The Friday, November 20, 2020

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With myocarditis behind him, Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez confidently looks ahead

Alex Speier

Playing catch is among the least exceptional things a major league player can do. It is a signal of routine, little more than an obligatory checkmark in a day.

That is not the case for Eduardo Rodriguez.

Last week, for the first time since his season ended because of COVID-19-related myocarditis in mid-July, the Red Sox lefthander started throwing a baseball. It represented a milestone, and he’s now going to be doing it four times a week.

“Amazing, man. It feels great,” Rodriguez said by phone. “It’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.”

For the 28-year-old lefthander, normal has taken on new dimensions.

At the start of July, just before he was scheduled to come to Boston for summer training camp before the compressed season, Rodriguez tested positive for COVID-19. He remained home until multiple negative tests led to clearance to come to Boston. But when he started throwing in Fenway Park, fatigue immediately made it clear that something was very wrong.

A battery of tests revealed the myocarditis — an inflammation of the heart muscle that in worst-case scenarios can cause death. When the condition did not immediately resolve, Rodriguez was shut down for the season and sent back home.

There, he wasn’t merely prohibited from engaging in baseball activities, he was restricted from virtually all forms of physical exertion — whether it was playing with his 7-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son, or taking his dog for a walk. For nearly three months, all he could do was walk around his house and sit on the couch.

“That time of year, I’ve never been sitting around,” said Rodriguez. “It’s hard, man. Just being at home, relax, chilling all the time, all day long, that’s kind of hard for me.”

Rodriguez is the only known major leaguer to miss the entire season because of a COVID-19 infection or related illness, and the only one known to develop myocarditis. It would have been easy for him to lament his status, yet he maintained a broader perspective.

“I thank God I was the only one,” said Rodriguez. “Even if I was the only one [in MLB] that had myocarditis, you see all the people who have died [from COVID-19]. I’m happy that I just had myocarditis and am not six feet underground.”

With the input of his doctors and his mother, a nurse, he understood the need to follow the prescribed period of inactivity but also felt reassured that the condition was almost certain to resolve. With roughly three months of sitting around, the medical professionals assured him, Rodriguez would be able to return to normalcy.

“I believed in what the doctors said,” he said. “Every time I went in to the doctor, they told me how I was doing and they were seeing good results.”

Yet the interim still proved difficult. Rodriguez, a constant source of clubhouse chatter and ebullience, struggled with the separation from his teammates. He watched every Red Sox game and frequently called , Martin Perez, Nate Eovaldi, and others to let them know what he was seeing — or just to feel engaged with his normal life.

“I can’t imagine guys just retiring and being at home for two years,” he said. “It was really hard for me to be in that position.

“For me, now, it’s more than just a game. It’s living your life, living with your teammates. It was like leaving your family. Half my heart was away from me.

“It was just weird, man. I would say it was weird because it’s something I’ve never been through before in my life.”

That being the case, a visit to Boston in late September was a much-anticipated landmark. With some nervousness and considerable excitement, Rodriguez underwent a battery of tests to ensure that the inflammation was completely gone. With that confirmed, doctors cleared him for a gradual buildup of physical activity.

Over the past seven weeks, Rodriguez slowly built back his list of activities from the most basic level. Walks outside became rides on an exercise bike, followed by light throwing, and finally what he described as full clearance to conduct “a regular offseason program.”

“I’m 100 percent and I can start doing everything,” said Rodriguez. “I feel fine. I feel great.”

And with that, Rodriguez has been able to start considering the future. The Red Sox have acknowledged that the unprecedented nature of his shutdown has left questions about the workload that Rodriguez — who went 19-6 with a 3.81 ERA along with 9.4 and 3.3 walks per nine innings in 2019 — can handle next season.

Rodriguez, however, is not resetting his expectations for 2021. He is training with the goal of repeating the benchmarks he in 2019, when he logged a career-high 203⅓ innings while leading MLB in starts.

His intention is to have “a regular offseason, get ready for the season, go out there, throw 200 innings, 34 starts. That’s my goal. That’s the way I’m going to do it. That’s the approach I had in 2019. I’m going to take it the same way, go and do it.”

Such proclamations mark just part of the ’s excitement for what is to come. He is thrilled about the return of as manager (“We have conversations that feel like a brother to a brother, sometimes a father to a son, sometimes like friends — a special relationship”) while also expressing hope that, one year from free agency, he can work with the Red Sox to extend his tenure.

“I want to stay in Boston as long as my career goes,” he said. “I want to play in Boston forever. That’s where I got to the big leagues. That’s where I got an opportunity. That’s my family. That’s a ballpark where I really love to pitch — the history, everything.

”We’ll see what goes on there, see where we’re at. Hopefully they want to do it. I want to do it.”

For now, those longer-term considerations are less pressing than the immediate reality of what Rodriguez is able to do. He is once again healthy, once again immersed in routine, once again in a position where he’ll be able to do what he loves.

“It is going to be great,” he said, laughing with giddiness, “when I get back on the mound.”

After months of patience, that finally feels within reach.

* The Providence Journal

Sox pick Venable as bench , report says

Bill Koch

BOSTON --- The Red Sox have reportedly zeroed in on their next bench coach.

Will Venable, among the first of nine candidates who interviewed for the manager’s job, will be named second in command to Alex Cora in the coming days. WEEI.com was first with the news.

Venable has spent the last four years with the Cubs organization. He was hired in 2017 as a special assistant to president of baseball operations and moved to the dugout in 2018 as first-base coach. Venable stayed in that role for 2019 and shifted across the diamond to become Chicago’s third-base coach in 2020.

Venable was an all- selection in both baseball and basketball during his college career at Princeton. The 38-year-old reached the big leagues as an with the Padres, Rangers and Dodgers from 2008-16. Venable appeared in 967 career games, and 918 of those were with San Diego.

“We wanted to wait on some of those things until we had a manager in place,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said last week. “The manager’s view of those things is very important, and it’s something we’re going to work on together.”

Venable, along with Pirates bench coach , was identified early by Boston to potentially replace Ron Roenicke. The Red Sox reportedly interviewed both Venable and Kelly in late October and brought in at least six more candidates to follow. They ultimately went back to Cora after he served a season-long suspension in 2020 for his connection to electronic sign-stealing with the Astros three years earlier.

“We’re going to pick the right guy,” Cora said last week. “One thing’s for sure — we're going to have a great all-around coaching staff. I feel pretty confident that we are ready to take the next step in that department.”

Diamondbacks bench coach Luis Urueta, Marlins bench coach and offensive coordinator , Twins bench coach Mike Bell, Padres associate manager Skip Schumaker, Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza and Phillies player information director Sam Fuld all bid for the job that ultimately went to Cora. Venable was the youngest of the nine candidates while Cora was among the oldest at 45. His first bench coach during his two-year stint in Boston, Roenicke, was nearly two decades his senior.

“Everyone is like, ‘Oh, he’s so experienced,’ ” Cora said. “I only managed in the big leagues for two years and was a bench coach for one. I’ve been on a bench for three. I still need help in that department.”

Like Cora, Venable was born and raised into the game through his father. was an outfielder and with the Giants, Expos, Reds and Angels from 1979-91. His playing career finished in 1993 after two seasons in Japan’s Pacific League with the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Aside from Venable and pitching coach , Cora’s staff will largely remain unchanged from his last season with the Red Sox. Third-base coach , first-base coach , hitting coach and staff coach Ramon Vazquez all remain in place.

* MassLive.com

Eduardo Rodriguez wants to sign extension with Boston Red Sox: ‘I want to play in Boston forever’ (report)

Chris Cotillo

Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is hoping to sign an extension that will keep him in Boston beyond 2021, he told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. Rodriguez is slated to hit free agency after next season after missing all of 2020 due to a heart condition caused by COVID-19.

“I want to stay in Boston as long as my career goes,” Rodriguez told Speier. “I want to play in Boston forever. That’s where I got to the big leagues. That’s where I got an opportunity. That’s my family. That’s a ballpark where I really love to pitch — the history, everything.

“We’ll see what goes on there, see where we’re at,” he added. “Hopefully they want to do it. I want to do it.”

Rodriguez, who turns 28 in April, has spent the first five years of his big-league career in Boston, posting a 51-31 record and 4.03 ERA in 127 appearances (122 starts) since making his debut in 2015. In 2019, he had a career year, finishing sixth in the voting for the Cy Young award after going 19-6 with a 3.81 ERA in 34 starts.

Rodriguez agreed to an $8.3 million salary for 2020, his second year of arbitration, and is likely to receive a raise for 2021 despite not pitching last year. After being shut down for months, the lefty has been cleared to resume baseball activities and hopes to be 100% for the beginning of .

It’s unclear if the Red Sox have approached Rodriguez about a potential extension, but it’s likely the sides will talk before Opening Day. Rodriguez missing 2020 will present a unique situation for the sides to attack in potential negotiations, as Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said Wednesday on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria.”

“Obviously, it makes things a little more complicated on that front,” Bloom said. “I believe, and this can be true about anybody, when you have a mutual desire to do something, it gives you a better chance to at least have a good conversation. Sometimes these things line up, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes the circumstances, like you said, can just make it tougher. I do believe if there’s desire, you at least have a chance.”

* WEEI.com

Eduardo Rodriguez on contract extension with Red Sox: 'I want to do it'

Rob Bradford

There doesn’t appear to be any groundbreaking agreement, but there are hints that the door might be opening when it comes to extension talks for Eduardo Rodriguez.

Appearing on OMF Wednesday afternoon, Chaim Bloom would only talk in hypotheticals when asked about how complicated zeroing in on a new contract for Rodriguez — who is eligible for free agency after the 2021 season. But even without specifically identifying the player, the Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer did offer some clues in terms of how things might unfold.

“I don’t like to get into detail on those possibilities with him or any player, but hypothetically, obviously it makes things a little more complicated from that front,” said Bloom when asked about how Rodriguez’s lost 2020 — due to myocarditis — might make an evaluation regarding a long-term commitment a bit more challenging.

“Again, this can be true about anybody, when you have a mutual desire to do something it gives you a better chance to at least have a good conversation. Sometimes these things line up. Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes the circumstances can just make it tougher. But I do believe if there is desire, you at least have a chance. Again, all these extensions that happen you see throughout the game are some sort of sharing of risks between the team and the player. And usually in the situation of the player, he wants to continue to be where he’s at. Everybody is going to make their own decisions. We’re kind of sharing a risk as appropriate. Just because you don’t line up doesn’t mean there wasn’t a desire to get it done. It just may change from player to player and situation to situation.”

What we do know is that the “desire” of which Bloom speaks in regards to remaining with the Red Sox beyond next season is there from Rodriguez’s standpoint. It’s a reality the lefty reiterated when recently speaking with Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.

“I want to stay in Boston as long as my career goes,” Rodriguez said. “I want to play in Boston forever. That’s where I got to the big leagues. That’s where I got an opportunity. That’s my family. That’s a ballpark where I really love to pitch — the history, everything.

“We’ll see what goes on there, see where we’re at. Hopefully they want to do it. I want to do it.”

Rodriguez, who has just started throwing a baseball as the latest step in his recovery from the heart condition, would be considered one of the top free agent on the market if he could duplicate his 2019 season in which he went 19-6 with a 3.81 ERA in 203 1/3 innings.

* NBC Sports Boston

Sox taking a flyer on intriguing power-hitting prospect

John Tomase

If you're going to take a flyer on a minor league free agent, there are worse candidates than a former top prospect coming off a 31-homer season.

That's exactly what the Red Sox found in an under-the-radar pickup this week in former Padres second- rounder Michael Gettys, who signed a minor-league deal that does not include an invitation to spring training, per WEEI.com.

Gettys was considered a possible first-round pick in the 2014 draft out of Gainesville High School in Georgia, where his bat compared favorably to another Peach State slugger selected 26th overall that year by the Red Sox -- .

Gettys ended up going 51st to San Diego, where he eventually became one of the Padres' top 10 prospects, per multiple rankings, rising as high as eighth on 's list in 2017.

While there were underlying tools that made him an intriguing prospect, including plus power and excellent speed in the outfield, Gettys struggled to make contact throughout his minor league career. In 2019 at -A El Paso, he struck out 168 times in 507 at-bats, which more than offset his 31 homers and .822 OPS. Over his career, he has struck out nearly 900 times in only 671 games.

Still, at 6-foot-1 and 217 pounds, the right-hander slugger is worth a look. He was crowded out of the prospect ranks in San Diego's deep farm system, and joins a Red Sox organization that's already rich in former Padres prospects, thanks to last summer's deal of Mitch Moreland to San Diego for outfielder Jeisson Rosario and third baseman Hudson Potts.

For his career, Gettys is a .260 hitter with 84 homers and a .745 OPS.

* BostonSportsJournal.com

Red Sox Notebook: Scouting reports on two new minor league free agents; a look at 40-man roster shuffle coming Friday

Sean McAdam

They’re not the kind of free agents who make headlines, but the Red Sox have already been busy addressing organizational depth with some recent minor league free agents signings.

The Sox signed reliever Kevin McCarthy to a minor league deal with a major league invite, hoping to bolster their bullpen. McCarthy spent time in the big leagues with the over each of the last five seasons, appearing in 169 games — all in relief — and compiling a 3.80 ERA.

“He’s sort of different look,” said one major league evaluator. “He’s a ground ball guy and he’s had a lot of success with righthanders. The combination of keeping the ball on the ground and the ability to neutralize righthanders will be big, especially in the A.L. East. He won’t wow you with his stuff, but he can help.”

One caveat with McCarthy: he’s out of options, meaning he can’t be an up-and-down guy for the Sox — bouncing between Triple-A and the big leagues depending on need — without first being exposed to waivers. But given that he was placed on waivers by Kansas City late last season and went unclaimed, perhaps that’s not as much of an jssue.

Boston also signed power-hitting outfielder Michael Gettys, who was once a Top 10 prospect for the .

“It’s hard to gauge performance sometimes in the ( where small ballparks and high altitude can drive up home totals).” warns the evaluator. “But he’s put up big power numbers pretty consistently. He’s going to strike out at a relatively high rate and he’s got to work on that. Still, he’s got plus righthanded power and that’s always at a premium.”

The problem with a lack of consistent contact has been both his swing plane and his swing-take decision- making. But it might help that Gettys knows hitting instructor Tim Hyers, who was the area scout who watched Gettys as a high schooler in Georgia.

Defensively, Gettys is athletic enough to play either corner outfield spot and has good arm strength.

“He could be a plus defender in either left or right,” said the evaluator.

To date, Gettys hasn’t been given an invite to major league spring training, but that could still be in the offing. ______

Sometime before Friday. the Red Sox will be making some changes to their 40-man roster. Friday is the date by which the team must finalize its roster prior to the Dec. 10 Rule 5 draft and there are a half-dozen or so prospects that the Sox must soon add or risk losing.

Among the players currently in the system who need to be put on the roster to be shielded from Rule 5 exposure are: , Bryan Mata, Hudson Potts, Jeisson Rosario, and .

Groome and Mata are homegrown pitchers developed by the Red Sox and, now that has made his major league debut, could be ranked 1-2 as the team’s top starting pitching prospects. Groome was a first-round selection in 2016, but lost valuable development time when he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018. Mata has reached -A and at the alternate training site in Pawtucket last summer, impressed evaluators with his progress.

The other four players in need of protection have all been obtained in deals since Chaim Bloom became the team’s chief baseball officer.

Potts and Rosario were the return in the trade that sent Mitch Moreland to the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline last August. Potts is an offense-first infielder with power while Rosario is a speedy with on-base ability.

Seabold was part of the package (along with ) the Sox obtained when they dealt relievers and Heath Hembree to the Phillies. Seabold is projected as a potential middle-t0-back- end starter.

Finally, Wong was the third piece in the mega-deal with the last February involving Mookie Betts. Wong is primarily a catcher though he’s also played some infield. (Jeter Downs, the other prospect included in the trade, doesn’t need to be protected until next December)

Adding those six — at minimum — means the Red Sox will have to do some trimming from their current 40-man group. As of Thursday afternoon, the Sox stood at 36, meaning to add all six prospects listed above, the Sox would have to trim at least two players.

A seventh possibility would be , a late-blooming 25-year-old righty who was impressive in the team’s recent Instructional League program.

Some candidates would include LHP Matt Hall, RHP Robert Stock and LHP Kyle Hart.

Hall was obtained last winter from Detroit. Stock was claimed on waivers from the Phillies last July. Hart was a 19th-round pick in the 2016 draft who made his major league debut this past season and was shelled in four appearances with a 15.55 ERA and a 3.091 WHIP.

* The Athletic

What roster cuts will Red Sox make ahead of Rule 5 draft cutdown?

Chad Jennings

Friday is the deadline to protect prospects from the Rule 5 draft, which means the Red Sox are fast approaching another roster makeover.

Their 40-man roster currently has 36 spots filled, they have at least five prospects — probably six, maybe seven — who need protection. That means they’re going to have to whittle away at the edges, just like they did last month with a series of initial offseason cuts.

There are two sides to Friday’s decision — the players added, and the players removed. We’ll start with the fun side: The young guys worth a spot on the roster.

Step 1: Whom to protect Rule 5 eligibility is based on how long a player has been a minor league professional. Protecting a player requires adding him to the 40-man roster. Last November, the Red Sox protected five prospects, and two of them — and Kyle Hart — wound up making their major league debuts this year.

These are the Rule 5 eligible Red Sox prospects who stand out as candidates this offseason.

1. Bryan Mata, RHP – The top pitching prospect in the organization drew raves from Triple-A pitching coach Paul Abbott this summer. Mata has a big fastball, a good slider and shaky control (though Abbott said the control was improving in Pawtucket this summer). Mata has considerable upside and could factor into the big league picture next season. A no-brainer for protection.

2. Connor Seabold, RHP – If the Red Sox could combine Seabold and Mata, they’d have one elite young pitcher. While Seabold doesn’t have Mata’s raw stuff, he does have the command Mata lacks. He was acquired in the Brandon Workman/Heath Hembree trade, and gives the Red Sox another bit of internal rotation depth who could be ready this summer.

3. Connor Wong, C – The third piece of the Mookie Betts trade is also considered the top catching prospect in the Red Sox system. There’s really not a close second, unless it’s waiver claim Deivy Grullon. Wong has some power, and the fact he plays a position where the Red Sox are thin should make him an easy addition to the 40-man.

4. Hudson Potts, 3B – A former first-round pick acquired in the Mitch Moreland trade, Potts has considerable power and an ability to play third base. Bobby Dalbec is an easy comparison, even if Dalbec is considered the better prospect. Potts also has some experience at second base, though it’s unclear whether the Red Sox see that as a viable option. Another seemingly safe bet for protection.

5. Jay Groome, LHP – His prospect status is considerable, and the fact he throws left-handed might allow a team to stash him in its big league bullpen next season. All of that suggests he needs Rule 5 protection, but Groome is an atypical case. Injuries have limited him to only 66 innings in the lowest levels of the minor leagues. Ideally, the Red Sox would wait a year before putting him on the 40-man, but his upside seems too high to risk losing him.

6. Jeisson Rosario, CF – The other piece of the Moreland deal is a good defensive center fielder with some speed, which makes him a Rule 5 candidate despite his lack of experience above Class-A ball. Seems worthwhile to protect him, but this is where the list gets a little less certain.

7. Eduard Bazardo, RHP – He was a candidate for Rule 5 protection last winter, and the Red Sox ultimately rolled the dice by leaving him exposed. No team took him, he wasn’t invited to the alternate site, and there wasn’t a minor league season this year. So why would he be a candidate again? Because scouting matters for big-armed pitchers like this, and Ian Cundall of SoxProspects.com reports Bazardo’s velocity was up and his high-spin curveball was terrific at instructs this fall. Is that enough for the Red Sox to protect him?

From that list, the top five seem to be safe bets, the top six seems to be a reasonable expectation, and Bazardo is kind of a wild card depending on the Red Sox internal scouting. Beyond those seven, there are some interesting players with a chance to reach the majors, but most of them re-signed minor league deals this winter – power hitter Josh Ockimey, catcher Jhonny Pereda, pitchers Seth Blair and Stephen Gonsalves — which suggests they’re unlikely Rule 5 targets.

Many of the system’s other notable prospects are not yet eligible for the Rule 5 draft, and so there’s no reason to add them (this includes Triston Casas, Jeter Downs, Jarren Duran and Thad Ward).

Step 2: Whom to remove The Red Sox made the easy roster cuts a month ago when they removed Domingo Tapia, Robinson Leyer, Zack Godley, Andrew Triggs, Mike Kickham, Dylan Covey, Cesar Puello, Tzu-Wei Lin and José Peraza from the 40-man. Only Tapia was claimed off waivers. The rest became free agents.

Now another round of cuts is necessary, and there will be more as the team signs free agents or claims players off waivers. As for whom to cut, the Red Sox have three groups to consider.

Certainly they could cut Dustin Pedroia, but it seems more likely the Red Sox — and Pedroia himself — would rather that inevitable transaction happen in a more ceremonial way. Surely Pedroia’s last act as a part of the Red Sox roster won’t be stepping back so that a 22-year-old kid isn’t lost to the Rule 5 draft. Our guess is this round of cuts comes from one of these three groups.

Non-tender candidates: , , Ryan Weber, Austin Brice,

The non-tender deadline is Dec. 2, but if the Red Sox have already decided some of their arbitration- eligible players won’t be back, they might as well make those cuts now. These five would be relatively affordable most winters — even Barnes, projected to make roughly $4 million — but this financial environment might suggest otherwise. Is $1 million too much for Brasier or Weber? Is $2 million too much for Plawecki?

Cheap depth pitchers: Marcus Walden, Matt Hall, Chris Mazza, Jeffrey Springs, Robert Stock

Because of his success in 2019, Walden stands out from this group, but he might be out of runway as a 32- year-old coming off a bad year. Hall, too, had a bad year. Mazza and Springs had some good moments. Stock has that blazing fastball, but the Red Sox might believe there are better depth options available.

Uncertain minor leaguers: Kyle Hart, Yoan Aybar, Deivy Grullón, C.J. Chatham, Marcus Wilson

These five still have some prospect status, but the organization’s commitment to them is a bit unclear. Hart had a 15.55 ERA in his first four big league appearances. Aybar was not invited to the Pawtucket camp this summer, and Wilson wasn’t sent there until early September. Grullón and Chatham provide catching and infield depth, but Grullón was a waiver claim and has defensive limitations, while Chatham seems to have fallen behind , Yairo Muñoz and perhaps Jonathan Araúz in the utility pecking order.

Hart, Aybar, Chatham and Wilson were protected from the Rule 5 draft just last winter, but their situations may have changed enough to make them more expendable this offseason.