The Tuesday, November 24, 2020

* The Boston Globe

Red Sox pitching prospect Jeremy Wu-Yelland eager for next steps after layoff

Julian McWilliams

Jeremy Wu-Yelland just wanted to get back on the diamond. The Red Sox’ 2020 fourth-round draft selection saw his season at the University of Hawaii come to an abrupt halt because of COVID-19. The lefthanded then saw the minor league season evaporate. His year, much like the world surrounding him, was governed by uncertainty.

So when the 21-year-old finally felt some sense of normalcy during instructional league, he savored the moment.

“It was great to be back on a baseball field,” Wu-Yelland said recently by phone. “That was a big part, just being able to do something during this time.”

Wu-Yelland endured more than a six-month layoff from seeing live hitters. Any time a player tries to get reacclimated after such a break, it requires some sort of progression. But under these circumstances, that holds especially true.

“It took a couple weeks to [find a rhythm], and being out there again was a big part of that,” Wu-Yelland said. “The Red Sox did a good job building us up and making sure we’re ready to go.

“It’s a bit of a curve, and it goes up pretty quick. After my first few days out there, it felt like I got my feet back under me.”

Wu-Yelland made four appearances, easing his way to a maximum of 55 pitches and 2-3 . Wu- Yelland’s electric arm was on display during his outings, in which he topped out at 97 miles per hour. Red Sox scouting director Paul Toboni saw it first-hand, adding that he sat comfortably at 95-96.

“The fastball plays at least plus,” said Toboni, who also noted that Wu-Yelland has an elite and throws an elite when he goes to it. “There’s significant promise there.”

Wu-Yelland really piqued the Sox’ interest while playing in the Cape Cod League. In the summer of 2019, he tossed 25⅔ innings, striking out 26 and posting a 3.15 ERA. His big arm was on display, but now, the next step in Wu-Yelland’s development lies in his ability to not rely just on his power.

“I think he’s going to have to figure out how to throttle back a little bit,” Toboni said. “Because he’s so powerful and so competitive right now. It’s just go, go, go.

“But he’s got such good stuff. I think if he can just throttle it back a little bit, he’s going to be really, really good.”

There’s a fine line, of course. Oftentimes it’s hard for younger to strike that balance between power and touch. In Wu-Yelland’s case, he recognizes that the middle ground would allow him to tap into his potential.

“I think it goes both ways,” Wu-Yelland said. “Most of my pitching career, I’ve been told that my stuff is so good that it’s hard to hit. With that being said, I have to fill up the zone, get ahead of guys, and put myself in a position to keep guys off-balance or uncomfortable.”

But throttling it back is better than not having the luxury to do so.

“I’d have that problem, then, you know, guys hitting me too much,” he said.

Wu-Yelland is hopeful that a minor league season is ahead of him. With minor leaguers losing a year of development, Wu-Yelland understands that pitching in live games is the ultimate test. It’s something he’s up for.

“I’m more excited just to get working and see how I actually perform,” he said.

* The Boston Herald

Red Sox ‘showing interest’ in veteran starter J.A. Happ, per report

Steve Hewitt

The Red Sox are in dire need of starting pitching help this winter, and they’re reportedly in on a former Yankee.

The Sox are “showing interest” in veteran left-hander J.A. Happ, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. The Yankees declined the 38-year-old Happ’s $17 million option, making him a free agent. The Angels and Blue Jays have also reportedly shown interest in Happ.

Happ’s best days are behind him, but he had a solid 2020, going 2-2 with 3.47 ERA in nine starts. That included an eight- shutout of the Red Sox on Sept. 19 at , where the former Blue Jay has pitched 66⅔ innings, more than any other ballpark in the majors he’s played as an opponent. Happ has a career 2.57 ERA at Fenway.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has made it a priority to add starting pitching this winter after the staff’s brutal performance in 2020 and the looming returns of Eduardo Rodriguez and Chris Sale. But Happ would likely be no more than a back-end starter and depth option as the Red Sox try to fill gaps in their rotation.

“Clearly for anybody who has spent any time watching us in 2020, it was obviously an issue,” Bloom said earlier this month of the Red Sox’ pitching in 2020. “There were a lot of different reasons for that. Obviously health, both arm health and the virus, as you guys all know, played a role. But those are the things we have to build for. We have to expect those things and that’s why depth is important.

“We have to make sure we are aggressive in amassing both short-term and long-term depth. Starters, relievers, everywhere in between. We clearly did not have what we needed in that regard in 2020. I think by the end of the year looking ahead we could feel better about it than we might have on , but we still have a lot of work to do.”

* MassLive.com

Red Sox trade rumors: Kris Bryant deal was discussed this past summer, Boston still could have interest in 2016 NL MVP (report)

Christopher Smith

The Boston Red Sox and discussed slugger Kris Bryant this past summer, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The Tribune listed the Red Sox as one of the potential teams who could have interest in acquiring the slugger this offseason.

It’s not uncommon for teams to lay groundwork at the trade deadline, then resume trade talks during the offseason.

Bryant, who turns 29 in January, will be a free agent at the end of the 2021 season. He is a three-time All- Star. He won the NL MVP in 2016, one year after winning the NL Rookie of the Year.

He struggled during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season. He batted just .206 with a .293 on-base percentage, .351 slugging percentage, .644 OPS, four home runs, five doubles, one triple, 11 RBIs and 20 runs in 34 games (147 plate appearances).

In six major league seasons, the third baseman — who is a client of Scott Boras — has batted .280 with a .380 on-base percentage, .508 slugging percentage and .889 OPS. He crushed 39 home runs in 2016 and 31 in 2019.

Per the Chicago Tribune: “Two sources confirmed the Red Sox and Cubs discussed Bryant this summer, but those talks faded. Rafael Devers is the incumbent at third base, which means the Red Sox would envision Bryant as a left fielder. ...Mike Bryant, Kris’ father, is a Massachusetts native, but his son will dictate where he plays when becoming a free agent after 2021.”

Bryant has made 172 career appearances (117 starts) in the outfield. Sixty-six of those starts came in left field.

Red Sox rumors: Boston ‘showing interest’ in former Yankees starter J.A. Happ (report)

Christopher Smith

The Boston Red Sox are showing interest in left-handed starter J.A. Happ, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported Monday.

Happ, who turned 38 in October, posted a 3.47 ERA (19 earned runs, 49⅓ innings) with a 1.05 WHIP in nine starts for the New York Yankees in 2020. He held the opposition to a .208 batting average.

As Morosi pointed out, Happ has enjoyed a lot of success pitching at Fenway Park as a visitor. He is 7-2 with a 2.57 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 12 outings (11 starts) there. He has held Red Sox hitters to a .207/.268/.331/.599 line in 66⅔ innings at Fenway.

The Red Sox obviously need to add starting pitching this offseason. They finished the 2020 season ranked 25th in starter ERA (5.34), last in starter WHIP (1.56) and 29th in starter opponent batting average (.279).

Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has plenty of free agent starting pitching options to consider, including Happ, Trevor Bauer, Charlie Morton, Taijuan Walker, Matt Shoemaker, Jake Odorizzi, , Mike Minor, José Quintana Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, Cole Hamels and Corey Kluber.

The Reds extended Bauer, the top pitcher on the free market, an $18.9 million qualifying offer that he declined. And so the Red Sox would be forced to give up a 2021 second-round draft pick and $500,000 in international signing bonus pool money if they were to sign him.

Morosi reported earlier this month the Red Sox also are one of the teams that has showed interest in Shoemaker. Shoemaker, a 34-year-old righty, made six starts for the Blue Jays during the 2020 regular season, posting a 4.71 ERA, 5.95 FIP and 1.08 WHIP. He recorded 26 in 28 ⅔ innings. He averaged 8.2 strikeouts and 2.8 walks per nine innings.

* WEEI.com

Now what for Tanner Houck? The Red Sox pitcher has an interesting plan.

Rob Bradford

The advice might have seemed odd for some, but Tanner Houck understood.

“Don’t get in a bench-press competition with Noah Syndergaard.”

“I 100 percent concede from the beginning,” the Red Sox pitcher said with a chuckle. “I won't even attempt.”

This is Houck’s new world. Watching the Mets’ star pitcher throw shirtless — countering the muscles of the man they call “Thor” with the best flexibility in South Florida — while mingling in among Cy Young Award winners Corey Kluber, and Max Scherzer.

Welcome to the next step for the pitcher who offered the Red Sox so much hope with three unworldly starts at the conclusion of an otherwise very forgettable 2020 season.

“Some big-name guys and that's ultimately why I wanted to come down here,” Houck explained on the Bradfo Sho podcast. “After being in the big-league camp this past year and just being around guys like Sale and Eovaldi and just being able to pick their brain on a day-to-day basis, I was like, 'I need this year-round.' You're only going to learn from people like that who have been in some elite situations and that's what I wanted to surround myself with to be the best I can.”

“Here” is Cressey Sports Performance-Florida in Jupiter, the training facility used by some of the most accomplished baseball players on the planet. Now, Houck is spending his days among of them.

“He was a fun surprise,” said Brian Kaplan, vice-president and co-founder of the South Florida center (joining New England native and training icon Eric Cressey), also serving as the facility’s pitching coordinator. “Usually we have a pretty good idea what big leaguer we're going to have each year. We have the same minor league group of guys come back year after year and if we do add somebody it's usually through word of mouth from somebody we've already worked with. But he just randomly emailed in one day and was like, 'Hey, I'm heading down and I would like to train with you guys this offseason.' So seeing his name come across was exciting because it wasn't something expected.

“He's in there six days a week and he has fit in really well with the group. He's young. You don't realize it. We have an interesting culture. We have a lot of veteran guys and we have a lot of up-and-coming prospects and he definitely converges more to the younger guys.”

That of 17 innings during which he gave up just one earned run was nice. But the Red Sox rookie knew he needed to peel back his next layer. This was the way to do it.

Four days a week working on his body. Two more focusing on mobility and balance. And all the while integrating the throwing side of things with Kaplan. What worked? What didn’t? Where can he go from here?

And, of course, those conversations with some Cy Young-Award winners.

“I think that's the interesting part,” Kaplan said. “The only other time of year where you see veteran and young guys is in and in spring training it is certainly casual but there is a goal in mind where you're getting ready for the season and you're trying to get ready to compete. The interesting part of this time of year is a lot of those veteran guys are more open and they're a little more laid back and more willing to sit down and have a conversation about how he attacks hitters or how works on pitches or throwing programs or general experiences with managers. It's a really unique atmosphere because I don't think you get that any other time in the year. A lot of the young guys will sit in the warm-up area and just pick up a conversation with a guy and start asking him question and lead to an entire conversation for the workout. It's kind of fun to see, especially for the younger guys because I think it's such a valuable learning experience. They are there for the training and the throwing. But it's definitely an added bonus they don't get anywhere else.”

Added Houck, “I grew up watching a lot of those guys on TV and just seeing their careers develop and now getting to train with them and getting to pick their brain is mind-blowing. I can't even put it into words because these are guys I've looked up to for years now. Getting to compete against them on a day-to-day basis, whether it's in the season coming up or whether it's in the weight room, it's truly unfathomable for me. But it's exactly what I wanted. I wanted to be around the best and that's what I feel like I needed to do. You're talking about some Cy Young winners and World Series winners and that's the ultimate end-goal for me. Whatever knowledge I can get, I'm an open book.”

But the advice won’t always be one-size-fits-all stuff. Houck is too unique for that, a reality the staff has already discovered during the 24-year-old’s stay.

Sydergaard might be able to beat the Sox pitcher in most feats of strength, but nobody at Cressey Performance is likely be show more flexibility that Houck. ("I might be double-joined," he surmised.) It’s a trait that has helped the righty offer an interesting presentation with every wind-up and follow-through.

“That was the big part, just teaching him about his body,” Kaplan said. “That's one of the biggest things we do, is just educating the athlete about who they are. We sat down and talked about that his delivery is unique. His arm action is pretty long. He's cross-body. Everybody says he's a right-handed Chris Sale. I heard that a little bit. I explained to him, 'Your delivery is what it is because your body is what it is. Your body is very loose. And your body is very limber and mobile. While that can be a benefit of getting your body into some unique positions and be deceptive and kind of create some challenging looks for hitters, this is where it can also be challenging from a durability standpoint and a health standpoint and these are the things we have to do this offseason to make sure we understand what that involves.' Him understanding mobility and stability and why he needs to focus on controlling and owning positions and stuff he can take with him in-season and make him a more educated and arm and more durable arm.”

There will be plenty of time to soak in his new surroundings and come out with the desired results. The Jupiter apartment is rented all the way up until the beginning of spring training, at which point he’ll drive across the state for the next chapter.

For the pitcher who has had so many twists and turns since being taken in the first-round of the 2017 MLB Draft, a straight-as-an-arrow plan is finally in place. The goal? To carry more confidence than ever when finally making that trek across Alligator Alley three months from now.

“Getting to the 2021 season, I'm so excited for,” he said. “I have only been here for about month now I'm but I'm already inching to get back to Fort Myers and get going in terms of spring training. This offseason I know I have to put in a lot of work and go out for 2021 spring training fight for a spot. I'm ready for whatever comes.

“I went through a stage where I questioned myself a lot. I'm not afraid to admit. I was going through some struggles and it was tough. When you're getting kicked while you're down constantly it's hard to find a lot of positives but it just boiled down to, 'OK, I can do this.' I had to just wake up and continue to tell myself, 'I've got to do this. Push through this. Get through it. It will be fine.' To see now, alright, I did make it. Yeah, it's kind of a sigh of relief. Phew. I went through it. I went through the trenches and came out of the other side ready to go and ultimately a better baseball player but also a better person for it. Next time I'm going through a struggle I can be like, 'I know there is going to be light at the end of the tunnel, OK, let's do this. We'll keep working and things will get better.' You just have to put your nose to the ground sometimes and understand OK, I may be getting my teeth kicked in but that little bit of light I can see it. Yeah, I definitely have that sigh of relief, like, 'Yeah. Phew.' I got the initial part, the start of the race, out of the way and now I just have to go out there an hang with them and continue to compete.”

Red Sox reportedly showing interest in J.A. Happ

Rob Bradford

It made some sense for the Red Sox to fill out their starting rotation with a veteran arm that wasn't going to necessitate a long-term commitment. Names that had been surfaced included Jon Lester, Rich Hill and Corey Kluber.

Now comes news that a former Yankee might be on the Sox' radar.

The Angels and Blue Jays are two teams that have also been linked to the lefty.

Happ became a free agent when the Yankees declined his 2021 option for $17 million. It was an option that would have vested if he made at least 10 starts or turned in 61 1/3 innings. He ended up with nine starts and 49 1/3 innings, leading to some animosity between the two sides.

Happ was solid in 2020, finishing with a 3.47 ERA. His most recent start at Fenway Park was an eight- inning scoreless Sept. 19 win over the Red Sox.

* NBC Sports Boston

Adding Kris Bryant? It would at least make the Sox relevant

John Tomase

Quick thoughts on the idea of the Red Sox pursuing former NL MVP Kris Bryant in a trade with the Cubs.

* I'm trying to figure out how one year of Bryant makes any sense. The slugging third baseman becomes a free agent after the 2021 season, when he'll be 30 years old. On a different Red Sox team, with different aspirations, a case could be made for acquiring him now to fuel a World Series run and then using your considerable financial resources to sign him long-term.

But the Red Sox aren't anywhere close to the World Series, and they're coming off a winter when they couldn't find the money to retain franchise icon Mookie Betts at age 27.

Tomase: Offseason scouting reports for key Red Sox Now they're going to buy out Bryant's 30s, when their contention window might not open until 2023 or 2024? And who's to say he'd even want to sign here in the first place? Another second-division finish wouldn't exactly be the most enticing sales pitch.

Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom might not say much in his press conferences, but on one point he has been crystal clear -- the Red Sox will not make moves that harm the future. The Cubs will assuredly demand a ransom for Bryant, especially with Jed Hoyer officially taking the reins from Theo Epstein and embarking on his first offseason as Cubs president.

It would be hard to justify a steep prospect cost for one year of Bryant, even if his acquisition would make the Red Sox feel relevant.

* Then again, let's talk about relevance for a second. The Red Sox desperately need it, and Bryant would add star power to a roster lacking needle-movers. Maybe the Red Sox believe they're to contention than the rest of us do. And maybe they're preparing to open their checkbook again. How would Bryant fit then?

The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder isn't the player he was early in his career. In a lot of ways, he has followed the Dustin Pedroia path, winning a Rookie of the Year in 2015 and then an MVP a year later before battling some injuries. Over his first three years, he posted a .915 OPS. Over the last three years, however, his OPS has dipped to .846.

His problems started in 2018, when shoulder issues cost him 60 games. He bounced back in 2019 with 31 homers and his third All-Star berth, but his numbers plummeted during the truncated 2020, when he hit .206 in just 34 games.

Bryant's track record suggests 2020 was just a blip. But then again, the Red Sox are already hoping the same about J.D. Martinez.

* An obvious issue with bringing in Bryant is where to play him. He's a third baseman by trade, which means either Bryant or incumbent Rafael Devers would have to move. The presumption is that Bryant would shift to left field, a position he has played over 100 times in his career.

However, Devers is no Gold Glover at third. He has led third basemen in errors for three years running, and there has already been speculation that the Red Sox could slide him across the diamond to first base if his defense at the hot corner doesn't improve.

Unfortunately, Bryant's defense at third is considered below-average, too, so it's possible he wouldn't be an upgrade on Devers, especially since the latter is only 24. In other words, there's a chance the Red Sox could begin spring training with a pair of All-Star caliber third basemen, neither of whom is a long-term answer at third base.

* Bryant does have ties to Boston. His father, Mike, is a Medford native who was drafted out of ULowell in 1980 before spending two years in the Red Sox system, where his teammates included future big leaguers Oil Can Boyd, Al Nipper, and Tom Bolton.

Mike Bryant grew up reading "The Science of Hitting," the seminal tome by Hall of Famer Ted Williams, who became one of Bryant's spring training instructors during his brief Red Sox career.

Mike's playing career ended in 1981 after he hit .210 at -A Winter Haven. He moved to Las Vegas and became a hitting , with his son emerging as his star pupil. Kris Bryant homered in his Fenway Park debut with the Cubs in 2017 and pointed to his dad in the stands.

Perhaps their journey can come full circle.

Is Eovaldi capable of improvement and better health in 2021?

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: Nathan Eovaldi.

7.43 Here's a number that suggests Eovaldi is finally evolving into a pitcher who actually equals the sum of his parts. It's his -to-walk ratio in 2020, and it's by far a career high. Eovaldi didn't even record twice as many strikeouts as walks until his fourth season in the big leagues, and the problem, believe it or not, wasn't necessarily walks.

For someone who effortlessly throws 100 mph, Eovaldi struggles to record strikeouts. Over the first eight seasons of his career, not once did Eovaldi average seven strikeouts per nine innings, a ludicrously low number for a power pitcher in this age of Ks.

He finally topped a strikeout an inning in 2019, and in 2020 reached a career-best mark of 9.7, vs. a career- low walk rate of 1.3.

What went right for Eovaldi in 2020 It's hard to call nine starts a "season," but this was actually Eovaldi's best campaign. He went 4-2 with a 3.72 ERA and the aforementioned power numbers. The Red Sox needed him to be their ace with Chris Sale sidelined by elbow surgery and Eduardo Rodriguez on the shelf battling the effects of COVID.

Eovaldi did not shrink from the challenge. The Red Sox owned a winning record for exactly one day all season, and it was after Eovaldi beat the Orioles on opening night.

What went wrong for Eovaldi in 2020 Even in a shortened season, he couldn't stay healthy. He ended up skipping three starts with a calf strain, one of a litany of injuries that have caused him to miss starts by the handful over the years.

When the Red Sox decided to sign him to a four-year, $68 million extension after his heroic work in the 2018 postseason, they gambled that he would stay healthy. He then made just 12 starts in 2019 and the equivalent of about 24 if 2020 were a full season.

Eovaldi's strikeout-to-walk ratio in his last 4 seasons 2016 2018 2019 2020 2.43 5.05 2.00 7.43

Early outlook for 2021 I mean, more of the same, right? Eovaldi turns 31 in February, and banking on him to suddenly figure out how to stay healthy over a full season feels like a fool's errand. He has spent nine years in the big leagues and made 30 starts exactly once.

One potentially intriguing scenario is if he can be dealt this winter. Pitching once again projects to be at a premium, and only a handful of arms are expected to be made available outside of free agency. Perhaps someone will be willing to gamble on the final two years of Eovaldi's contract, especially now that his strikeouts and walks are more in line with a pitcher possessing his pure stuff.

* BostonSportsJournal.com

Don’t get excited about those Kris Bryant-Red Sox rumors

Sean McAdam

In a list of five possible trade destinations for Kris Bryant, the Chicago Tribune today cited the Red Sox as a potential landing spot this winter, and noted that the Chicago Cubs and Red Sox had discussed a trade for Bryant prior to last August’s trade deadline.

That deal didn’t happen, of course, and one baseball source indicated that there were, in fact, no serious discussions between the teams regarding Bryant last summer.

Further, the source indicated that it was highly unlikely that the teams would match up on a Bryant deal this winter.

Bryant will be a free agent after the 2021 season, one of several key players eligible on Chicago’s roster. (Kyle Schwarber, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo are the others). In recognition of the fact that they can’t possibly re-sign all four players, the Cubs are said to be open to listening to trade offers on at least some of the veteran players.

Bryant would be an expensive acquisition, even if it’s only for one season. He’s projected to earn $18.6 million in salary arbitration.

BSJ ANALYSIS:

First and foremost, there’s an obvious question to answer: where would the Sox play Bryant? And while, thanks to Bryant’s versatility, there are a few options, none make much sense for the Sox.

He’s been mostly a third baseman in his major league career, with the vast majority of his starts coming there. But he’s also played 172 games in the outfield and another 20 at first base.

The Red Sox would appear set at third base with Rafael Devers, despite his inconsistent play at the position. Both Chaim Bloom and Alex Cora have vowed that Devers will improve at the position, although there has been some discussion internally about flipping him across the infield for Bobby Dalbec, who was drafted as a third baseman.

Would the Sox trade for Bryant and then take a player whom they control for just 2021 — for the time being, at least — and usurp a homegrown player from his natural position? Highly doubtful.

OK, how about the outfield? Bryant has played plenty of left field in his career, and played it well. But again, the Sox appear set there with Andrew Benintendi. Sure, Benintendi could slide over to center — currently vacant with free agent Jackie Bradley Jr. unlikely t0 return. Or he could be used as a trade chip for a with similar service time, upgrading their rotation.

But Benintendi is merely an average center fielder and would represent a considerable drop-off from Bradley at the position. And again, you’d have the optics of moving a homegrown player off his natural position for a player that is, for now, merely a one-year rental.

This would also be an exceedingly poor time to try to trade Benintendi. He’s coming off a season in which he collected a grand total of just four hits….before being lost for most of the season with a rib injury. The Sox would be shopping him at a time when his value has never been lower.

In theory, the Sox could install Bryant at first base, use Dalbec as the DH and seek to trade J.D. Martinez. The latter course could be helped if MLB approves the DH for the National League in 2021. But if they move Martinez, coming off a career-worst season (.213/.291/.389), the Sox would surely have to eat a significant portion of the $38.7 million remaining on his final two years.

Say the Sox agreed to take back half of Martinez’s money (approximately $19 million). Now, add in the $18.6 million projected for Bryant at the arbitration table, and you’re talking about nearly $40 million in spending — and that doesn’t begin to take into account what the Sox would have to give up in player acquisition cost for Bryant.

Finally, there’s the matter of fit. Bryant could be a one-year rental, but that doesn’t make sense for a Red Sox team unlikely to be a serious contender for 2021. As for a long-term extension, that seems an odd fit, too.

The Red Sox just went through an unsuccessful contractual dance with Mookie Betts, before deciding to trade him before losing him as a free agent. Do they really want to inherit another veteran player — one, incidentally, coming off his worst season (.206/.293/.351) and limited by injuries to a little more than half of last year’s schedule — about to enter the same situation?

Highly unlikely — which means the talk of a deal for Bryant is just that.

* The Athletic

What happens to the bobbleheads the Red Sox planned to give away in lost season?

Chad Jennings

The boxes are stacked in an offsite storage facility, the whimsical best intentions of a baseball season gone awry. Hundreds of cardboard containers hold thousands of hats, comic books, water tumblers and bobbleheads — the ballpark giveaways the Red Sox, quite literally, could not give away this year.

Turns out, we’re supposed to have Xander Bogaerts socks on our feet this winter, but Fenway Park never fully opened, so the boxes sit and wait.

“We were fortunate,” Red Sox executive vice president and chief marketing officer Adam Grossman said. “Just looking at the players and some of the items, knock on wood, we haven’t had to mothball anything.”

Of all the places to find good luck in 2020, the Red Sox have it stuffed inside a box of plastic made to look like Rafael Devers. They’re lucky it doesn’t look like Mookie Betts.

Ballpark giveaways are a well-worn baseball tradition dating back at least to the 1960s. Some have been iconic for the wrong reasons (free candy bars, seat cushions and Derek Lowe posters thrown infamously onto the field) and some have been forgotten over time (a team stopwatch lost to the deepest corners of a kid’s closet), but many have become legitimate keepsakes. They might be a little goofy, but they’re at least temporarily treasured. A bobblehead on an office shelf, a toy in a kid’s bedroom, a poster on a dorm room wall. Stadium freebies have a place in our world as long as they look vaguely like an MVP candidate.

The Red Sox, of course, were planning to add to the collection before COVID-19 sent all of our ideas spiraling into oblivion. So, what does a multi-billion-dollar organization do with several thousand pieces of unused memorabilia? Exactly what so many of its fans would have done: stick it all into a giant closet and wait for a day when it comes in handy.

“For us to be able to have everything ready to go that we could flip over for future years was something that, I don’t know,” Grossman said. “It’s better to be lucky than good, I guess. That’s where we’re at.”

The Red Sox mass-produced eight gate giveaways for the 2020 season:

• A David Ortiz bobblehead

• A Red Sox water tumbler

• A pair of Bogaerts-themed socks

• A Manny Ramirez bobblehead

• A team bucket hat

• A Devers bobblehead

• A Bogaerts-designed hat

• A Bogaerts-centric comic book.

They also bought and stored a collection of J.D. Martinez bobbleheads designed to look like a character from “The Mandalorian” for a “Star Wars” theme night.

Barring an unthinkable Bogaerts trade — or “Star Wars” becoming irrelevant after four decades in pop culture — all of the items should be useable next season, or whenever fans are allowed into the stadium again.

“It seems to have worked out,” Grossman said. “I think for us, it was all about timing. We just hit it at a spot where we could put the brakes on (items) that hadn’t been produced.”

Giveaway planning, Grossman said, starts in the fall and winter when the Red Sox generate ideas for the season ahead. They talk to vendors and set a promotional schedule, but they don’t order everything at once. Some of the smaller items — pictures, schedules, things like that — require relatively little production time, so the team can wait to place those orders. They don’t have to stockpile them months in advance.

But hats, bobbleheads and comic books take some time, so the Red Sox placed early orders for giveaways in the first half of the season. The team had plans in place for the second half, but it also had some time to finalize those orders, and when the pandemic hit, those orders were frozen. A J.D. Martinez notebook, a Pedro Martinez figurine, a Wally and Tessie hooded blanket, and some other unannounced giveaways were put on pause.

There was no stopping the first eight, though. Between 7,500 and 10,000 of each were already en route or in stock, just waiting for the gates to open.

“It’s a lot of boxes,” Grossman said.

In the shutdown, the Red Sox put their promotional connections to good use, designing and ordering face masks that raised more than $120,000 for the Red Sox Foundation. The team also partnered with JetBlue to donate 60,000 face coverings to kids and teachers in the Boston Public School system. Its Green Monster fan cutouts raised another $500,000 for the Foundation.

“We were able to turn these relationships into community investment,” Grossman said. “Which was great.”

Now, the Red Sox should be able to turn those preordered 2020 items into 2021 reissues. Ortiz and Ramirez are timeless subjects for the Red Sox fan base, and a backlog of Bogaerts and Devers giveaways sure beats an overabundance of Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. items. Grossman said contracts with vendors often allow some leeway before a final order is placed — it’s easy enough, for example, to redesign a pair of Bogaerts socks into Christian Vazquez socks at the last minute — but once an order is complete, it’s a done deal. Bobbleheads keep wearing the same uniform, whether the actual player has been traded or not.

“We were fortunately able to be nimble enough to not have boxes and boxes of stuff we can’t use when things get back to normal,” Grossman said. “For all of these, we will still plan on using them whenever we can. It’s going to be interesting as we start planning. There are so many variables, but fortunately they’re all relevant and hopefully still connect with fans whenever we’re able to give them away.”

Just think of it as extreme social distancing. Those hats, socks and bobbleheads spent the pandemic safely quarantined behind many protective layers of cardboard and building materials. When it’s safe to bring them out, they’ll become reminders of some future night at the ballpark, and of this strange year when so many of our best intentions were put on hold and locked away.