ($16.88 million); ($13.3 million), Christian Vazquez ($4.52 million), Kevin Pillar ($4.25 million), Jose Peraza ($3 million), Mitch Moreland ($3 million), Martin Perez ($6.5 million), Kevin Plawecki ($900,000), Collin McHugh ($600,000). Total: $138.3 million

Arbitration contracts negotiated: Jackie Bradley Jr. ($11 million), Eduardo Rodriguez ($8.3 million), ($5 million), Brandon Workman ($3.5 million), ($3.1 million), Heath Hembree ($1.6125 million). Total: $32.5125 million

Split contracts: Josh Osich ($850,000 in majors). Total: $850,000.

Pre-arbitration players: Yoan Aybar, Ryan Brasier, Colten Brewer, Austin Brice, Matt Hall, Kyle Hart, Darwinzon Hernandez, Chris Mazza, Mike Shawaryn, Jeffrey Springs, Josh Taylor, Marcus Walden, Ryan Weber, Jonathan Arauz, C.J. Chatham, Michael Chavis, Bobby Dalbec, Rafael Devers, Tzu-Wei Lin, Phillips Valdez, Alex Verdugo, Marcus Wilson. Approximate Total: $8 million.

Boston Red Sox sign stealing daily fantasy lawsuit: Judge says Astros, less blatant Sox ‘shamelessly broke’ rule but dismisses lawsuit

Christopher Smith

Federal district judge Jed Rakoff (Southern District of New York) has dismissed a lawsuit by daily fantasy sports bettors against Red Sox, Astros and MLB for illegal sign stealing, according to documents tweeted by Daniel Wallach, a legal analyst for The Athletic.

Daily fantasy contestants had filed a lawsuit against the Red Sox, Astros and MLB because they felt electronic sign stealing affected the results of their contests.

Rakoff wrote, “One of these rules forbids the use of electronic devices in the aid of the players’ inevitable efforts to steal the opposing ’s signs. In 2017 and thereafter, the Houston Astros, and somewhat less blatantly the Boston Red Sox, shamelessly broke that rule, and thereby broke the hearts of all true baseball fans. But did the initial efforts of those teams, and supposedly of Major League Baseball itself, to conceal these foul deeds from the simple sports bettors who wagered on fantasy baseball create a cognizable legal claim? On the allegations here made, the answer is no.”

MLB investigation’s into the 2018 Red Sox is finished but its report still has yet to be released.

“We are done with the investigation,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said March 26 on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt. “There has been a delay in terms of producing a written report just because I, frankly, have not had time to turn to it with the other issues. But we will get a Boston report out before we resume play.”

The Astros fired both GM and manager A.J. Hinch after MLB released the Houston report and suspended both for the 2020 season. The Red Sox parted ways with manager Alex Cora for his involvement. He served as Houston’s bench coach in 2017.

* RedSox.com

NESN filling void with Sox classics next week

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- NESN knows full well how much you are missing the Red Sox, and the popular regional sports network will continue to call on its mammoth archives to try to fill that hole in your heart while MLB is on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On Saturday at 6 p.m. ET, NESN will re-air “Band of Bearded Brothers,” the story of the 2013 champion Red Sox.

And on Sunday at 3 p.m., you can watch the ensuing parade, which is probably the most emotional celebration of them all given the tie-in with the Boston Marathon bombings earlier in the year.

Later, from Monday through Sunday of next week, NESN will re-air a memorable home opener each day starting at 6 p.m.

Monday’s entry is from 2017 against the Pirates -- a 5-3 victory highlighted by Andrew Benintendi opening his rookie season with a game-turning three- homer to right against .

On Tuesday, you get another ring ceremony, this time the 2008 opener against the Tigers. The real fun was before the game, when Bill Buckner was welcomed home with a thunderous ovation and threw the to Dwight Evans.

A Red Sox-Yankees rivalry home opener from 2011 is on tap for Wednesday. After an 0-6 road trip to start the season, Boston felt much better playing at Fenway, riding Dustin Pedroia to a 9-6 win.

The Sox and Yankees take the stage again on Thursday night -- this one the season opener from 2010. In that memorable Sunday night game on ESPN, Pedroia smashed a game-tying two-run homer in the seventh to lead the way to an 8-7 win.

On Friday, you’ll see the magic of Mookie Betts from the 2015 home opener against the Nationals. All Betts did in the first two of the game was rob of a homer, steal two bases in one sequence and hammer a three-run long ball himself. The Sox prevailed, 9-4.

The week will be capped next Saturday by probably the most memorable home opener in team history -- the one against the Yankees in 2005, when Boston collected World rings for the first time in 86 years as their rivals watched.

NESN is finalizing its programming for the coming weeks, but plans are underway for one week of games featuring the “Best of David Ortiz” and another week featuring the “Best of ” pitching performances.

Box score of the day: Nomo's 2nd no-no

Matt Kelly

Hideo Nomo is still one of the coolest in recent memory.

Ask millennials whose windups they tried to copy, and Nomo’s tornado delivery should come up more often than most. Often emulated in Little League, but certainly never matched since he retired, the Japanese native even had a certain flair when it came to his no-hitters.

Nomo twirled his first no-no on Sept. 17, 1996, in the place many thought would be impossible to do so: At the Rockies’ home ballpark. Or, in the much better words of Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully:

“Hideo Nomo has done what they said could not be done. Not in the Mile High City! Not at in Denver! He’s not only shut out the Rockies, he has pitched a no-hitter … and thank goodness they saw it in Japan.”

His second no-hitter came in his very first game with the Boston Red Sox, in their second game of the season, 19 years ago today against the Orioles. Just like Nomo’s first gem, this one had plenty of good nuggets.

For starters, it’s the earliest no-hitter by calendar date in Major League history. It made Nomo just the fourth pitcher to author a no-hitter in both the National and American League, following Hall of Famers , and ( would join that club three years later). To this day, it’s still the only no-hitter -- home pitcher or away -- thrown at hitter-friendly Camden Yards. It was the first of a record four no-hitters received by Red Sox catcher , and just ’s second game in a Boston uniform. And it came after a 43-minute delay caused by an electrical failure, leading to Murray Chass’ lede in that night’s recap for The New York Times: “First came the Baltimore power failure; then came the Orioles’ hitting failure.” (Nomo’s first no-hitter in Denver also came after a delay, that one for rain.)

Nomo wasn’t even the early story of this game. Instead it was young Orioles flame-thrower Sidney Ponson, who struck out five of the first six batters he faced and inspired the Baltimore broadcasters to wonder if they were “watching something special.” They were, but that something special was submitted by Nomo, who worked around some early walks before leaning on his signature split-fingered to strike out 11 Orioles -- including eight of the final 13 batters he faced. Let’s turn back the clock to that early April night in Baltimore for today’s box score of the day. (And, if you want to relive this game for yourself, it’s available in full on the MLB Vault YouTube account).

Player of the Game: Brian Daubach, 1B, Red Sox

Well, OK, the other player of the game, besides Nomo. But this game might have gone scoreless deep into the night if it weren’t for Daubauch’s two homers, which drove in all three of Boston’s runs in the 3-0 victory. The first baseman went oppo off Ponson for a two-run shot in the top of the third, and then pulled a Ponson pitch just past the right-field foul pole in the eighth to give his pitcher some breathing room.

Daubach was a grinder, spending nearly nine years in the Minor Leagues before the Marlins called him up late in 1998. His best years came with the Red Sox, where he became one of Boston’s “Dirt Dogs” and topped 20 homers in four straight seasons. On Aug. 29, 2000, Daubach was thrown at six times (and hit twice) by Devil Rays pitchers and injured his left arm during a bench-clearing brawl with Tampa Bay (tensions began with this thrown by Pedro Martínez). Then-Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein would later replace Daubach with a non-tendered corner infielder named David Ortiz, but Daubach would return to Boston in time to win a ring in ‘04.

Remember him? Mike Lansing, 2B, Red Sox

Maybe you don’t, but this no-hitter doesn’t happen without him. With one out in the ninth, Orioles shortstop Mike Bordick chased a pitch way outside and blooped one off the end of his bat toward what looked to be no-man’s land behind second base. Who knows how many no-hit bids have ended on cheap singles like this one, but Lansing covered a huge amount of ground and snared the ball with his back turned toward home plate.

This would be one of the final highlights of Lansing’s career (he retired after the 2001 season), but he had an eventful path through nine big league seasons. The Wyoming native was selected by the -A Miami Miracle club (a team formerly owned by Jimmy Buffett and Bill Murray before being taken over by Mike Veeck, son of Hall of Fame executive Bill Veeck) in the 1990 MLB Draft -- and yes, you read that correctly. In 1990, MLB allowed both the Miracle and the Double-A Erie Sailors to participate in the Draft.

Lansing was later sold to the , with whom, on Sept. 3, 1997, he homered for the Expos’ only hit in a win against … the Red Sox. After he was traded to the Rockies, Lansing became known for accompanying the Denver Police for SWAT team ride-alongs. Oh, and he was also nicknamed “The Laser.” That seemed worth mentioning.

He wore THAT uniform? Hideo Nomo, RHP, Red Sox

This night would catapult Nomo toward a career resurgence: He led the AL with 220 and a 10 strikeout- per-nine-innings average. But without this game, you might have a hard time remembering that Nomo ever suited up for the Red Sox; this was his only season with Boston before he went back to the Dodgers via free agency. In fact, naming all of the uniforms Nomo put on as a big leaguer makes for a pretty good trivia question (for the record: Dodgers, Mets, Brewers, Tigers, Red Sox, Devil Rays and Royals).

By his first start of 2001, Nomo had already made an impression with his new team. In the first , Orioles legend Jim Palmer shared on the broadcast that Nomo was the only pitcher that Red Sox pitching coach Joe Kerrigan refused to in batting practice. The reason? Too much movement on Nomo’s “splitter from hell.” And by the end of the night, it was clear the Orioles didn't want to see any more splitters, either.

Before he was big: B.J. Ryan, LHP, Orioles

Several years before he would set a then-record for relievers by signing a five-year, $47 million free-agent deal with the Blue Jays, the towering 6-foot-6 Ryan came on to relieve Ponson in the eighth and got his man, striking out . Then he intentionally walked Carl Everett and gave way to mate Mike Trombley.

At this time, Ryan was stuck as a funky, left-handed specialist. But Ryan would add more movement to his fastball and find ways to get everyone out by the end of 2004, when he took over the Orioles’ closer job from Jorge Julio. The next year, Ryan busted out with 36 saves, a 2.43 ERA and a 12.8 K/9 rate, positioning himself for a bidding war (the Yankees wanted him to be Mariano Rivera’s ) and, eventually, that record payday. Unfortunately for Blue Jays fans, Ryan would only submit one more All- Star season in a Toronto uniform.

Last call: Cal Ripken Jr., 3B, Orioles

How many people on this April night knew this would be Ripken’s last season? The baseball world at large didn’t find out until late June. Ripken was far from his customary self, batting just .210 by the time of his retirement announcement.

But aside from an early on a ball that went through his legs, Ripken looked fairly spry in this contest. He was one of just three Orioles hitters who found a base, reaching on a second-inning error by Red Sox third baseman Shea Hillenbrand, and he also made good contact on a lineout to right in the fifth. Three months later, Ripken played in his 19th and final All-Star Game in Seattle.

* ESPN.com

Judge nixes fantasy players' lawsuit over sign-stealing scandal

David Purdum

A federal judge in New York has dismissed a class-action lawsuit brought against Major League Baseball by a group of daily fantasy sports players, who claimed to have been harmed by the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox sign-stealing scandals.

In a 32-page opinion issued Friday, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff lambasted the Astros and Red Sox for "shamelessly" breaking baseball's rules and "the hearts of all true baseball fans," but he denied the claim of the named plaintiffs: Kristopher Olson, Christopher Lopez, Warren Barber, Christopher Clifford and Erik Liptak.

Investigations by MLB found that the Astros and Red Sox used electronic devices as part of sign-sealing schemes during recent seasons. Former Houston manager AJ Hinch and an ex-Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for one season due to their roles in the schemes, and the Red Sox were fined an undisclosed amount by MLB in 2017 for sign-stealing allegations.

Olson, who participated in daily fantasy baseball contests on DraftKings, filed the initial complaint in January, claiming that MLB, the Astros and Red Sox engaged in fraudulent practices that violated consumer rights and created "corrupt and dishonest" fantasy contests.

MLB is an investor in DraftKings.

Lawyers for MLB pointed to legal rulings from a past case centered on the "Spygate" scandal involving the New England Patriots. In that case, a judge ruled that sports fans could not claim ignorance regarding teams and players attempting to gain advantages by circumventing or violating rules.

"[D]id the initial efforts of those teams, and supposedly of Major League Baseball itself, to conceal these foul deeds from the simple sports bettors who wagered on fantasy baseball create a cognizable legal claim?" Rakoff wrote in Friday's opinion. "On the allegations here made, the answer is no."

* WEEI.com

Agreement gives group of Red Sox additional support

Rob Bradford

Adjustments continue to be made in the world of baseball.

According to multiple reports, the Major League Players Association agreed to a program that would pay non-roster players who were still with their major league clubs on March 13 extra financial support in the form of two payouts. This would be in addition to the $400 a week the union has agreed to pay minor leaguers through May.

Players with six or more years of big-league service are eligible for $50,000, while players sitting with between 3-5 years will get $25,000. Two to three years stands at $15,000, 1-2 years is $7,500 and one day- 1 year is $5,000.

The Red Sox players qualifying for such supplemental income include: , Rusney Castillo, , Juan Centeno, Cesar Puello, John Andreoli, Marco Hernandez and Jett Bandy. Lucroy is the only member of the group to be eligible for the maximum payment.

The impetus for the agreement was to find assistance for those who have paid union dues but were not being helped by the $170 million being sent to members of 40-man rosters through May.

The unexpected issue MLB players might face if asked to wear surgical masks on the field

Rob Bradford

They are playing baseball again in South Korea, albeit under somewhat different circumstances than normal.

So far, there have just been practice games but they are games, nonetheless. Games that are played in empty stadiums with many of the players wearing surgical masks, with an eye toward opening the regular season in early May.

It is a brief glimpse to what Major League Baseball might look like when and if it tries to return this season.

So, how would the MLB players acclimate themselves to such an environment? According to former Red Sox reliever Joe Kelly, there might some subtle adjustments and concerns that aren't really on the radar of those playing in Asia right now.

"What about the guys who like to chew tobacco during the game," Kelly said on the latest episode of the Bradfo Sho podcast's "Quarantined with the Kellys". "I know plenty of guys who are chewing tobacco. How are you going to spit? You're going to have to keep going up and down, you're going to be touching your mouth. It kind of defeats the purpose. ... I think if that was a thing where they said, 'We're going to let you play but there are going to be no fans and surgical masks I still think some people would say know because they want to do tobacco. They wouldn't even take full pay. They would be like, 'Nah, I'm good.'

So, if the players were given the option of coming back and playing but forced to wear the masks there would be a push back?

"Yeah, I think it would be a tough vote," Kelly added.

How about playing with no fans in the stands?

"It is going to happen and I don't like it," he said. "It's not going to be fun ... I think -- obviously people want to be paid -- (a vote) would lean 60-40 people would say let's play."

* NBC Sports Boston

Say hello to Arizona Red Sox? How MLB's Cactus League could 2020 season

John Tomase

Nothing says Red Sox home game like iguanas, scorpions, and cacti, but these are desperate times.

Barring millions of instant tests or a miracle cure, COVID-19 will just be a fact of our pent-up, penned-in lives for the foreseeable future.

This makes embarking on the baseball season problematic, since one infection would theoretically sideline an entire team for two weeks, and good luck staying virus-free while flying all over the country. Visiting hot spots would not only increase a player's risk of illness, it would also up the odds of one becoming a vector himself, which is bad for the brand, not to mention public health.

Get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App

But what if baseball could maintain some control over its players' whereabouts while limiting travel to a fleet of buses? Could a season happen under these tightly managed circumstances? And if so, where?

It may be a long shot, but the more one considers the alternatives, the more it sounds like the best hope we've got is for MLB to hold its entire season in Arizona.

The logistics are nightmarish regardless, but in a situation this unprecedented, the fewer variables the better. And MLB won't find a higher concentration of acceptable facilities than in the 48th state.

The Cactus League features 10 ballparks that host 15 teams in two months of spring training. Unlike the far-flung Grapefruit League, with teams scattered across Florida's east and west coasts, the Arizona sites are compact.

Parks stretch from Mesa in the southeast to Surprise in the northwest, a drive of only 45 minutes. Everything else lies in between, a constellation of moons tightly orbiting Phoenix.

Decamping to the desert for the duration would eliminate air travel and give the league a chance to closely monitor its players. The challenge is Herculean: hosting roughly 800 players, plus at least that many coaches, staff, families, umpires, and broadcasters without anyone contracting the world's most contagious virus, against which we possess zero natural immunity.

Players would need to be quarantined in league-controlled hotels, tested constantly, and shuttled to and from the park. For such a plan to work, they'd have to sacrifice their most basic freedoms of movement, because a single failed test would grind the season to a halt while at least one team spends two weeks in isolation, potentially triggering a cascade of shutdowns, too (the mere possibility of which prompted the NBA to suspend its season, after all).

Convincing the union to sign off on such draconian restrictions won't be easy, but the alternative may very well be no baseball.

The games would be made-for-TV events without fans. If each ballpark hosted one or two games a day, a regular schedule could be played.

The challenges would be enormous. Do three teams share one clubhouse? Could ballpark and hotel staff be expected to live in isolation as well to avoid infection? How long could players live like prisoners? Will testing capacity ramp up enough to accommodate an entire league? Are the results even reliable? And how would teams keep their facilities germ-free if they're in use all day?

Tomase: Nine ways for MLB to salvage the season (and the sport) Politics matter, too. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey only belatedly ordered a stay-at-home order on Monday, and it has drawn criticism from the state's mayors as one of America's weakest, with exceptions for "essential" services like golf courses, nail salons, and hotels. If Arizona experiences an outbreak, then this little thought experiment dies on the vine. The same goes for extending the order past its current April 30 expiration and into the summer.

But we're here to ponder best-case scenarios, not fill your heads with more unrelenting negativity. And though the task would be monumental, if there's to be a baseball season, our best bet might be to play it in the desert.

* The Athletic

MLB gets quick victory in DFS sign-stealing case, judge quotes Frank Sinatra

Daniel Kaplan

There hasn’t been a lot of good news for MLB recently with the season suspended, but start spreading the news, it got some Friday morning when a New York federal judge thoroughly kicked out of court a case brought by daily fantasy sports (DFS) contestants against the league, the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox for the sign-stealing scandal.

While the judge did find the trio may have made some false statements about their commitment to stamping out the use of video electronics to steal signs, it did not rise to the legal standard to allow the case to move forward. He dismissed it with prejudice, meaning the lawsuit cannot be amended and refiled in his court.

“Plaintiffs point to one plausibly false statement by MLB Commissioner (Rob) Manfred,” Judge Jed Rakoff wrote. “After receiving reports that the Astros had sent an individual to take pictures of an opponent’s dugout for purposes of sign stealing, Manfred claimed to have performed a ‘thorough investigation’ that found that the ‘Astros employee was monitoring the field to ensure the opposing club was not violating any rules.’ The plaintiffs urge that this investigation could not have been thorough because the Astros were cleared of wrongdoing that it later became clear they were guilty of. While a bit of a stretch, nonetheless, assuming the truth of plaintiffs’ allegations and drawing all inferences in their favor, Manfred’s statement that there was a ‘thorough investigation’ could plausibly have been false.”

A federal judge citing that Manfred may have made a false statement is embarrassing for MLB, but ultimately that is the most this suit could inflict. The argument that DFS players were harmed because the stats they relied on were impure from the scandal always appeared tenuous: MLB and most of its clubs only have an advertising relationship with the DFS provider, DraftKings (the league sold its equity stake in the company last year).

“In short, the connection between the alleged harm plaintiffs suffered and defendants’ conduct is simply too attenuated to support any of plaintiffs’ claims for relief,” Rakoff wrote. “While the verbose, rhetorical, and largely conclusory complaint does manage to plausibly allege a few misrepresentations by defendants, these statements, which are unrelated to fantasy baseball, do not plausibly support plaintiffs’ claims.”

Rakoff almost appeared in a hurry to issue the opinion. On March 20 after the two sides argued their sides over the motion to dismiss filed by the Astros, Red Sox and MLB, Rakoff said he would have a decision by April 15. His decision came nearly two weeks ahead of time.

Irwin Kischner, executive chairman of Herrick Feinstein, said not only the DFS contestants, but also other sign-stealing litigants will have tough sledding (Astros season ticket holders are suing the club in Texas, and former MLB pitcher Mike Bolsinger is suing in California).

“I don’t think that this is going to find redress in the courts. I think that this is going to find, or found, redress in the commissioner’s office,” he said. “Baseball is as you know, an SRO, a self-regulatory organization. They have their own ways to mete out these types of punishment judgments. Same thing, by the way with Deflategate, right? I mean, any of these scandals, why is that any different?”

Courts largely defer to SROs’ internal disciplinary systems. Rakoff alluded to the failure of lawsuits brought by ticket holders in other cases against teams for alleged improper actions.

“As defendants note, three federal circuits have declined to hold that sports organizations owe similar duties even to their direct customers, ticket holders … While the Second Circuit has not ruled on this issue, these cases demonstrate at a minimum that finding a duty based on the much more attenuated relationship between fantasy baseball players and the defendants in this case is not supportable.

The DFS contestants tried to argue they were akin to investors defrauded by the parent company, but Rakoff was not having any of it. He did seem to relish his time with a baseball case (as judges often do with sports litigation). This is how he opened his 32-page decision.

“A sport that celebrates ‘stealing,’ even if only of a base, may not provide the perfect encouragement to scrupulous play. Nor can it be denied that an overweening desire to win may sometimes lead our heroes to employ forbidden substances on their (spit) balls, their (corked) bats, or even their (steroid-consuming) selves. But as Frank Sinatra famously said to Grace Kelly (in the 1956 movie musical High Society), ‘there are rules about such things.’”

He then footnotes the last quote with the following: “Frank was referring, of course, to a different kind of sport. The words were first uttered by Van Heflin to Katherine Hepburn.”

* Associated Press

Federal judge tosses fan lawsuit vs. MLB, Astros, Red Sox

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by fantasy sports contestants who claimed they were damaged by sign stealing in Major League Baseball.

Five men had sued MLB, MLB Advanced Media, the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox in federal court in Manhattan, claiming fraud, violation of consumer-protection laws, negligence, unjust enrichment and deceptive trade practices by teams that violated MLB’s rules against the use of electronics to steal ’ signs.

“A sport that celebrates `stealing,' even if only of a base, may not provide the perfect encouragement to scrupulous play,” U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff wrote Friday in a 32-page opinion. "Nor can it be denied that an overweening desire to win may sometimes lead our heroes to employ forbidden substances on their (spit) balls, their (corked) bats, or even their (steroid-consuming) selves. But as Frank Sinatra famously said to Grace Kelly (in the 1956 movie musical High Society), “there are rules about such things.“

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred ruled in January the Astros violated rules against electronic sign-stealing during home games en route to their World Series title in 2017 and again in 2018. He suspended manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow for one season each, and both were fired by the team. Manfred fined the Astros $5 million, the maximum under MLB rules and stripped the team of its next two first- and second-round draft picks.

Manfred fined the Red Sox in 2017 for using Apple Watches to pass along signals. Boston is being investigated for possible violations of electronic sign-stealing rules in 2018, when it won the World Series.

“In 2017 and thereafter, the Houston Astros, and somewhat less blatantly the Boston Red Sox, shamelessly broke that rule, and thereby broke the hearts of all true baseball fans,” Rakoff wrote. "But did the initial efforts of those teams, and supposedly of Major League Baseball itself, to conceal these foul deeds from the simple sports bettors who wagered on fantasy baseball create cognizable legal claim? On the allegations here made, the answer is no.”

The five men who sued participated in fantasy contests hosted by DraftKings from 2017-19.

“The connection between the alleged harm plaintiffs suffered and defendants’ conduct is simply too attenuated to support any of plaintiffs’ claims for relief,” Rakoff said.