The Sunday, March 17, 2019

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Cash-conscious Rays believe things are looking up

Peter Abraham

The exact numbers are to be determined, but the will start the season with a payroll approximately $177 million less than the Red Sox and $142 million below the Yankees.

But a recent visit to Tampa Bay’s clubhouse in Port Charlotte, Fla., found a team that sincerely believes it’s capable of winning the East.

The Rays were 90-72 last season, 18 games behind the historically dominant Red Sox and 10 behind the second-place Yankees. That’s a lot of ground to make up.

But the Rays don’t fear their well-funded division rivals. Tampa Bay was 17-21 against the Sox and Yankees last season with seven of those losses by one run. They Rays were 13-7 against the Astros, Athletics, and Indians.

Overall, the Rays were 41-25 after the All-Star break. The Sox were 40-24 and the Yankees 38-29.

“They have something good going on over there,” Red Sox manager said.

Center fielder Kevin Kiermaier felt a young team grew up over the course of last season.

“We showed we could beat the best teams,” he said. “It was a good example that we could handle all the superstars on the opposition. The mind-set here is great. There’s a lot of talent on this roster.”

Lefthander has seen both sides. He was drafted by the Sox and made his major league debut last season before being traded to the Rays on July 25 for .

Beeks was 5-0 with a 4.47 in 12 games for Tampa Bay.

“What we did last year will hopefully give us some momentum,” Beeks said. “There’s a lot of good energy here. We’re excited. Our goal is to get to the playoffs and see what happens.”

In Cy Young winner Blake Snell and free-agent signee , the Rays have two strong starters. could emerge as a third. They’ll likely use openers for the other two spots and fill in from there with young starters such as Beeks.

The lineup returns second baseman and third baseman Matt Duffy. The Rays also should benefit from a full year of Tommy Pham in left field and their offseason trade for power-hitting catcher . , only 23, is expected to add offense.

Kiermaier is looking for a bounce-back season after missing two months with a torn thumb ligament and hitting .217 over 88 games.

The Rays acquired Pham from the Cardinals at the trade deadline last season. Glasnow and Meadows came over from the Pirates for the same day.

“The team that we played in the first series of the season was a lot different from the one they had from August on, which was actually more athletic,” Cora said.

Manager tied it all together. The 41-year-old former catcher is 318-330 in four seasons with Tampa Bay, impressive considering all the obstacles. His contract was extended through 2024 in November.

“What we did last season helps. It was gratifying,” said Cash, who played with Cora when both were with the Red Sox from 2007-08. “But we also recognize that regardless of how well we played in the second half, there was a substantial gap between us and the teams that finished ahead of us. We have work to do.

“The biggest thing we gained was going into Boston and New York and having some interesting games, some fun games. When you have young players trying to establish themselves and they have success at a place like , there’s something to be said for that. We played our style of baseball on the road.”

The Rays still make it a challenge for their players. Tampa Bay renewed Snell’s contract at $573,700, a modest raise of $15,500 and only $18,500 over the minimum. It wasn’t much recognition for a homegrown player who was 21-5 with a 1.89 ERA and beat out for the Cy Young.

Teams are obligated to pay only the minimum MLB salary for three seasons, so the Rays played by the rules. But most teams tack on extra salary based on service time and performance.

The Red Sox, for instance, gave $950,000 after his third season, $405,000 over the minimum.

“The Rays have the right under the collective bargaining agreement to renew me at or near the league- minimum salary,” Snell said in a statement released by his agents. “They also have the ability to more adequately compensate me, as other organizations have done with players who have similar achievements to mine. The Rays chose the former.”

Despite last season’s success, attendance dropped 8 percent to an average of 14,258. The team decided to close the upper deck at dingy as a result.

So Cash isn’t getting carried away with setting high expectations.

“I try to avoid that at this point,” he said. “I think we have a smart group and they recognize that we’re a talented team. But they equally recognize that there’s a gap and we have to find a way to close it.

“They know that the Rays are going to go about things differently than other clubs. But it works.”

NEW MLB RULES

The new rules for this season and next rolled out by and the Players Association on Thursday were largely common sense, not overly intrusive and should improve the game.

They also were relatively easy to agree on, representatives from both sides said. Now comes the tricky part: heading off a strike or a lockout when the collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2021 season.

That both sides were able to discuss and agree on the rules changes indicates open lines of communication. But agreeing on how best to divide the game’s vast revenues will be far more complicated.

The goal is to extend the CBA and solve such issues as service-time manipulation, teams lowering payrolls and choosing not to compete as a rebuilding tactic, and the disappearing free agent market for older players.

For now, let’s look at the rules changes.

New rules for 2019:

■ breaks will be reduced five seconds to 2:00 for locally televised games and from 2:35 to 2:00 for national games. This will improve the pace of play and it’s hard to imagine anybody will object.

■ Mound visits are reduced from six to five. This rule improved the flow of the game last season and a further reduction can only help. The players adapted quickly.

■ Only one trade deadline, July 31. The union believes that more teams will aggressively pursue a playoff spot now than before. Whether that happens, eliminating an arcane system such as waiver trades was smart. Players still can be claimed off outright waivers but the silliness of teams putting superstars on waivers as an attempt to camouflage some other move should end.

■ All-Star Game fan voting will be held over two rounds with an “Election Day” in late June or early July for the starters. Players will receive bonuses for finishing in the top three and the winning team will get additional prize money.

I love the All-Star Game. But how the players are voted in and what they get paid is largely inconsequential to fans.

They’re also going to start the 10th inning with a runner on second. When the All-Star Game goes extra , everybody just wants to go home. Whatever hastens that is fine.

■ Prize money for the Derby will be increased to $2.5 million, with the winner taking home $1 million. Will J.D. Martinez take the bait? It might take more than that.

Coming in 2020:

■ Rosters will increase to 26 players, 27 for doubleheaders. With many teams better attuned to the benefits of days off, this is simply changing with the times and creating better flexibility. The Players Association gets 30 more jobs, too.

■ September rosters will be 28 for all teams. That this took so long to fix is an embarrassment. It never made any sense to fundamentally change the way the game was played in September by having as many as 40 active players or that so many games were contested between teams with an unequal amount of players.

■ The number of per roster will be capped at a number to be determined. That is likely to be 13.

■ Position players will not be allowed to pitch unless it’s in extra innings or six runs separate the teams. This is to prevent teams circumventing the cap on pitchers.

But a player designated as a would be allowed to start at a different position or DH any time. That would allow for two-way players, specifically Shohei Ohtani.

■ Pitchers on the will be out for 15 days. Pitchers optioned to the minors will have to remain there for 15 days. This will be to stop, or at least slow down, roster manipulation with phony injuries.

■ MLB will implement Rule 5.10(g) next season and the Players Association has agreed not to protest. This would require all pitchers face at least three batters [barring illness or injury] or end an inning.

In the minors, baseball will interpret the rule to be that if a reliever returns for the next inning, he would have to face a total of at least three batters.

However it works, it’s a bad idea. Pitching changes waste time, but there are too many scenarios where this rule will lead to farce. That a close game, or worse a playoff game, could get out hand because a manager can’t replace his pitcher doesn’t make sense.

One-batter specialists are steadily falling out of favor anyway; they don’t need to be legislated out of the game. This is one change baseball needs to re-think.

POWER OUTAGE

■ Through Friday, J.D. Martinez had two home runs over 103 at-bats in his last three spring trainings, none in 19 at-bats this season. It’s a reflection of his approach.

Martinez meticulously studies pitchers before games during the regular season, pouring over scouting reports and watching video. Those options don’t exist in spring training so he focuses on his form at the plate and taking a good swing.

“If I feel good at the plate the last week, that’s all I care about,” he said. “I don’t even look at the stats.”

Other observations on the Sox:

■ The Prospect Industrial Complex is all about Durbin Feltman, a burly 21-year-old righthanded reliever who was the team’s third-round pick last June.

Rarely do a few days go by without an e-mail or tweet asking if Feltman will be the by June. Maybe he will be, too.

Feltman was overpowering for Texas Christian University last season, striking out 43 over 24⅓ innings with a delivery that finishes with him falling off to the first-base side of the mound.

He then struck out 36 in 23⅓ innings in his first taste of pro ball, moving quickly from Lowell (four games), through Greenville (seven games) and then on to Salem (11 games).

But A will better determine Feltman’s major league timetable. That’s the level where hype flourishes or fades. Eastern League hitters have a far better understanding of the strike zone than the teenagers in Single A. They don’t let pitchers off the hook so easily.

If Feltman maintains his gaudy rate in Portland, the Sox may have something. For now, let’s allow him to develop and learn his craft.

■ Kevin Kiermaier, who has two Gold Gloves, on the Red Sox outfield: “They set the bar high there. They could have swept to be honest with you because [Andrew] Benintendi was that good. Mookie [Betts] is going to collect Gold Gloves for years to come. I don’t see anyone taking it from him. Jackie [Bradley Jr.] was amazing, too.”

■ The Baseball Beanpot will be April 17 at Fenway Park. Boston College, Harvard, Northeastern and UMass make up the field. The consolation game is at 2 p.m. with the final 45 minutes after.

Tickets are only $10 and net proceeds support the Pete Frates No. 3 Fund. Go to redsox.com/beanpot or call 877-733-7699 for information.

The first round is at BC on April 2. The Eagles host UMass at 3 p.m. and Northeastern plays Harvard at 6 p.m.

REIGN IS OVER

The Red Sox open the season with four games at Seattle starting March 28. They are not expected to face Felix Hernandez, which seemed impossible at one time.

The 32-year-old righthander, long Seattle’s ace, has been demoted to No. 5 starter and isn’t expected to start until April 1. That will end a run of 10 consecutive starts.

Hernandez is 14-19 with a 5.13 ERA over 45 games the last two seasons. He also is under contract for one more season at $27 million, which means he’s essentially untradeable.

Hernandez was asked about the situation and offered little comment.

“What do you want me to say?” he said.

“I don’t know,” was the answer from one writer.

“Exactly. I don’t know, either,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez is 8-5 with a 3.87 ERA in 20 career starts against the Red Sox. There’s at least some chance he may never face them again.

Extra bases NFL free agency essentially started and ended over three days thanks to the curiously named “legal tampering period.” Meanwhile is closing in on five months of being without a team. Baseball needs to get that fixed, too . . . The first home run David Ortiz hit for the Red Sox back in 2003 was off Mets manager Mickey Callaway, who was pitching for the Angels at the time . . . Reports in New York say the Mets are planning to honor Tom Seaver with a statue at Citi Field this season in the wake of his stepping away from public life because of dementia. That’s a nice sentiment, but why did it take so long? Seaver is so far and away the best player in franchise history that a statue should have gone up years ago . . . The Tigers are headed for a long season. But Miguel Cabrera, who turns 36 next month, looks fully recovered from the biceps injury that ended his season on June 12 last season. His bat is quick and he could even play some games at first base. Cabrera needs 35 home runs for 500 . . . USA Today’s preseason high school all-USA team included outfielder Trejyn Fletcher of Deering High in Portland, Maine. He has committed to Vanderbilt, following the path of many top New England preps. One generation removed from our ball fields is shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. of Colleyville, Texas. His dad, 54, was a big star at Canton High and the third overall pick in the 1985 draft out of Oklahoma . . . Happy birthday to Bill Mueller, who is 48. Tim Lollar is 63 and former Blue Jays utility player Danny Ainge is 60. Ainge was 0 for 12 in three career games at Fenway Park. So while he never hit the Green Monster, he did get some shots in on Tree Rollins at least.

Chris Sale sparkles in first Grapefuit League start

Alex Speier

FORT MYERS, Fla. — When took the mound for his first Grapefruit League game on Saturday, it had been 139 days since the lefthander had dominated the Dodgers in the ninth inning of Game 5 to close out the Red Sox’ clincher. He looked no easier to hit on Saturday than he did last Oct. 28.

Sale cruised through four shutout innings in a 6-1 Red Sox victory over the Braves. He allowed just two hits — a pair of singles to leadoff man Ozzie Albies — striking out seven, walking none, and throwing 34 of 47 pitches for strikes. Five of the came on sliders, which Sale seemed to throw for strikes at will, and the other two came on . He also threw a number of .

“Today was big for me, a big step in the right direction,” said Sale, who was particularly encouraged by some fine-tuning of his mechanics that occurred after he struggled to establish the rhythm of his delivery in a minor-league camp game on Monday.

Two years ago, when he made his first Red Sox spring training start, Sale was in the mid- to upper-90s even at the outset of his Grapefruit League season. On Saturday, he sat at 89-92 m.p.h., touching 93 m.p.h. once on the stadium scoreboard.

But even though Sale’s velocity was down upon his return from a pair of late-season disabled stints with shoulder tendinitis at the end of last season, no one saw cause for alarm in his velocity readings on Saturday. Sale said he was taking a different approach to his preparations for the season this March than he did two years ago, when he was throwing in the mid- to high-90s in his first spring training with the Red Sox.

“There’s not a velocity ticker on me. I didn’t look up [at the scoreboard readings] once. I didn’t care,” Sale said of Saturday’s start. “Two years ago, when I first came in here, that was probably the hardest I’ve ever thrown in spring training. But I had something to prove. [This year] we’re gonna try to lengthen this out, get our work in, but not jump too far, too quick.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora echoed the sentiment (“I don’t think the velocity means anything today”) and noted that Sale succeeded in his areas of emphasis: Repeating his delivery, commanding his pitches, and liberally employing his off-speed arsenal.

Cora said an announcement of the Opening Day starter could come as soon as Sunday morning. It would come as little surprise if Sale — who went 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA, 13.5 strikeouts and 1.9 walks per nine innings in 2018 — once again is asked to shoulder that load.

Brasier’s new reality , whose spring training was slowed by an infected pinky toe on his right foot, made his first appearance in a Grapefruit League game, allowing a run on two singles. He struck out a batter and was pleased with the quality of his three-pitch (, slider, split) mix. He’s confident he’s on a trajectory that will have him ready for the start of the season.

“I’m right there,” said Brasier. “Arm felt good, foot felt good. Really, that was all I was looking for.”

Cora noted with some amusement that Brasier is now in a position where permitting a run didn’t represent a big deal. By contrast, a year ago, had Brasier given up a run when moved over from minor league camp to pitch in Grapefruit League games, it might have altered the trajectory of his and the Red Sox’ season.

“Last year [it] probably would have been, ‘Eh, it’s not good, we don’t want him,’ ” said Cora. “But he worked out there and now he’s going to be pitching on the program every two days and he should be fine for the beginning of the season.”

Barnes, Thornburg spotless (scoreless inning, two strikeouts) and Tyler Thornburg (scoreless inning, a walk and strikeout) both threw well out of the bullpen. Thornburg worked at 93 m.p.h. instead of 94-95 m.p.h., but with improved location that not only allowed him to avoid hard contact on the pitch but that set up his and .

. . . The Red Sox are still working to determine the members of their season-opening pitching staff. “Compared to last year, it’s wide open,” said Cora. Cora said the debates relate not just to the quality and ability of the pitchers but also to how to account for the needed innings during the three-city, 11-game swing that will open the season. The debates include both questions about who will slot in the bullpen, how many relievers the team will carry, and when the team will insert a sixth starter for the first time (potentially after the sixth game of the season).

“We’re still debating,” said Cora. “There’s a lot of good conversations. This is the cool thing about the job now. We’re getting down to decision time.”

Taking hacks J.D. Martinez, a scratch on Wednesday with back tightness, played for the second time in as many days. He plans on playing in six of the team’s remaining seven days in the Grapefruit League while trying to prepare for the start of the regular season.

“That’s the way he is. It’s amazing,” Cora said of Martinez’s carefully plotted regimen. “He’s so structured.” . . . spent his day on the backfields at Fenway South, jumping in and out of a pair of minor league games. He went 1 for 6 playing against High-A and Single-A competition.

Bat man Former Red Sox first baseman , now co-owner and purveyor of Birdman Bats, visited his former team as part of a lumber-peddling tour of big league camps. Anderson, now retired as a player, reported that longtime teammate and close friend Ryan Kalish is now a mental skills instructor for the Dodgers as well as a Pilates instructor . . . The Red Sox will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday by wearing their now familiar green-and-white jerseys and green caps.

Saturday’s spring training report: Chris Sale dominant with four shutout innings

Alex Speier

SCORE: Red Sox 6, Braves 1

RECORD: 7-13-1

BREAKDOWN: Chris Sale carved the Braves over four shutout innings in which he struck out seven, and the bullpen followed by allowing just one run over five innings, with Matt Barnes and Tyler Thornburg turning in particularly sharp outings. Five members of the Red Sox lineup had extra-base hits and six players drove in runs as the Red Sox snapped their nine-game winless streak. “We’re back,” grinned Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

PLAYER OF THE DAY: Eduardo Nunez hammered a run-scoring double to center while going 1 for 3 and also made a spectacular defensive play, diving to his right to grab a hard grounder down the line and jumping up to throw out the lead runner at second.

NEXT GAME: The Red Sox will field one split-squad team at JetBlue Park to take on the Rays at 1:05 p.m. in a game that will air on NESN and WEEI-850 AM. Another split-squad group will head to Bradenton to face the Pirates. will start in Fort Myers, and Marcus Walden will get the ball in Bradenton.

* The Boston Herald

Chris Sale terrific in Grapefruit League debut for Red Sox

Tom Keegan

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The man who made the final pitches of 2018 for the defending World Series champions hasn’t been named as the one who will make the first pitches of the title defense yet, but it all certainly seems headed in that direction.

Chris Sale, the Red Sox lefty ace, could not have made a better impression in his Grapefruit League debut today and was so efficient in four innings that he had to head to the bullpen for an extra 10 pitches to reach his allotment.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora was tipped off by pitching coach Dana LeVangie and catcher Christian Vazquez to expect the sort of outing he saw from Sale in the Red Sox’ 6-1 victory over the Braves at JetBlue Park.

“They said, ‘He’s locked in today,’ ” Cora said of LeVangie and Vazquez.

Sale proved them right. He shut out the Braves for four innings on two hits without a walk and seven strikeouts. During one stretch that included back-to-back called third strikes on sliders, Sale struck out five batters in a row.

Last seen striking out the side in the ninth against the Dodgers to clinch the World Series, Sale needed just 49 pitches, 34 for strikes, to make it through four innings vs. the Braves. His fastball topped out at 92 mph by design.

“I think two years ago when I first came in here that was probably the hardest I’ve ever thrown in spring training,” Sale said. “I had something to prove. We’re trying to lengthen this out and get our work in, but not jump too far, too quick.”

Sale mixed in change-ups effectively against right-handed hitters and left more than one left-handed hitter helpless against his slider. His outing was especially impressive considering that he dominated without bringing his best heat.

“It’s important to me to throw strikes,” Sale said. “There’s not a velocity ticker on me. I didn’t look up there once because I didn’t care.”

Shoulder fatigue was a factor in Sale pitching just 158 innings during the regular season and 25 in the postseason, but he was so efficient (12-4, 2.11) when on the mound that he pushed his streak of top-six finishes in Cy Young Award voting to seven seasons.

“The biggest part for me is the work, the buildup, getting up to four innings, and the efficiency,” Sale said of his Grapefruit League debut. “The results, you want them to be there, but at the same time when I look back on this outing, I’m not worried about the strikeouts or the hits or anything else. It’s the work that we got in and the efficiency. That’s a big part of pitching: throwing strikes and getting ahead of hitters, and that’s where we were at.”

For his career, Sale has averaged 10.86 strikeouts per nine innings and has a strikeout/walk ratio of 5.31-to- 1.

Improving his third pitch, the change-up, is another spring goal.

“That’s the pitch I really need to kind of sharpen up a little bit,” he said. “I think if I can get that a little ahead of where it’s been in the past, that’ll be a big weapon for me, especially on days when I’m out there blowing cheese.”

A few hours before the first pitch, Cora hinted that he might name his Opening Day starter after the game, but afterward called an audible and said that the announcement could come as soon as tomorrow. Sale’s thoughts were elsewhere after his outing.

“Today was a big confidence booster for me, especially this past week, after my (simulated) game, we had some work to do,” Sale said. “My command wasn’t exactly where I needed it to be. My delivery was a little off in a couple of places, so we took care of that, and today was a step in the right direction.”

Red Sox notebook: Plan on 13 pitchers if Dustin Pedroia’s not ready

Tom Keegan

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone, and in the case of Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, it’s also connected to the size of the pitching staff the club will take on its season- opening road trip, manager Alex Cora revealed Saturday.

“If he’s ready to play, we’ll probably go with 13 position players, 12 pitchers,” Cora said. “If for some reason he’s not ready for Opening Day, then we’ll go the other way, 13 pitchers, 12 position players.”

Cora cited the Red Sox playing 11 games in 11 days to open the season as the reason for going with a 13th pitcher in the event Pedroia needs more time to test/strengthen a left knee that underwent cartilage restoration surgery Oct. 25, 2017.

Carrying a 13th pitcher would leave the Red Sox with six infielders to go with two catchers and four , including J.D. Martinez.

“We can take advantage of that knowing who we have on the roster with (Eduardo Nunez) and Brock (Holt),” Cora said of his utility infielders.

Morning discussions among those who have influence on the final shaping of the roster have included the possibility of using a sixth starter during the opening trip on either the sixth day, or more likely Cora said, on a later day of the trip.

“The cool thing about the job now is that we’re getting down to decision time,” Cora said. “We’ve seen enough that we have a pretty good idea. We know who is who and what they can do, how they fit the pitching staff. You come in in the mornings and everybody has different views and opinions on how we can maneuver the pitching staff for those 11 days.”

First things first. The evaluation of Pedroia will intensify tomorrow when his recovery from his first five- inning game of the spring is discussed.

“So far, so good, honestly,” Cora said. “It’s just a matter to see how many innings we can build up, and when he starts playing back to back. Hopefully, it’s at the end of next week. All that stuff, we’re going to talk tomorrow and map it out.”

Pedroia knows better than anyone how he feels, but his concerns extend beyond questions he can answer, so he seeks answers elsewhere, sometimes from the manager.

“He’ll ask you, which is not normal, ‘Do I look normal?’ ‘Yeah, dude, relax.’ He’s not insecure, but I mean he hasn’t done it in a while,” Cora said.

Pedroia looked like his normal hard-driving self in the Red Sox 6-1 exhibition victory vs. the Braves that broke a streak of nine games (0-8-1) without a victory. Pedroia looked smooth making the pivot in trying to complete a double play on a force play that started with third baseman Eduardo Nunez’s spectacular diving stop of a screamer. Pedroia went 0 for 3 at the plate, including a long out on a hard-hit ball to right.

His attempt to resume his career last season lasted three games and 11 at bats in the final week of May.

“It’s not even close,” Pedroia said, comparing how he feels now to a year ago at this time. “It’s a lot different. I’m getting ready for the season. Last year it was, in my mind, ‘Man, I’m hoping I’ll be back,’ so it’s a little bit different.”

At the same time, he sounds very much like a man open to delaying his return, if that’s what club officials think is the wise approach.

“The big picture is I’m trying to play the next three years,” Pedroia said. “If that sacrifices five days or whatever to do that, we have to do that. We have to do the right thing and make sure that I’m fine long- term, instead of rush something, something that my knee’s not ready for and we have a problem. … The good thing is I feel great. I’m moving great, just trying to get at bats and get locked in and get ready to play well and help us win.”

As his at bats increase, Pedroia figures, his timing at the plate will improve.

“I feel good. I just haven’t had at bats in a while, especially consistent ones. I’m on this every other day thing,” Pedroia said. “That’s kind of tough to get your timing and get locked in. Overall, I feel great. I’m hitting the barrel every time, so that’s a good thing. So we’ll just keep it rolling.”

Better day for bullpen

Matt Barnes, Tyler Thornburg and Darwinzon Hernandez (two innings) combined for four shutout innings and the lone run was allowed by Ryan Brasier.

The Braves drew one walk and struck out 12 times.

Mookie mashes

Mookie Betts went 2 for 3 to drive his spring batting average to .296 and he hit his first home run, over the Green Monster in the sixth.

MLB’s new rules could benefit Red Sox, but not

Jason Mastrodonato

Brock Holt, so commonly known as a pillar of the Red Sox since 2014, might never have had a rise to fame and success had the rules been the same as they’ll be in 2020.

Significant changes are coming to Major League Baseball over the next two years, and it’s not difficult to envision the seismic shift in roster construction that will soon follow.

With the rosters expanding from 25 to 26 players next year, and a hard cap on pitchers likely to be put at 13, every team will have, at the bare minimum, a four-man bench. Many teams, those who like to go with 12 pitchers like the Red Sox often did last year, will have five players on the bench. National League teams that opt to go for 12 pitchers will have six players on the bench.

That’s almost an entire second lineup waiting in the dugout to be used.

There will be a certain type of player that becomes extinct, no longer needed as artificial evolution forces them out if they can’t adapt quickly enough.

In Boston, where Holt burst onto the scene as an undersized non-prospect and became one of the most interesting parts of the organization during two losing years in 2014 and 2015, the Sox must wonder how these new rules could affect utility players.

What’s a big market team going to do with a deeper bench and more opportunities to spend on role-specific players?

In all likelihood, they’ll load up on guys who do one thing really well. There should be lefty-mashing offensive players to platoon at multiple positions, ensuring the matchup advantage on most nights, no matter the starting pitcher.

For example, if the rosters were 26-men deep last year, the Sox almost surely would’ve started the season with someone like on their roster instead of trading for him mid-year. They were among the league’s worst teams at hitting lefty pitching the first half of the season, but felt compelled to use a roster spot on rather than lose him to waivers.

The only reason they could keep Swihart was because Holt provided backup services at every position. With deeper rosters, instead of having one player who can play seven positions and be just OK at them (Holt had a career year, but expectations going into the 2018 season were that he’d be just OK), the Sox could’ve had planned to have two players who are less versatile, but perhaps offer more specific uses.

They would’ve wanted someone like Pearce, who could crush lefties as a platoon first baseman. And maybe a more traditional second baseman who would’ve kept the Sox from ranking among the league’s worst at production from the position.

This year, it’s a bit different. Holt is coming off a career year and a dynamite postseason. Even with a 26- man roster, Holt has a place on this team.

Next year, though, things look different. He’s entering free agency and the Red Sox must concern themselves first with using their money to lock up Chris Sale and , and perhaps take a look at renegotiating J.D. Martinez’s contract or keeping around. Spending money on a 31-year- old utility man probably doesn’t make much sense with the new roster structure.

Depending how Dustin Pedroia’s knee holds up this year, the Sox may actually need a full-time second baseman next year. They have nobody in the minors who looks capable of doing that right now. And while Michael Chavis is looking like a professional hitter, his defense remains subject to question.

That doesn’t mean Holt has no chance to return for 2020. It just doesn’t give him the best chance at being successful in the big leagues, nor does it pave the way for new, young utility players that had just started to take over the game.

Veteran utility guys are already being devalued. Josh Harrison, a two-time All-Star utility man with the Pirates who has very similar career numbers to Holt, signed a one-year deal for just $2 million with the Tigers this offseason.

Even Marwin Gonzalez, an MVP candidate two years ago for his incredible utility work with the , was able to get just two years, $21 million from the Twins after holding out until spring training to sign.

These guys were looking like the lifeblood of so many successful teams. Red Sox manager Alex Cora called Gonzalez the Houston Astros MVP when they won it all in 2017. And the rest of the game had started to incorporate utility guys at a historic rate.

Since 2015, there have been a remarkable 39 players to play at least five games at all four infield positions during a single season. In the entire decade previous, there were just 36 of those players.

But up-and-coming fringe players who may not look like stud prospects at any one position may no longer see versatility as their ticket to the big leagues. It’s getting harder for them to make it.

Here’s something else to consider: With a 26-man roster, that’ll naturally reduce playing time for the game’s very best players. It’s been trending that way for years, with fewer and fewer players serving the Cal Ripken Jr. mold of an iron man. Cora rests his players routinely as it is. With another bench spot, we might start seeing star players resting once a week.

The odd part of this rule is that it caps the number of pitchers. It makes sense from a speed-of-game perspective. More pitchers means more pitching changes, which MLB is drastically trying to reduce. But if the goal is to open up the strategic element of roster building with an extra roster spot, capping the number of pitchers reduces strategy and creativity immensely.

One step further, starting in 2020 pitchers must face at least three batters or finish an inning. So while benches become deeper, providing further matchup advantages for the offense, pitching strategy becomes even more limited.

Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci noted this week that ’s three-run homer in Game 4 of the World Series last year never would’ve happened with these rules in play.

The Dodgers went to the bullpen to face Holt with a 4-0 lead, then Scott Alexander walked him on four pitches. Alexander clearly didn’t have it, so the Dodgers took him out of the game. Alexander was replaced with Ryan Madson, the Sox pinch-hit with lefty-hitting Jackie Bradley Jr. and Moreland and the rest was history.

The new rules would’ve prevented Alexander from departing the game without facing two more batters.

Say goodbye to those tense moments when a manager is wondering if he should take his reliever out or let him face the next guy. It’s no longer up to him. Major League Baseball has decided that already.

And say goodbye to left-handed one-out specialists (LOOGIES!). Big market teams like the Red Sox should benefit, as long as they’re willing to spend on the game’s best relievers, those who can get out righties and lefties.

For all the concerns about these rules, there is one that seems to be universally liked. It’ll be nice when there are no longer 40-man rosters in September. MLB will cap that at 28.

And the Home Run Derby should take on a more vibrant personality, with $2.5 million in prizes awarded to the participants, including a $1 million prize to the winner. The big stars ought to participate, though hopefully the league can make sure to incorporate plenty of up-and-coming stars, too, so it’s not just the game’s richest players competing to get a little bit more rich.

It’s a lot to take in. But keep a lookout for utility players in 2019. Soak it in. Enjoy what they do. There could be a lot fewer of them around in 2020.

* MassLive.com

Chris Sale dominates in 2019 Boston Red Sox spring training debut, striking out seven; Alex Cora to name Opening Day starter Sunday

Christopher Smith

Chris Sale made his 2019 spring training debut vs. the Braves on Saturday and he pitched like he was in midseason form despite his fastball maxing out at only 93 mph.

The lefty struck out seven in 4 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and no walks. The Red Sox won 6-1 over Atlanta at JetBlue Park.

Sale threw some additional pitches in the bullpen after his start.

Manager Alex Cora told the media, via MLB.com’s Ian Browne, he plans to announce his Opening Day starter tomorrow (Sunday). Sale remains the most likely candidate. But David Price, who won the ALCS and World Series clinching games last year, also is a worthy choice. Nathan Eovaldi, who allowed only four runs in 22.1 postseason innings (1.61 ERA) last year, also should be in the running.

Sandy Leon worked as Sale’s personal catcher last year. But Christian Vazquez caught Sale’s first spring training start. Vazquez caught the first five innings before Leon replaced him in the sixth.

Sale broke down physically last year, spending two stints on the DL during the second half with shoulder inflammation. He hurled only 29 innings after the All-Star Break.

He pitched 4.2 innings or fewer in six of his seven starts, including postseason starts, after returning from the DL the second time Sept. 11. His 5.1 innings against the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS marked his longest start after returning.

Sale threw 97 mph in his first spring training start in 2017. The goal isn’t to throw hard at this point. It’s to stay durable for a full season, something he didn’t do his first two seasons with the Red Sox.

Tyler Thornburg pitches scoreless inning after Boston Red Sox’s Alex Cora called it ‘go time’; Ryan Brasier makes debut

Christopher Smith

Red Sox reliever Tyler Thornburg allowed runs in each of his first four spring training outings. Overall, he gave up seven earned runs, 10 hits (two home runs) and two walks while striking out three in 4 innings over those four appearances.

After Thornburg’s fourth outing (three runs, one inning) March 9, manager Alex Cora said he needed to see results from the righty.

“I think from the next one (outing) on, it’s go-time, quote unquote. He knows it," Cora said.

Challenge accepted.

Thornburg threw a scoreless and hitless inning in his fifth outing Saturday. He allowed one walk and struck out one. The Red Sox won 6-1 over the Atlanta Braves at JetBlue Park.

The right-handed reliever likely will make the Opening Day roster but he has to perform to stay with Boston because he has no remaining minor league options.

Thornburg missed the entire 2017 season because of thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. He posted a 5.63 ERA, 6.04 FIP and 1.58 FIP in 25 outings (24 innings) in 2018 after Boston activated him from the disabled list July 4.

Brasier returns

An infected right pinkie toe Ryan Brasier suffered in February has slowed his progress this spring. He finally made his spring training debut Saturday. He allowed one run, two hits and no walks while striking out one.

Brasier and Matt Barnes are the top candidates for the closer job. Barnes threw a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out two.

Darwinzon Hernandez, Boston Red Sox prospect with upper-90s fastball, began playing baseball at age 15; ‘I never thought I would be here’

Darwinzon Hernandez recorded a 1.88 ERA (52.2 innings, 11 earned runs), 1.22 WHIP, .209 batting average against, 74 strikeouts and 25 walks in his final 10 starts for High-A Salem during 2018.

Hernandez continues strong spring

Darwinzon Hernandez, a 22-year-old lefty who ranks Boston’s No. 1 pitching prospect, continues to make a strong case for a spot on the Opening Day roster. He hurled two scoreless innings Saturday, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out one.

The Red Sox added Hernandez to the 40-man roster in November. Boston views him as a starting pitcher. But president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has said he’s willing to use him as a reliever this season, or part of this season, if the need arises.

He allowed just one run in 10 innings. He has given up seven hits and five walks while striking 12. He also has hit three batters.

* RedSox.com

Sale in complete control in Grapefruit debut

Ian Browne

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Who could forget Chris Sale announcing his arrival to the Red Sox with authority two years ago when his first pitch in a Grapefruit League game was 96 mph?

The Red Sox were much more comfortable with the way Sale approached his Grapefruit League debut on Saturday, as he fired four sparkling innings (two hits, no walks and seven strikeouts) in a 6-1 win over the Braves.

Sale opened the game with an 89 mph fastball. Most of his fastballs were between there and 92. And he mixed in his offspeed stuff, which looked sharp.

“It’s part of the process,” said Sale. “That’s where we are right now. I think two years ago, when I first came in here, that was probably the hardest I’ve ever thrown in Spring Training. But I had something to prove.”

Sale no longer has anything to prove. The final pitch he threw in 2018 was the one that clinched the World Series for the Red Sox, and had no chance of connecting with it.

What Sale wants to do is stay healthy for the entire season and pitch his best in the biggest games.

Sale was sidelined with inflammation in his left shoulder for much of the second half last season, but was back for the playoffs.

He feels that all systems are go for a healthy 2019. And if that means dialing back a little in March, and perhaps even April, that’s fine.

“It’s one of those things, we have a process,” Sale said. “We have a plan. We know what we’re doing. I’ve said it a million times, I don’t care what the radar gun says, I’m going to go out there and try to find a way to get outs. That’s my job.”

Manager Alex Cora dialed Sale’s workload way back in the early part of Spring Training, which is why he didn’t pitch in a Major League game until Saturday. Sale did start in a Minors game five days ago.

“Good to get out there in a real game, get the juices flowing, adrenaline,” said Sale. “Today was the first day I went through kind of my whole routine, pregame, during the game, all that stuff. It was good.”

Most gratifying to Sale was the way some of his recent mechanical adjustments he’s been working on with pitching coach Dana LeVangie and bullpen coach Craig Bjornson paid off.

“Today was big for me, a big step in the right direction,” Sale said. “I’ve been battling some stuff, me and Dana and CB, with just some delivery stuff, getting back into it, finding the rhythm. So today was big, not only on the work side but also the efficiency side, going out there and throwing strikes and filling up the zone.”

Though Cora wasn’t quite ready to announce an Opening Day starter after Saturday’s game -- that announcement should happen Sunday -- he was impressed by what he saw from Sale.

“Christian [Vazquez] and Dana after they warmed up they said, 'Oh, he’s locked in today,’ and I didn’t even look at the velocity,” said Cora. “I don’t think the velocity means anything today. But the other stuff was good. Slider was good. Changeup was good. Location. He had to finish in the bullpen which is always good. That means he was efficient. You can see the body language. He was feeling good where he’s at so that was a good one for him.”

Decision looms on Pedroia's Opening Day status

Ian Browne

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Second baseman Dustin Pedroia checked off another milestone in his comeback on Saturday when he played five innings of defense and got three at-bats in Boston’s 6-1 victory over the Braves.

A decision could be made as early as Sunday if Pedroia will play for the Red Sox on Opening Day in Seattle.

At this point, Pedroia has proved that his left knee is healthy. The internal debate at this point for the team is if he could benefit from using a few extra days at the end of Spring Training to ramp up before making his regular season debut.

Pedroia sounds on board with whatever the training staff decides in conjunction with manager Alex Cora.

“I mean, we’ll see,” said Pedroia. “I just got out of the game and I felt great. How it’s gone so far, I feel great. I understand the question but the big picture is I’m trying to play the next three years, you know what I mean?

“If that sacrifices five days or whatever to do that, then we have to do that. We have to do the right thing and make sure that I’m fine long term instead of rush something, something my knee’s not ready for, and then have a problem.”

Pedroia went 0-for-3, including a hard liner to right on a 95-mph fastball by Kyle Wright. But he admits he is still getting his timing back after missing all but three games last season.

“Yeah, I feel good,” Pedroia said. “It’s just, I haven’t had at-bats in a while, and especially consistent ones. I’m on this every other day thing and that’s kind of tough to get your timing and get locked in. Overall, I feel great. I’m hitting the barrel every time so that’s a good thing. We’ll just keep it rolling.”

If Pedroia starts the season on the active roster, the Red Sox will carry 13 position players and 12 pitchers. Cora said that if Pedroia needs more time, they will take 13 pitchers and 12 position players.

“I do feel tomorrow we’ll talk about what the workload will be this week [for Pedroia] and that’s going to kind of give us an idea where we’re going to go,” said Cora.

Big day in the 'pen

The Red Sox saw some encouraging signs from the bullpen on Saturday. Matt Barnes, who struggled with fastball command in his first outing and his breaking ball the second time out, was pinpoint in this one. The righty struck out two in a scoreless fifth inning.

Barnes is a top candidate to close for the Red Sox this season.

Ryan Brasier, another candidate for the ninth inning, made his Spring Training debut and gave up two hits and a run. Brasier had been slowed by an infection in his right pinkie toe that he suffered early in Spring Training.

“Now he’s going to be pitching on the program every two days and he should be fine for the beginning of the season,” said Cora.

Righty Tyler Thornburg had his first scoreless outing of the spring after giving up runs in four consecutive outings.

“Better,” Cora said. “The adjustments that they talked about, his last one, he was able to execute out there. He slowed down his delivery. I think his stride was shorter.”

Mookie mashes one

Red Sox star Mookie Betts smashed his first home run of Spring Training, a laser beam of a solo shot that soared over the replica Green Monster in bottom of the sixth.

Betts also had a single to right-center in the first, and is hitting .296 on the spring.

Up next

The Red Sox will have split-squad games on Sunday. The home squad will face the Rays, with lefty David Price making his second start of Spring Training. J.D. Martinez, , Mitch Moreland and Eduardo Nunez will start at home. Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts will be among the regulars who travel to Bradenton to face the Pirates. Righty Marcus Walden will be the starting pitcher against the Pirates. Both games start at 1:05 p.m. ET.

* WEEI.com

Sale's velocity is down but results aren't in strong spring debut he calls a 'confidence booster'

John Tomase

Chris Sale made his Red Sox debut two years ago in West Palm Beach with the adrenaline of a World Series tilt. He pumped 97 mph fastballs in the first inning vs. the Astros and then expressed frustration that he had lasted only two innings instead of his allotted three. He admitted feeling "energized" by fans welcoming him to Boston with hopes of another championship, but in retrospect there was clearly no point in delivering so much so soon in the Grapefruit League.

Sale wore down by the end of his first season in Boston before allowing four homers in the postseason to those same Astros as the Red Sox were eliminated in four games.

A year later, new manager Alex Cora unveiled a plan to ease his starters into the spring slate by pushing back their initial starts. Sale began April with diminished velocity but solid results before turning it on in May. He started his third straight All-Star Game and was the runaway first half favorite for the Cy Young Award before injury struck again.

Though he recorded some key outs in the playoffs and was granted the largely ceremonial role of finishing off the Dodgers in the clincher, a shoulder injury effectively ended his season in July. He was never the same pitcher thereafter.

Fast forward to Saturday. Sale is entering his third season with the Red Sox, and he has already helped deliver a title, albeit in frustrating fashion. So the Sale who made his official spring training debut against the Braves was coming at his job from a very different angle than the one who wanted to impress the world two years ago. And the results suggested that Sale has learned some lessons.

The final line was vintage Sale. He went four shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out seven. He walked none.

What made the outing interesting was its restraint. Sale's fastball never topped 93 mph, which suggested he's heeding the guidance of Cora, who has insisted since the day he arrived that he wants Sale to build slowly to the season so he's stronger at the end than the beginning.

That plan didn't work out last year, but this time around they hope to crack the code, and the initial results were encouraging.

"Today was a big confidence booster," Sale told reporters in Florida.

Sale got off to a slow start, falling behind leadoff hitter Ozzie Albies before allowing a single without cracking 90 mph. His fastball hit 92 mph during a frame that ended with Albies nabbed on a delayed steal.

The velocity remained in the low 90s in the second, but Sale otherwise looked like himself, striking out the side on two vicious sliders and a high fastball.

He ran his strikeout streak to five straight before former Red Sox farmhand Ryan LaMarre lined out to short. He finished his outing by allowing a second hit to Albies leading off the fourth before recording a pair of infield outs and then punching out Tyler Flowers on a slider.

The Red Sox haven't announced Sale as their opening day starter, but it's safe to say he'll get the ball if he's healthy in Seattle. Consider Saturday a measured, deliberate step in that direction.

* Bostonsportsjournal.com

MLB Notebook: Is Rick Porcello being overlooked as Red Sox look to extend potential free agents?

Sean McAdam

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox have three core players heading into free agency after the 2019 season:

Chris Sale, who has been the team’s best starting pitcher in his first two seasons with the club; Xander Bogaerts, who broke out last season and established himself as one of the game’s better offensive shortstops, and Rick Porcello, the team’s most durable starter for the last four seasons.

Talks on an extension with Sale are ongoing, with cautious optimism on both sides an agreement can be reached before (or soon after) the start of the regular season.

The Sox also approached Bogaerts during the winter to determine if there was ground to work out an extension. An industry source indicated little progress was made, not entirely surprising given that Bogaerts is represented by Scott Boras, who typically advises clients to reach free agency in order to provide themselves with better leverage.

That leaves Porcello. His representatives were in camp earlier this month — more to visit with Porcello as much as anything — and were seen chatting for a period of time with assistant GM Brian O’Halloran. There’s no indication that anything substantive came of the discussions, or for that matter, whether the issue of an extension was broached at all.

Red Sox ownership is on record as saying that, with five-star players on the cusp of free agency over the next two winters — Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts are on deck for 2020 — the team will have to pick and choose. It’s unrealistic for the Sox to retain each one. That’s undoubtedly true — committing hundreds of millions to a handful would tie the Sox hands financially for the foreseeable future.

But the Sox should think long and hard about not pursuing Porcello, for a host of reasons:

1. Porcello clearly enjoys pitching in Boston and has said, all things being equal, he would prefer to remain with the Sox. He’s comfortable playing in the market and values the contributions of the training staff and the relationship he enjoys with both Alex Cora and Dana LeVangie.

2. While Porcello won’t come cheaply, he won’t command the kind of contract sought by Sale or Betts. Porcello signed a four-year extension back in April of 2015 for $82.5 million and while that may, in retrospect, have been a slight overpay, it’s been a contract that has worked for both sides. Porcello has already made a great deal of money in advance of free agency and that, coupled with his comfort level with the franchise, may provide an opening for the Sox to get something of a team-favorable deal.

3. Porcello may not have the stuff or the ceiling of a true ace but he’s been remarkably durable. In fact, Porcello has made 127 starts in his first four seasons in Boston, missing a total of five starts in that span. Since 2009, Porcello has made the second-most starts in baseball (307) and his 1,863 innings in that period rank fourth.

To put his durability into historical perspective, he’s only major league pitcher since 1900 to make 27 or more starts in each of his first 10 major league seasons, all before turning 30. The only other major league pitchers to make at least 27 starts in each of the last 10 years are Max Scherzer and Jon Lester.

(Ironically, Porcello is connected to both. Scherzer was a teammate and role model when the two were together in Detroit, while, in a roundabout way, Porcello was indirectly obtained for Lester. In 2014, the Sox traded Lester to Oakland for Yoenis Cespedes, then dealt Cespedes for Lester that winter).

“Guys like (Porcello) have great value,” notes a major league evaluator. “They take the ball every five days, eat innings and give your team a chance (to win) almost every time. That’s not easy to find.”

That’s especially true with Sale inching toward free agency and the Red Sox’ system not yet positioned to provide reinforcements. Their highest-ceiling starters (Jay Groome, Tanner Houck, Bryan Mata) won’t be ready in 2020 and Porcello’s dependability shouldn’t be dismissed.

Further, as he gets into his 30s (he turned 30 last December), he profiles as the kind of starter who can pitch effectively with diminished velocity, relying, as he does, on sink and movement.

It’s perfectly understandable for the Sox to prioritize the likes of Sale, Betts and Bogaerts among their upcoming free agents-to-be. But Porcello’s contributions over the last four seasons shouldn’t be overlooked and the future value he brings shouldn’t be minimized. ______

Major League Baseball and the Players Association agreed on a half-dozen or so changes to the CBA, some of which (shorter between-inning breaks; increased Home Run Derby winner’s prize; changes to the All- Star selection process; elimination of post-July 31 trades) will be implemented for the upcoming season, and others (expanded roster sizes; three batter minimums for relievers) set to go into use for 2020.

That in itself is encouraging, as all the changes except the three-batter minimum rule were agreed upon by the union. It demonstrates an ability to reach agreement on a number of different fronts and suggests that a work stoppage — when the current CBA expires after 2021 — perhaps isn’t a fait accompli, as some had feared.

That doesn’t mean, however, that everything has been fixed. Apart from the ongoing free agent freezeout the last two years, another issue is about to become front-and-center over the next two weeks: service time manipulation.

By sending out players who clearly are accomplished enough to play at the big league level, MLB is making a mockery of the current system.

The got “lucky,” as it were, when Vladimir Guerrero Jr., widely acknowledged as the most talented prospect in the game and with absolutely nothing left to prove at the minor league level, recently suffered an oblique strain. That setback and the newly-named Injured List will do the Jays’ dirty work for them by keeping Guerrero off the major league roster for the first few weeks without having to offer a manufactured excuse as to why the best young player in baseball isn’t starting the season for a team coming off a losing record.

Other teams will need to get more creative. But it’s a given that young can’t-miss stars like the White Sox’ Eloy Jimenez, the Mets’ Peter Alonso and a handful of others deserving of the opportunity to start the year in the big leagues will, instead, spend the first three weeks or so cooling their heels in Triple-A.

That way, teams can get another year of service time from the player. So Jimenez — and others like him — will need most of this season plus another six full years before qualifying for free agency. By delaying their debut a few weeks, teams gain another year of control.

“We think the best players should be on the field at all times,” said MLBPA chief Tony Clark Thursday in Lakeland, Fla., “whether you’re a first-year guy or a veteran guy or anywhere in between. We believe that all those players should be on the field against the backdrop of that particular club trying to put itself in the best position possible to try to be the last team standing.

“And so, as a player who came up in September in one year and then magically didn’t find his way back until June of the next year, what’s happening isn’t new. It’s just unfortunate.”

On the one hand, it’s hard to fault teams for taking advantage of the system. By waiting three weeks, they reap an entire additional season of control and potentially themselves millions. Several players, who did not want to be quoted for fear of antagonizing their union brethren, privately acknowledge that teams are merely using the rule to their advantage, under the current CBA guidelines.

But there’s something inherently wrong with a system which encourages teams to keep the most talented of their young players in the minors for longer than is necessary.

A solution won’t be easy to come by. Some have suggested a player’s service time be tied to his signing date and not service time at the major league level. But something needs to be done to ensure that rosters are determined by merit and not arcane loopholes. ______

Already this spring, some teams have begun to experiment with a four-man outfield to defend against the Phillies’ Bryce Harper. The Tampa Bay Rays — who, of course, introduced the concept of the “opener” a year ago and aren’t the least bit afraid to try new concepts — and Toronto Blue Jays have done it in the spring.

From a strategic standpoint, the numbers suggest that it’s the right move to make. When a four-man outfield was utilized in 2018, opposing hitters batted just .186 with a .339 . Additionally, the alignment seemed to disorient Harper some, indicating that it may be something of a mental hurdle for him.

Asked if he expected to see more of that during the regular season, Harper said: “Man, I hope not. If they’re going to start playing ball like that, it’s definitely different, for sure.”

You may recall that in the World Series, Cora would switch his outfielders around with Manny Machado, flipping his defenders to put the best glove to Machado’s pull side.

Would the Sox take it a step further this year and go with four outfielders?

“We discussed the merits of doing it last year, but I don’t think we did,” said a member of the Sox’ Baseball Operations department, noting that “in some cases, you can get slight gains (by going to a four- man outfield).”

The staffer said the alignment is more effective against certain types of hitters, but for competitive reasons, wouldn’t offer more details. ______

TOP 3/THE LIST

One of the changes about to be implemented for the 2019 season is the elimination of waiver trades between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31. Players can still be claimed on waivers in that month, but the “post-deadline” deals that used to occasionally happen in August are, for now, a thing of the past.

Here are the three most significant August trades in recent memory.

1. Justin Verlander, 2016.

With literally seconds to spare, the Astros landed the veteran starter from the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 31. Verlander then helped to pitch the Astros to their first title in franchise history. With a 4-1 record and 2.21 ERA in six games (five starts) that October, it seems a given that the Astros would still be without a championship were it not for that trade.

2. The Great Red Sox Salary Sell-Off, 2012

Out of contention and headed for a last-place finish, the Red Sox decided to give themselves payroll flexibility by unloading Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and on the Dodgers in exchange for five players, none of whom made much of a contribution to Red Sox history. But the money freed up by the salary dump positioned the Sox to start over and a series of short-term free agent deals to veterans that winter (Mike Napoli, , David Ross among others) helped the Sox win it all the following season.

3. Justin Upton, 2017

The Angels acquired the outfielder as a rental from the Tigers on Aug. 31, 2017, and although he wasn’t enough to lift the Angels into the postseason via the wild card, they liked him enough to re-sign him that offseason, agreeing to a five-year, $106 million deal. Upton remains the Angels’ starting left fielder.

Red Sox Notebook: Chris Sale sharp in exhibition game debut

Sean McAdam

FORT MYERS, Fla. — After pitching on a back field earlier in the week against some minor league hitters, Chris Sale took his spring game to the big stadium Saturday and faced a major league opponent for the first time this spring.

The results were impressive. Sale pitched four shutout innings, allowing two hits while fanning seven as the Red Sox saw their winless streak snapped at nine games with a 6-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

“It felt good to get the juices flowing and the adrenaline (going),” said Sale. “Today was the first day I kind of went through my full routine pre-game, during the game, all that stuff. It was good. Today was definitely a big step in the right direction.”

Sale had been unhappy with his outing last Monday, complaining that his delivery wasn’t locked in. The lefty clearly was not letting it go on the mound, as his fastball stayed in the 90-92 mph area rather than the customary 95-97 mph.

“It’s part of the process right now,” he said of the lesser velocity. “We’re going to try to lengthen this out and get the work in and not jump too far, too quick. We know what we’re doing. I’ve said it a million times — I don’t care what the radar gun says; I’m going to go out there and try to get outs. That’s my job.

“It’s important for me to go out and throw strikes. There’s not a velocity ticker on me. I didn’t look up (at the readings) once because I didn’t care. The biggest part me for is the work, the buildup, and the efficiency. That’s a big part of pitching — throwing strikes and getting ahead of the hitters. That’s where we were at today.” ______

For the first time this spring, Alex Cora publicly broached the idea of Dustin Pedroia not being ready to be part of the Opening Day roster on March 28.

Pedroia has progressed well and has suffered no setbacks as he attempts to come back from two knee procedures in the last 16 months. But the Sox don’t want to push him any harder than necessary just to include him in their Opening Day roster.

“We’re going to meet (Sunday) to see what the plan is, what we’re going to do during the week, and go from there,” revealed Cora. “We only have a week before we go to Arizona, so we have to see how we’re going to do this. So far, so good. He’s doing well. Obviously, Dustin’s situation will dictate a lot.

“If he’s ready to play, we’ll probably go 13 position players and 12 pitchers; if, for some reason, he’s not ready for Opening Day, then we’ll go with 13 pitchers, 12 position players. We still have a week to make decisions. I think we’re going to map it out (Sunday) and have a pretty good idea of what we’re going to do.”

The Sox want to make sure that Pedroia isn’t being pushed too much, too soon, so it can’t be ruled out that he could be left in extended spring training for a brief period while the team opens with an 11-game West Coast road swing.

Pedroia played five innings against the Braves Sunday and went 0-for-3, though hit the ball hard in his first at-bat with a 360-foot lineout to right.

“I’m starting to treat it like a normal spring training,” said Pedroia he came out of the game. “We’ll just keep building forward. We’ll see. I feel great, but I understand (the issue). The big picture is, I’m trying to play the next three years. If (that means sacrificing) five days or whatever to do that, then we have to do that.

“We have to do the right thing and make sure I’m fine long-term, instead of rushing something, something that my knee’s not ready for and then we have a problem. I’m just learning like everyone else is. The good thing is, I feel great and I’m moving great. I’m just trying to get at-bats and get locked in and play well to help us win.” ______

Tyler Thornburg’s first four outings were disconcerting, to say the least: four innings pitched, seven runs on 10 hits. On Saturday, after taking some time off to deal with the removal of an infected cyst, he may have turned the corner.

Thornburg issued a two-out walk, but didn’t allow a hit and closed with a strikeout. For the past few days, Thornburg had been working on his delivery and shortening his stride and the adjustment seemed to help.

“Mechanically, I’m trying to get back to where I was in ’16 and before,” he said. “We worked on some stuff and the results were a lot better. Pretty much all I was thinking about today was trying to stay short and get the ball out in front rather than get too far out there. If I get out there (with a longer stride) too much, the ball doesn’t play the same way.” ______

Initially, the Sox had planned to utilize a sixth starter for the sixth game of the year (in Oakland), to provide the five regular starters with an extra day of rest before they take their second turn. But now, there’s the possibility that extra starter could be used a bit later in the trip — either in Oakland or Phoenix, where the Sox have a three-game interleague series to conclude their trip. Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez are the candidates for the assignment. … Andrew Benintendi, taking the opportunity to get extra at-bats and work on his swing in minor league games over the weekend, went 0-for-5 in a game against the Twins’ High A opponent while going 1-for-1 with a single and run scored against their Low A affiliate. … Ryan Brasier made his Grapefruit League debut with an inning of work, during which he allowed a run on two hits with a strikeout. … Matt Barnes, who had struggled in his first two outings, was sharper, pitched an inning and allowed a hit while striking out two. … The Sox have a split-squad day Sunday, with one group (Steve Pearce, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Sandy Leon) going to Bradenton to face the Pirates, while another (Mitch Moreland, Rafael Devers, Eduardo Nunez, J.D. Martinez, Brock Holt and Xander Bogaerts) faces the Rays in Fort Myers.

* The Athletic

A plane filled with hope touches down at Red Sox spring training

Chad Jennings

BOSTON — Camden Bailey noticed every one of those signs in storefront windows. He saw all of the stickers on his teammates’ football helmets. He appreciated every friend who asked difficult questions to really, truly understand what was happening. His parents, his brothers — he could hardly believe how helpful and supportive they’ve been, at his bedside in the hospital, when he got sick at home, making the most of the good days knowing the bad days would come again.

When you get cancer at 14 and lose half of your left leg a few months later, that kind of encouragement isn’t just lip service. Camden said it’s kept him going, so much so that, on Friday night, he was able to leave it all behind.

This weekend, Camden will be in Fort Myers for a 48-hour trip with the Jimmy Fund Clinic to Red Sox spring training. There will be sunshine, and a swimming pool, and — Camden’s hoping — just a few minutes to really talk to Mookie Betts.

Most importantly, it will be a weekend of normalcy. Camden boarded a plane with 42 other kids, 13 nurses, three doctors, two psychosocial clinicians and six members of the Jimmy Fund activities team. Being a Kid With Cancer will make Camden just a part of the crowd these 48 hours. No need to explain the nausea or the prosthetic or willpower beyond his years.

“Maybe just the whole understanding that we’re fighting for something,” Camden said. “If you want to survive, you have to go to the Jimmy Fund. If you don’t want to, you don’t go. But I think everyone wants to, so they go. Even though it’s not always fun to be there, it’s what you need to do.”

Camden turned 15 in January, and he began walking on his own earlier this month, having finally gotten clearance to go full weight bearing on his prosthetic. He knows he won’t be able to play football again in the fall, but he’s eyeing next year. Same with basketball. He’s a small forward. Good all-around game. He plans to get it all back.

“Being able to start to walk,” he said, “it definitely helps, because just right after the surgery, I was just thinking: how am I going to get back to this point?”

It was basketball that raised some concern in the first place. Last January, Camden was finishing the basketball regular season back home in Jackson, N.H. He was gearing up to try out for his travel team, but his left knee was a wreck. He assumed a typical injury, wear and tear, so he finished the season and went to physical therapy. He kept at it for a few weeks until it was time for tryouts, but it was no good.

“I just couldn’t run,” he said.

More doctors. X-rays. Additional tests. It was at the end of March, almost exactly a year ago, when Camden was told he had osteosarcoma, a bone cancer that tends to affect young people.

“I think it was mostly shock,” he said. “For me it was.”

“I would agree,” said his dad, Chris. “It was kind of shock. I can remember going through the first few weeks to few months and saying to my wife, ‘Do you ever wake up thinking that it was just a dream?’ It’s a kind of surreal experience.”

It’s worth repeating: Camden had just turned 14.

In the past year, he’s undergone 40 weeks of chemotherapy. It was two weeks of treatment followed by — usually — a bad week at home, a good week at home, then right back to the clinic to do it all over again. In between treatments, Camden underwent three major surgeries. At the end of June, he had rotationplasty to remove the bottom half of his left leg. His ankle was turned backward and attached to the thighbone to function as a new knee. Camden also had surgery on his left lung in September, then his right lung in November. He started using crutches and a walker to get around his house, but he’s gradually built up to walking on his own with a prosthetic that he got in September.

“When he first put on the prosthetic,” Chris said, “and really, officially, walked right from the beginning with crutches, and seeing him have that mobility again, and seeing the potential of what he’ll be able to do, and seeing videos of other kids and things, it was very emotional for my wife and I to know that option will allow him to continue to be the active kid that he always has been.”

Camden’s final round of chemotherapy was last week. There are still plenty of scans in his future, and he might soon switch from reactive to proactive drugs, but this was a milestone. One of many. Lisa Scherber, the Jimmy Fund’s director of patient and family programs — known lovingly as The Play Lady — marvels at Camden’s attitude toward the whole thing.

“Such an amazing kid,” she said.

Camden credits the Jimmy Fund’s energy — at times, the clinic feels more like a party than a hospital — with making such an attitude possible. Hence, the weekend trip to Fort Myers. Think kids with cancer can’t fly 1,500 miles for a weekend away from their parents? Think again. This year, the group will attend Saturday’s game, with players coming by to see them before first pitch. For most players, this is more than just a quick stop to mindlessly sign a ball before walking away — some of the players look forward to this weekend almost as much as the kids do.

“There’s a lot of different stuff that we have to do throughout spring training,” Brock Holt said. “But whenever the kids are here, you don’t see anyone (complaining), ‘oh man we’ve got to go out there.’ Everybody is excited when they come, and it’s a cool thing for us to go and spend a little bit of time with them. It’s my favorite weekend, probably our favorite weekend, during this whole camp.”

Scherber has been spearheading spring training Jimmy Fund trips every year since 2003 when the words of 19-year-old patient Todd Schwartz inspired her to handle teenaged patients differently. Not quite hands-off, but not quite coddling either. Schwartz died the year before the first trip, and his name is spoken around the Jimmy Fund Clinic with the reverence of Ted Williams around the Red Sox.

“It’s because of him that I do teen trips,” Scherber said last year. “And he knew that he was never going to benefit from it. But, you know what, that was his gift. He gave it to us, and every time I go on a teen trip, Todd is with me. Every time.”

Brock Holt with Jimmy Fund patients in Fort Myers on a previous trip. (Courtesy of the Jimmy Fund) It was a specific kind of strength that boarded that airplane Friday night. Todd had it. Camden has it. It’s the strength of doctors and nurses to handle any crisis that might arise. It’s the strength of kids to step away from a support system so they can help each other get by on their own. It’s the strength of parents who want nothing more than to hold tight, but know they have to let go every now and then.

“It definitely is a little easier for me because I know he’s in such good hands,” Chris said. “My wife’s a little bit more of a worrywart, if you will, so a little harder for her.”

But the whole family’s been working on it.

“It’s definitely a hard balance,” Chris said. “Especially up to this point with the chemo, he’s so often just not feeling good. He really has become very dependent on us. But we have slowly — especially when he’s feeling good — we tell him, ‘No, you can go get that for yourself.’ That sort of thing. It’s kind of that balance of knowing when he really doesn’t feel good and needs you right there, and when he’s just being a typical, lazy teenager.”

Turns out, even a kid with cancer can get in trouble with his parents. That’s the way it goes. It’s the way it has to go. The treatment, the prosthetic, the physical therapy, the doses of tough love, the weekend trip to Florida — they’re all steps toward getting back to normal, after a year that was anything but. For 48 hours this weekend, Camden will be surrounded by dozens of kids going through similar circumstances. He’ll be one of many. They’ve all be scared and hopeful; angry and excited. To use Camden’s words: they’ve been fighting for something every single day.

“All the support from my community that I’ve gotten has really helped me going through this,” Camden said. “My friends have done so much to try to understand. It’s not like they’re totally out of the loop. But it will be (good) to be with people who are going through the same thing, and the energy at the Jimmy Fund, it helps you forget that you’re going through cancer. If everyone was all sad and everything, it would make you feel worse.”

Camden feels good this week. His final treatment was delayed a little bit, and he was worried this would be one of the bad weeks, but it hasn’t been. He’s better than he was a year ago, and although there’s still work to be done, Camden and his family are optimistic about what’s ahead. He keeps checking boxes: Final round of chemo. Walking on his own. Building more strength and stability. Every step is a milestone, and this weekend, a trip to Florida to see the Red Sox is, almost literally, just what the doctor ordered.

What we learned at Red Sox spring training this week

Jen McCaffrey

FORT MYERS, Fla. – It’s hard to believe, but this time next week, the Red Sox will be leaving Fort Myers, on a flight to Mesa, Arizona for two exhibition games against the .

There hasn’t been a ton of news or even much competition for spots on the roster this spring, given all the returning starters. But this upcoming week should prove busy, and provide some resolution regarding the catcher situation and the bullpen composition.

Here are some notes from the fifth week of spring training:

· The Red Sox will map out a schedule for Dustin Pedroia on Sunday which will determine whether or not the 35-year-old second baseman will be ready for the start of the season in 12 days. Pedroia played five innings in the field and went 0-for-3 at the plate on Saturday in his fourth game this spring. He’s also played in a handful of minor-league games, including one on Thursday. Pedroia has looked comfortable in the field, and while he’s still getting his timing down at the plate, the surgically repaired knee hasn’t seemed to bother him at all.

It still sounds like Pedroia has a good chance of being ready for Opening Day, but there’s also no need to push him just to be ready for the first week. If he needs another week or two of minor league games, maybe it’s worth it to continue to ease him back into playing time. If the medical and coaching staffs feel Pedroia is ready to go, Cora said they’ll go with 13 position players and 12 pitchers. If not, they’ll go with 13 pitchers and 12 position players. Cora said they feel they have enough roster flexibility with Eduardo Nunez and Brock Holt that 12 position players will be fine. Adding the extra pitcher will be helpful for the 11 games on the road in 11 days to start the season.

· Speaking of pitchers, when asked on Saturday if he had a good idea of which relievers might make the cut, Cora replied:

“No. I think compared to last year, it’s wide open. And it’s not that guys haven’t stepped up or whatever, it’s that spot might come up, one more guy and 11 games right away, you have to be flexible enough probably towards the end of the trip, you know what you’re going to do. We’re still debating — not only are we still debating but we went back to talk about the sixth starter, if we’re going to use him on the sixth day or we might use (him) another day on the road trip. There’s a lot of good conversations – this is the cool thing about the job now, that we’re getting down to decision time, we’ve seen enough that we have a pretty good idea who is who and what they can do and how they fit the pitching staff. You come in the mornings and everyone has different views and opinions and how can we maneuver the pitching staff for those 11 days.”

· He also made note of Ryan Braiser’s outing on Saturday. Brasier pitched in his first game of the spring on Saturday after missing some time early on with a toe injury. Brasier gave up two singles and a run, but is among the locks for the bullpen alongside Matt Barnes and . Cora laughed at the fact that last year at this time, if Brasier and given up two singles and a run in his first outing, they might not have given him more chances later in the spring. It’s all about keeping things in perspective. If they go with 12 pitchers, it seems as though there are four reliever spots open after the three guys mentioned above. Tyler Thornburg, Brandon Workman, Bobby Poyner, Marcus Walden, Brian Johnson, Hector Velazquez and Colten Brewer are all in contention for those positions. Guys like Zach Putnam, Domingo Tapia, Josh Taylor, Josh Smith, Ryan Weer, Erasmo Ramirez and Jenrry Mejia will likely start the year with Portland or Pawtucket, but could very well see time in the majors at some point over the next few months. There will be a lot of guys rotating through the bullpen, especially in the early going. As noted in this roster projection, the Red Sox used 23 pitchers last season. It’ll likely be even more this year. More on which two catchers might make the cut is also in this roster projection:

· Young lefty Darwinzon Hernandez has gotten a lot of reps in big league camp, but it’s almost certain he’ll begin the year as a starter in Double-A Portland. Cora said he expects Hernandez to be with the big league team before September. With Chris Sale and Rick Porcello hitting free agency after the winter, it seems as though they’re grooming Hernandez for a rotation spot if neither pitcher returns.

· Craig Kimbrel’s agent Dave Meter was in Lakeland on Thursday, the same day the Red Sox were there to play the Tigers. Meter didn’t talk to reporters and Dombrowski has maintained they’re not making a big expenditure on the bullpen. It is pretty wild that Kimbrel, , Gio Gonzalez, and others are still on the market. Carlos Gonzalez signed a one-year, minor-league deal with the Indians on Saturday. It’s just as crazy that a guy who hit .276 with 16 homers last year has to settle for that kind of deal.

· Sunday is a split-squad game with the Red Sox home against the Rays and on the road against the Pirates. It’s likely the next round of cuts for camp will come on Monday following the split squad. They’re currently at 47 players and need to get down to 25. The next cuts should include guys like Bobby Dalbec, Tate Matheny, CJ Chatham and other minor leaguers who’ve been in big league camp. Dalbec opened a lot of eyes the last few weeks. Cora specifically had Dalbec go on a few road trips with JD Martinez so he could learn from the veteran. You’ll be seeing more of Dalbec soon enough.

· Cora had some interesting words about Tzu-Wei Lin, who stepped it up offensively this spring. Nunez and Holt have a stranglehold on the two utility spots in Boston, but if an injury crops up, Lin is next in line. In nine games over the last five weeks, he’s got nine hits, including four doubles and a homer.

“One thing about him now, there’s a lot of confidence,” Cora said. “I told you last year, in that room, he’s one of the favorites. We love to call him up and ask him about his golf game and fishing and all that and I think that’s really helped him to open up. This spring training he’s been swinging the bat well. You can play him in the outfield and in the infield, he’s been a lot better at second base. We’re very pleased with the way he’s developed and I think offensively he understands now what it means to be aggressive early in the count, to look for pitches and drive it. He’s been doing a good job in spring training with that.”

· It’s always a funny experience watching minor-league spring training games on the back fields.

Pedroia got some playing time there this week as did JD Martinez, Christian Vazquez and Marco Hernandez. Andrew Benintendi played in a minor league game on Saturday and is scheduled to play there again on Sunday to get his timing down at the plate. Rick Porcello pitched four innings in a game on Friday. When the major league guys play in those games getting extra reps, there’s a lot less structure. Porcello was scheduled for 60 pitches over four innings, so once he hits 15 pitches each inning, the inning just stops — even if there are guys on base or if he’s in the middle of an at-bat. The objective is to get the pitches in under a more relaxed setting, and it makes sense, but it’s funny to watch. Meanwhile, the major league hitters, who are trying to get as many at-bats in as they can, bounce around between different games. There’s typically two minor league games happening simultaneously on adjacent fields. On Friday, the Double-A and Triple-A teams were playing while the Single-A and High-A teams were on the road. The next day it flipped, AAA and AA on the road, etc. Anyway, Martinez and Vazquez would jump into the lineup of whichever Red Sox affiliate was at the plate. So they’d take an at-bat in the Triple-A game then walk over to the Double-A game and insert themselves into the lineup to get another at-bat there.