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Home , Barry Zito, Billy Wagner, Curt Schilling, Dan Haren, David Price (baseball), Dwight Evans (baseball)

The Red Sox Tuesday, November 17, 2020

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Alex Cora has returned to an improved scenario for the Red Sox

Chad Finn

Think they’ve told about the state of the starting rotation yet?

The last time he was here, before his “mutual parting” and his one-year suspension for his bang-the-trash- can-slowly role in the 2017 Astros' cheating scandal, the Red Sox endured a disappointing season.

They plummeted to 84 wins, or 24 fewer than they won in 2018 when they stormed their way to their fourth title this century. They missed the playoffs, and without much suspense.

That ’19 team was still rich with talent, even if most of the pitching staff underperformed and/or struggled with injuries. The Red Sox did get 113 starts out of , , Eduardo Rodriguez, and in ’19, the four starters who were the backbone of the ’18 champs.

Not one of them started a game for the Red Sox in 2020.

The longstanding prediction that Sale would someday blow out his elbow came true, 10 seasons into his superb career. Rodriguez missed the whole season with COVID-19 complications. Porcello signed with the Mets and pitched like a guy who didn’t have many options besides signing with the Mets, and Price escaped to Los Angeles in the , then opted out of the season.

As far as sequels go, I thought that ’19 season was pretty much the real life equivalent of “Major League 2.” But then I looked up “Major League 2” on “Rotten Tomatoes,” and discovered it has a brutal 5 percent rating among critics.

So last season – when the Red Sox didn’t fall off by 24 games, but actually won just 24 games total in the most bizarre abbreviated season that we will hopefully ever witness — well, yeah, that was our “Major League 2” of a Red Sox season. Brutal.

I’m being facetious, of course. Cora knew about the pitching and everything else that has changed since he last wrote out a lineup card on Sept. 29, 2019, with Mookie Betts’s name at the top.

That he came back is foremost a sign that there wasn’t a better gig out there for him (he should have been the White Sox' choice over ). But it also suggests that he’s copacetic with what chief officer Chaim Bloom has in the works to escape this malaise of the past two seasons.

And there’s reason to be optimistic about Bloom’s capabilities, even after all of that. [Makes sweeping gesture at the entire 2020 season.]

He’s already made clever, beneficial trades. No one has chirped more often than me about the foolishness of trading Betts, and if you’re one of those correspondents asking if I’ll ever write another Sox column again without mentioning him, the answer is yes, in 2027. I hate — that is the right word, hate — that they traded him.

But that decision most likely was made before Bloom swapped in his Rays polo shirt for a Red Sox one. And if he had to absolutely make the move, he did pretty well. is an energetic, well-rounded player who may even make a couple of All-Star teams. Jeter Downs has a terrible name, but he is promising enough that colleague Alex Speier rates him in as the team’s No. 2 prospect. He should be the regular in a season or two and hopefully will have changed his name to Nomar Downs by then. could be a versatile bench option with the ability to catch. It was a trade that never should have been made, but we shouldn’t that against the interesting players Bloom got in return.

More encouraging are the small deals he’s already won, in less than a full year on the job. Acquiring (who has a shot at cracking the rotation after an impressive late season audition) and Connor Seabold for relievers and is already a win. They were a pair of disasters for the Phillies, averaging a 9.27 ERA in 25 combined appearances. Both are now free agents.

Bloom signed Kevin Pillar as a and eventually dealt him for an interesting pitching prospect in Jacob Wallace, formerly of UConn. went to the Padres for pair of top-15 Red Sox prospects (per the valuable soxprospects.com) in Jeisson Rosario and corner Hudson Potts.

I wonder sometimes if we give Bloom too much credit for the Rays' knack for finding overlooked talent and making savvy secondary trades, since Erik Neander was the one ultimately making the decisions. But the early signs during his Sox tenure strongly suggest Bloom has that same ability.

That bodes well for the approach to free agency as well. There is going to be an enormous pool of players to consider, from the 180-plus current free agents to the countless established players (see , for an early example) of players that will be non-tendered before the Dec. 2 deadline.

There is going to be a golden, and perhaps unprecedented, opportunity to add quality players at reasonable to bargain rates this winter. I’m sure Cora has some suggestions on whom he would like to acquire, perhaps starting with former Astros and Rays starter .

Count me among those who don’t believe the Red Sox should pull a and get heavily involved in pursuing the biggest-name free agents. winner would change the entire landscape of that rotation, but his increased spin rate last season is … let’s say curious, and I suspect he’s a bauble new Mets owner Steve Cohen is going to covet. The best positional free agent is Phillies J.T. Realmuto, but the Red Sox would have to deal Christian Vazquez to pursue him, and that seems improbable, even if it isn’t a bad idea.

Cora is coming back to a team that features three superb talents who are thrilled he’s back (, , and I’ll include J.D. Martinez here based on what he achieved playing for Cora).

He’s coming to a team that has some promising young players that weren’t a part of this roster or were just arriving when he was last here (Verdugo, , Bobby Dalbec, and Darwinzon Hernandez, another whose ’20 season was altered by the virus).

And he’s coming back to a team that is going to mine that non-tender pool and the lower tiers of free agency for help.

He has to be OK with that. There’s no Sale, at least until later in the season, no Price, and no Mookie. But it’s a much better scenario for everyone than last year, when Cora had no job, and the Red Sox had no chance.

* MassLive.com

2021 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot: , , among five former players eligible for induction

Chris Cotillo

Five former Red Sox players -- Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling and and Manny Ramirez and -- are on the ballot for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021.

Victorino is one of 11 first-time candidates on this year’s ballot. Schilling (9th year), Clemens (9th year), Wagner (6th year) and Ramirez (5th year) are also returning candidates. Voters can vote for up to 10 players and must submit their ballots by the end of the year. Results will be announced Jan. 26.

Of the 25 candidates on this year’s ballot, Schilling and Clemens would seem to have the best shot of being inducted. In 2020, both came close to the 75% required for admission into the Hall of Fame, with Schilling receiving 70% of the vote and Clemens getting 61%. Both former pitchers have two more years of eligibility on the ballot before being removed if they’re not inducted.

Wagner (31.7% in 2020) and Ramirez (28.2%) still have a ways to go to get to 75% but increased their vote totals from 2019 to 2020. Without their association with performance-enhancing drugs, it’s likely Clemens and Ramirez would already be in the Hall of Fame.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Hall of Fame postponed its 2020 induction to 2021, so inductees from both classes will join the Hall together. From the 2020 class, three players (, and ) and one executive (Marvin Miller) will be inducted in July.

The induction ceremony, which is scheduled for July 25,

Here’s the entire list of candidates on this year’s ballot (first-time candidates in italics):

Bobby Abreu

Barry Bonds

Mark Buehrle

A.J. Burnett

Roger Clemens

Michael Cuddyer

Dan Haren

LaTroy Hawkins

Todd Helton

Tim Hudson

Torii Hunter

Andruw Jones

Jeff Kent

Andy Pettitte

Aramis Ramirez

Manny Ramirez

Scott Rolen

Curt Schilling

Gary Sheffield

Sammy Sosa

Nick Swisher

Shane Victorino

Omar Vizquel

Billy Wagner

Barry Zito

* The Portland Press Herald

Cora’s reputation as a players’ should benefit Red Sox

Tom Caron

Alex Cora is back at work. His re-introduction as manager of the Red Sox went relatively smoothly last week, and now he is settling in to learn about the team he will lead onto the field in 2021. He may have managed this team recently, but he will find it’s a very different unit than the one he last spent time with in the dugout.

More than anything, his new team needs pitching. Starting pitching, relief pitching … all types of pitching. Whether you look at the game through old-school glasses (they had the third-highest ERA in the majors) or new-school analytics (they had the highest FIP – Fielding Independent Pitching – in either league) the Sox have a long way to go to get back on track.

Some of the help will come from within. Tanner Houck and Nick Pivetta came on strong at the end of 2020. Connor Seabold (acquired along with Pivetta in a mid-season deal with last year) is on the horizon.

More will have to come via free agency. By all accounts there will be a bumper crop of talent available by the end of December, especially after teams non-tender some of their players further adding to the number of free agents available.

That’s where Cora can help the Sox. He has earned a reputation as a players’ manager, a field leader who brings the best out of individuals while creating an environment that players enjoy. It’s how he was able to get his players to buy into decisions back in 2018. We never heard players complain, even if they found themselves out of the lineup on a given day.

You didn’t hear much complaining in 2019, even as the defending champs struggled under Cora. Cora bonded with a wide spectrum of players. He connected with young up-and-coming players like Rafael Devers and . He helped players in their prime like Xander Bogaerts and Christian Vazquez as they emerged as stars. And he was able to get along with high-priced superstars like J.D. Martinez, Chris Sale and David Price.

Keeping harmony in a clubhouse might be one of the most important attributes of a Red Sox manager. Boston can be a cauldron of controversy, and the Sox must remain focused on playing baseball.

That has kept Boston from being high on the list of landing spots for many high-profile free agents. And it’s another reason the hiring of Cora will help the Sox become a contender sooner rather than later. When the game’s best players reach free agency, they are finally in a position to choose their work environment for the coming years. Playing for a manager loved by his players is a good place to start.

Does that mean superstars will take less money to come to Boston? Not likely. Take winner Trevor Bauer. He will get offers at or above $100 million this offseason. He won’t come to Boston for cents on the dollar. Yet, if the Sox were to make a competitive offer, he might decide this is a good landing spot for him.

Only time will tell if Boston is on Bauer’s radar. We know Cora was keeping his eye on Bauer. When asked what he watched during his one-year suspension for his involvement in the Astros sign-stealing scandal of 2017 Cora mentioned one by name.

“I watched the Yankees a lot,” said Cora. “I watched the Rays…. I watched a lot. I watched (Trevor) Bauer whenever he pitched. That was fun to watch.”

The signal has been sent. Cora likes Bauer. Chances are everyone else enjoyed watching the NL Cy Young Award winner.

Does Bauer like Boston? Do other free agents? That’s an important story this offseason. One that got a little lift when Cora returned as manager of the Sox.

* RedSox.com

5 Red Sox players who should be in HOF

Ian Browne

The tradition-rich Red Sox have been defined by their many superstar players through the decades. Thirty- six of those players have received the ultimate recognition for their greatness with a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Yet there are still some other former Boston greats who should be there and likely will be at some point. In that spirit, MLB.com has asked each beat reporter to rank the top five players from the team they cover who are not in the Hall of Fame.

A couple of rules: The player must be retired. And the player must have played a significant portion of his career with that team.

For example, Adrian Beltre won’t be in Boston’s top five, because he played just one season for the Red Sox.

Here is my ranking of the top five Red Sox players who aren't in the Hall of Fame.

1) , 1997-2016, spent final 14 seasons with the Red Sox Big Papi is the rare player who ended his career with one of his finest seasons. In 2016, at the age of 40, Ortiz led the Majors in doubles (48), (.620) and OPS (1.021). Ortiz will be on the ballot for the first time next year.

Ortiz’s hitting numbers are obviously Cooperstown-worthy. In fact, as the Red Sox were pushing toward a World Series championship in 2013, teammates starting calling Ortiz “Cooperstown.” That ring in ’13 was the third Ortiz secured in his time with the Red Sox, and he .688 against the Cardinals in that Fall Classic.

After a modest start to his career with the Twins from 1997-2002, Ortiz turned into a superstar in Boston. In his career, he hammered 541 home runs and had a .931 OPS in 2,408 games. The only player with more homers in a Red Sox uniform than Ortiz? .

Making his Hall of Fame candidacy even stronger is his legendary reputation in October, which includes three walk-off hits in 2004 and also that game-tying against the Tigers, which entirely changed the momentum of the ’13 Championship Series.

One thing Ortiz has going against him is that he spent most of his career as a . Edgar Martinez became the first primary DH to get into the Hall of Fame, and he wasn’t elected until his 10th and final year on the ballot. However, Ortiz’s power numbers will likely get him to Cooperstown much quicker than Martinez. It will also be interesting to see if Ortiz’s Hall of Fame pursuit is slowed at all by reports that he failed a test for performance-enhancing drugs during what was supposed to be anonymous survey testing in 2003.

2) Roger Clemens, 1984-2007, spent first 13 seasons with the Red Sox Here is what we know. Clemens won a record-setting seven Cy Young Awards, the first three of which came when he was with the Red Sox. He also became the first pitcher in history to strike out 20 in a game and then he tied his own record 10 years later. The Rocket had 354 wins -- including 192 with the Red Sox, tying Cy Young for the club’s all-time record. Clemens led the Majors in ERA-plus eight times. His 4,672 is third in history behind Hall of Famers and .

Here is what we don’t know. How much did performance-enhancing drugs help Clemens reach some of those gaudy numbers, particularly during the latter half of his career? Clemens never failed a PED test, but he was cited numerous times in the 2007 .

Clemens, according to many who played with him, had a tireless work ethic. He also studied his craft like few others, even having a book on the for all the umpires. If you go by the statistics, Clemens is the best pitcher currently not in the Hall of Fame. The only pitchers in history with a better career WAR than the 138.7 for Clemens as calculated by Baseball-Reference? Cy Young and .

3) Curt Schilling, 1988-2007, pitched his final four seasons with the Red Sox In the last two years, Schilling received the most votes for any candidate who didn’t get elected into the Hall of Fame. In other words, this could be Schilling’s year. With no obvious new candidates on this year’s ballot, Schilling figures to get a long look from voters in what will be his ninth year of eligibility.

Perhaps the most clutch of his era, Schilling participated in the World Series four times for three franchises (Phillies, D-backs and Red Sox) and was on the winning side three times, twice with Boston.

While Schilling’s regular-season accomplishments were impressive enough (216-146, 3.46 ERA and 3,116 strikeouts), it was his utter brilliance in the postseason that truly sets him apart. In that ultra-pressurized environment of the playoffs, Schilling made 19 starts, going 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.

4) , 1972-91, spent all but the last season of his career with the Red Sox While it is often said that a player can’t get any better after he retires, Evans is unique in that his offensive strength (getting on base at a high volume) is something that is weighted far more in player evaluations today than when he had his short on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot from 1997-99. The only player who walked more than Evans in the '80s? .

But Evans didn’t just walk. He also mashed. Evans led MLB with 605 extra-base hits in the 1980s. The only players with more homers in that decade than Evans? , and .

Oh, we haven’t talked about his defense yet. Evans won eight Gold Glove Awards for his excellence in the . One year ago, Evans was one of 10 candidates on the Modern Era ballot and received votes from eight of the 16 members on the committee, leaving him four votes shy of election.

Evans played alongside Hall of Famers , , , and in his career and hoped to one day join them with a plaque of his own.

5) Manny Ramirez, 1993-2011, spent eight seasons with the Red Sox If it was just about numbers, Ramirez would have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His consistent excellence ranks him with and as the best pure right-handed hitters of this generation. But there’s a problem. Ramirez wasn’t merely associated with performance-enhancing drugs, he was suspended twice for failing tests. That is something that can’t be said of Clemens, and some others who haven’t been voted into the Hall of Fame due to their association with PEDs.

Ramirez was an entertaining, enigmatic hitting machine during his career. The outfielder with a sweet and fluid swing crushed the ball to all fields for many years for the Indians and Red Sox. He also stood out during his brief stint with the Dodgers. Ramirez had a career slash line of .312/.411/.585 while belting 555 homers to go with 1,831 RBIs. A big-game player, Ramirez played on two AL pennant-winners with the Indians and two World Series championship teams with the Red Sox.

The shame about Ramirez’s choice to use PEDs is that it overshadows his legendary work ethic and obsession with his craft. Ramirez would often get to the ballpark at 10 a.m. on the day of a night game to study video, take extra swings and lift weights.

Schilling has best chance yet to make HOF

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- Curt Schilling, the big-game righty who guided three franchises to the World Series in his impressive career, could be poised to be elected into the Hall of Fame in his ninth year on the ballot.

The Hall of Fame released the 2021 ballot on Monday. And with none of the newcomers expected to gain entry, Schilling seems to have the best chance of the 25 candidates on the ballot.

A candidate needs votes from 75 percent of the ballots cast by Baseball Writers' Association of America members to get into the Hall of Fame.

Last year, Schilling was named on 70 percent of the ballots and it was the second straight year he received the most votes of any candidate who didn’t get elected.

If Schilling doesn’t get enough support this year, he would be back on the ballot for the 10th and final time next year.

Roger Clemens, who won the first three of his seven Cy Young Awards while wearing a Red Sox uniform, is also on the ballot for the ninth time.

The Rocket got 61 percent of the votes last year and would have been a slam dunk for the Hall of Fame if not for allegations he used performance-enhancing drugs. Clemens won 192 games in a Boston uniform, tied with Cy Young for the club record. He set an all-time -game record with 20 strikeouts against the Mariners on April 29, 1986, and then tied his own record 10 years later in his final win for the Red Sox on Sept. 18, 1996, vs. the Tigers.

Another Red Sox player whose entry into the Hall of Fame has been stalled due to his association with PEDs is Manny Ramirez. The former slugger -- who was suspended twice in the latter years of his career for failing PED tests -- is on the ballot for the fifth time. Ramirez had a career OPS plus of 154 while hitting .312 with 555 homers and 1,831 RBIs. He played for the Red Sox from 2001-08, fueling the team to World Series titles in ’04 and ’07. Ramirez was selected on 28.2 percent of the ballots last year, his highest total so far.

Outfielder Shane Victorino and Billy Wagner are two others who had stints with the Red Sox who are on the ballot. This is the first year of eligibility for Victorino, was a core player in Boston’s title. Victorino also won it all with the Phillies in '08.

When it comes to the 2021 ballot -- results of which will be announced on Jan. 26 -- all eyes will be on Schilling.

Perhaps the most clutch starting pitcher of his era, Schilling participated in the World Series four times for three franchises (Phillies, D-backs and Red Sox) and was on the winning side three times, twice with Boston.

While Schilling’s regular-season accomplishments were impressive enough (216-146, 3.46 ERA, 3,116 strikeouts), it was his utter brilliance in the postseason that truly sets him apart. In that ultra-pressurized environment of the playoffs, Schilling made 19 starts, going 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.

In an age when technology and information hadn’t taken over baseball like it has today, Schilling was a trend-setter. He was one of the first MLB players to bring a computer to work, and it was filled with data that was geared toward helping him beat the opposition. Schilling also had hand-written binders full of reports on every hitter he faced.

“I watched video of every pitch I threw like 300 times,” Schilling once told MLB.com.

For someone like Schilling, who has spent a lifetime absorbing and being awed by baseball history, the honor of being a Hall of Famer will surely be overwhelming if it eventually happens.

* WEEI.com

Curt Schilling, Shane Victorino on newly-released Hall of Fame ballot

Rob Bradford

This would seem to be Curt Schilling's big chance.

The former Red Sox pitcher was one of the names on the newly-released ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2021.

Schilling is viewed as a favorite to be inducted, having received 70 percent of the required 75 percent of the vote last year. It is his ninth year of Hall of Fame eligibility.

There is no first-year candidates believed to have a legitimate chance of gaining induction, with Roger Clemens (61 percent) and Barry Bonds (60.7) also missing out in their eighth season of eligibility in 2020.

Manny Ramirez heads into his fifth year on the ballot, having received 28.2 percent of the voting last year.

Another player with Red Sox ties on the ballot is outfielder Shane Victorino, who was with the team from 2013-15. It is Victorino's first year of eligibility.

* NBC Sports Boston

Time for Devers to make the leap to MVP candidate

John Tomase

*Throughout this month, we'll put a member of the 2020 Red Sox and one of their most notable statistics under the microscope while assessing their season and what lies ahead. Today's installment: Rafael Devers.

.219 That's what Devers has hit through the first 20 games in each of the last two seasons. A slow start killed his chance to make his first All-Star team in 2019 -- he didn't slug his first homer until May -- and another one in 2020 basically guaranteed that his final numbers would disappoint, since the 60-game campaign ended just as he was heating up.

Offseason scouting reports: E-Rod | Sale | Martinez | Vazquez | Bogaerts A Red Sox club that projects to have little margin for next season can ill afford for Devers to take the first month to find his swing. He needs to hit the ground running, because he's the most talented hitter on the roster.

What went right for Devers in 2020 After that tough start, Devers caught fire, looking exactly like the young hitter who propelled the club in 2019. Over his final 35 starts, he hit .307 with nine homers, 38 RBIs, and a .923 OPS. Once again, the monster production was in there. It just took a little time to reveal itself.

When Devers is locked in, he's a little like a left-handed or , hitting everything hard, whether it's over the plate or not. There's no one on the Red Sox who squares up a ball more loudly.

What went wrong for Devers in 2020 The rough start wasn't even the worst of it. Devers was so bad defensively, leading AL third basemen in errors (14), that the Red Sox have been forced to confront the possibility that his long-term future may rest across the diamond at first base.

There's also a readymade replacement for him on the roster in slugging corner man Bobby Dalbec, who's considered a plus defender at third, but looked a little stiff at first. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that the two flip positions either this season or down the road.

Early outlook for 2021 Whatever optimism anyone feels about the Red Sox traces in large part to Devers. He just turned 24 and is entering that transition period from promising newcomer to stalwart veteran.

Former teammate Mookie Betts had already made an All-Star team and finished second in an MVP race by age 24. Teammate Xander Bogaerts had made an All-Star team and won a pair of Silver Sluggers. It's time for Devers to join their ranks and make the leap.

If Chicago's Jose Abreu can win an MVP award, there's absolutely no reason Devers can't enter that conversation one day himself. He's that good.

* BostonSportsJournal.com

Lack of big-name additions to ballot could mean no one gets into Cooperstown this time

Sean McAdam

On Monday, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled its annual ballot, with voting to be conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America. The ballot has 25 names, which is smaller than usual. A typical ballot usually has more than 30 names. Every year, a screening committee selects a host of players from a list of eligible first-time players.

Results will be announced on Jan. 26th and the induction ceremony will take place July 25. The question is: will anyone be elected this time?

That would seem like a question worth asking. Among holdovers from the last ballot, only one player collected more than 61 percent last year. And the additions to this year’s ballot do not include any obvious candidates for first-year admission.

This year’s ballot has 11 new names: , A.J. Burnett, , , LaTroy Hawkins, , Torrii Hunter, Aramis Ramirez, , Shane Victorino and . Of those, only Victorino ever played for the Red Sox.

From the list of first-timers, it would seem that Buehrle might have the best case. He was remarkably durable, with 14 consecutive seasons of 200 or more for the White Sox. Even in the final year of his 16-year career, he fell just shy of the milestone with 198.2 innings.

Buehrle won 214 games and posted a .572 . He also threw both a no-hitter and a and collected four Gold Glove and was selected to the All-Star game five times. But his career ERA was an unremarkable 3.81 and he received Cy Young Award votes just once his career.

His career WAR was 60, which is a modest total. Of pitchers already elected to the Hall, 18 have WAR totals less than Buehrle, and most of those are either pitchers from the 19th century or early 20th century, or relievers like and .

Beyond Buehrle, it’s hard to even consider someone else. Ramirez is probably the best new position player on the ballot. And his .283/.341/.492 with 386 homers and one Top 10 MVP finish is hardly the stuff of first-time inductees.

Hunter accumulated 2,452 career hits and nine Gold Gloves, but had just one Top 10 MVP finish in a 19- year career.

That leaves the returning players and even there, there are no guarantees.

Curt Schilling, in his ninth year on the ballot, finished at 70 percent last year (candidates need 75 percent for election), and is the best-positioned among those holdovers. But Schilling is a controversial figure who tends to alienate people with his comments on social media. And his credentials, while strong, are hardly irrefutable. In particular, his win total of 216 and career ERA of 3.46 pale in comparison to some who’ve gained entrance.

Then there are the twin pillars of the PED era: Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who, like, Schilling, are in their ninth year of eligibility. Bonds and Clemens have made modest climbs in the voting in recent years, but last year, came in at 60.7 percent (Bonds) and 61 percent (Clemens). They would need to realize significant jumps this time to gain election.

After that, only one other player — shortstop — was named on at least half (52.6 percent) of the ballots last year.

In the past, I’ve voted for Schilling, Bonds, Clemens and and would expect to do so again this time. For now, however, I’ll hold off on filling out my ballot until later this year.

Failing to elect a player this winter would not be unprecedented. It’s happened three times in modern memory — 1971, 1996 and 2013.

One additional note to consider: because the pandemic wiped out last summer’s induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, that class — including Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and the late Marvin Miller — will not be honored this July.

That’s notable in the event that some voters who might be reluctant to return a blank ballot could take comfort in the fact that there will, in fact, be a ceremony this summer even without new inductees.

Still, an empty 2021 class would stand in stark contrast to recent years. The BBWAA has elected at least two candidates in seven straight years, totaling 22 players. That’s the most number of players elected in a seven-year stretch since voting began.

* The Athletic

Was Alex Cora let off the hook too easily? Red Sox mailbag, part 2

Jen McCaffrey

In part 1 of our Red Sox mailbag, we looked at whether Chaim Bloom might go after a big name like Trevor Bauer as they try to solidify the pitching staff. Now on to the second part of the mailbag, with questions about Cora, Jackie Bradley Jr., qualifying offers and more.

Alex Cora did not get into specifics about his role in the Astros scandal when asked at the presser instead he chose to move forward. Was he let off the hook too easily? I was expecting a follow-up when he evaded the question. It’s hard for fans to move ahead without knowing the full extent of his role other than “ringleader”. Your thoughts? — Christian Hasse via email

I thought there were a few pointed questions from NBC Sports Boston’s John Tomase and the ’s Jason Mastrodonato on if Cora knew what he was doing was wrong or if he only felt guilty after getting caught Another on why he didn’t bring the scheme to Boston if it worked so well in . Like you said, he talked around the questions, but at the same time, you can’t force someone to say something. I don’t think anyone expected Cora to sit up there and lay out the details of how and why he developed and implemented the scheme. He was only going to say so much. So, sure, every question could have been more probing on details of his past. I also think he showed a decent amount of remorse, saying he was embarrassed and ashamed, and owning how wrong he was. This also won’t be the last time we talk about it with him.

I’m curious Jen. Have you seen a noticeable reduction in interest from Sox fans without Mookie Betts and David Price…Sale not pitching…and all the losses. Just wondering how fair-weather the base is. — Janet Prensky, @janetprensky

I think there’s definitely been a noticeable drop in interest this year, but I think the main detractor was the way the team performed and not so much people boycotting the team over the Betts trade. I think if Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez had been healthy and the team was in contention, interest would have been about the same as the past couple years. I don’t ever see the fandom returning to the 2003-2004 levels of intensity. But with so many players this past year that fans hadn’t heard of, coupled with the losses piling up, it just wasn’t worth it for fans to tune in and that’s understandable. The Red Sox know they need to be more relevant to maintain fan interest.

Will Jackie Bradley Jr. get a real offer from the Red Sox? — Drew in Florida, @drew9175

I think they have legitimate interest. It’s just a matter of if he wants to return or if he’s seeking a different setting and gets a better offer. WEEI recently reported that the Red Sox have been in touch with Bradley’s agent, . Meanwhile, Bloom talked at length last week about the importance of center field at Fenway.

“I think we have guys on this club who are capable of playing center field, but I would certainly like to be in as strong a defensive position as you can,” he said. “We know we play in a ballpark where you basically have two center fields here at , so you want to be mindful of that. We can’t be too rigid and miss good opportunities, but we certainly would like to have as strong a defensive outfield as possible, and a lot of that obviously is contingent on having multiple guys who can play center field.”

To me, that indicated they could move Andrew Benintendi or Alex Verdugo to center, but would prefer to leave them at their spots, filling in at center on an as-needed basis. It sounds like Bloom wants a true , which there aren’t too many of in free agency. Bradley fits that bill.

Do the Red Sox plan to go back to the previous start time for home games? — Joe Bearden, @GrayHairJoe

Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy told us at the end of the season that they’d heard the message loud and clear that almost everyone hated the 7:30 start times and they’d be reverting back to 7:05 or 7:10. Cora even mentioned in his press conference watching games back home in Puerto Rico this summer and not being a fan of the later start times. I think it’s safe to say earlier start times are on the agenda for next year.

As a Canadian Sox fan, I have long shaken my head at the con pulled on Jays fans. Toronto itself is not a small market. The region’s population is more than 6 million and unlike, for example, the Brewers whose local TV market is jammed between the Twin Cities and Chicago, the Jays’ home market is 4.5 time zones and 38 million people. Yet, since Labatt sold the team ownership pockets money and fans buy the painfully false narrative. Why are the Sox, who have far greater revenue streams, trying to pull the same claptrap? Do they think Sox fans are stupid, or do they just not care about overtly trying for mediocrity? It takes a *lot* for this ownership group, which delivered four World Series championships, to create fan ire and then apathy, but they’ve pulled it off. I understand avoiding Pujols-type contracts, or going 8 years on free agent pitchers, but trading Mookie for *that* was indefensible. — Andrew Stead via email

I think the fan ire and apathy date back much farther than Betts. It goes to not signing , to spending lavishly on and Hanley Ramirez — even to the debacle with announcer . The Betts trade is just the latest mess. This ownership has brought four World Series, but they also made some curious decisions along the way. What should have happened was to offer Betts a massive deal two or three years ago while he was still in arbitration (maybe they did and he still turned them down. We’ve seen reports but nothing definitive). Betts often would say he wanted to test the free agent market, which was his prerogative, so he very well may have wanted to enter free agency and not sign a deal with Boston. If that’s the case, the Red Sox had the right to trade him before that happened. (I think he got to Los Angeles and realized the upcoming free agent market might not be very strong and took the Dodgers’ offer.) It’s still too early to tell what the return on that trade will be. Obviously Betts is a generational talent, but I think they got some very good players in return. Are any of them Betts? No, but I think it’s too early to fully judge the trade. Most big-spending teams in baseball try to reset their payrolls at some point. The Dodgers and Yankees did it not long before the Red Sox, so it’s not some concept the Red Sox devised themselves. The two things at play were: Whether Betts wanted to sign a long-term deal with Boston; and, if he did, and the Red Sox didn’t offer him enough, well that’s a result of poor contracts they’d previously signed (ie: Eovaldi, Sale) that hamstrung them.

Do you think the Sox seriously pursue anyone with a qualifying offer attached to them? — Matt, @Bstrong415

I don’t. I know Bloom floated the possibility on Wednesday that they’d be open to qualifying offer free agents if it was the right fit. Bauer, infielder D.J. LeMahieu and outfielder are the three that the Red Sox seemingly would be most interested in. In signing any of them, the Red Sox would have to forfeit the fourth pick in the second round of the . Meanwhile, all three are looking for multi-year deals with average annual values of at least $20 million. As we noted before, the Red Sox have roughly $40 million to work with to plug holes in their rotation, outfield and . Do they really want to spend more than half of that on one player? Yes, those three are excellent players, but to me, the way Bloom operates is by finding market inefficiencies. I think he’ll target mid-to-upper-level free agents, but not the top tier guys like these.

Do you think the Sox will count on big contributions from Bobby Dalbec and Tanner Houck or bring in vets with the hope that the kids can win spots by the end of the season? — Will Wiquist, @Wiquist

I think Dalbec will be the team’s starting next season. I don’t think the team’s biggest priority is adding a veteran backup at first, but if there is someone available at the end of the winter (à la the signing of Mitch Moreland last January), it might make sense for depth and protection, in case Dalbec’s rate doesn’t subside. As far as Houck, the Red Sox clearly need to add starting pitchers to the mix with Sale expected to miss the first half and the uncertainty of Rodriguez’s status for the start of the year. But I don’t see the Red Sox adding so many bonafide starters that it’ll bump Houck out of the rotation. It’s unrealistic to think he’ll be as dominant as he was at the end of this season, but if he can carry over at least some of that success, I think he’ll be a key piece of the rotation next year.

Do you have any idea what the Red Sox minor league affiliations will be next season? I’m guessing Worcester, Portland, and Greenville are locks. High A is interesting though- do you think Salem stays on? Or is Lowell a possibility for the new Mid-Atlantic League? — Michael Harris, via email

Though there’s been a lot of upheaval across the league with minor-league affiliates, we haven’t heard too much regarding the Red Sox teams. I agree with your bet that Worcester, Portland and Greenville are safer than Lowell and Salem. Lowell, in particular, seems to have the most uncertainty surrounding it because of MLB’s proposal to turn its league (the Penn League) into a summer wood bat league. On Wednesday, Bloom said the club does not yet know how it will be impacted by the affiliation restructuring, but said he expects at least of their current affiliations to be impacted.