Spring Training News

staz

Intangible
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 2, 2004
20,650
The cradle of the game.

nvalvo

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
21,446
Rogers Park
I've been waiting for this thread, Staz. Thanks.

That Devers video is a sight for sore eyes; MassLive has been doing the lord's work. Here's Sandoval taking a few grounders and then a few swings:

 

mwonow

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 4, 2005
7,088
I've been waiting for this thread, Staz. Thanks.

That Devers video is a sight for sore eyes; MassLive has been doing the lord's work. Here's Sandoval taking a few grounders and then a few swings:

Seems to be a bit more uppercut as a LHH, a bit more level as a RHH. Is that the way he always is?
 

InsideTheParker

persists in error
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
40,359
Pioneer Valley
THE SCHEDULE
Feb. 23: Northeastern at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m.
Feb. 24: Mets at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
Feb. 25: Minnesota at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 93.7 FM, NESN
Feb. 26: Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
Feb. 27: St. Louis (SS) at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
Feb. 28: Yankees (SS) at JetBlue Park, 1:05.p.m., WEEI 850 AM
March 1: Baltimore at Sarasota, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
March 2: Tampa Bay, at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
March 3: Atlanta at Disney, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
March 4: Pittsburgh at Bradenton, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
March 5: Atlanta at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
March 6: Houston at West Palm Beach, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
March 7: Washington at West Palm Beach, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
March 8: NY Mets (SS) at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, MLB Network
March 9: Team USA (WBC) at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
March 10: Baltimore at JetBlue Park, 6:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
March 11: Tampa Bay (SS) at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN+
March 11: Minnesota at Hammond Stadium, 1:05 p.m.
March 12: Philadelphia at Clearwater, 1:07 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
March 13: Toronto at Dunedin, 1:07 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
March 14: Toronto at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
March 15: Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
March 16: Pittsburgh at JetBlue Park, 6:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
March 17: Houston (SS) at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
March 18: Minnesota at Hammond Stadium, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
March 19: Minnesota at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 93.7 FM, NESN
March 20: Baltimore at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
March 21: New York Yankees at Tampa, 6:35 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
March 23: Pittsburgh at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
March 24: Toronto at Dunedin, 1:07 p.m., MLB Network
March 25: Philadelphia at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 93.7 FM, NESN
March 25: Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte, 1:05 p.m.
March 26: Minnesota at Hammond Stadium, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN
March 27: Baltimore at Sarasota, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, ESPN
March 28: Pittsburgh at Bradenton, 6:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN+
March 29: Minnesota at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m.WEEI 850 AM
March 30: Washington at JetBlue Park, 1:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
March 31: Washington at Nationals Park, 4:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM, NESN+
April 1: Washington at Naval Academy, 2:05 p.m., WEEI 850 AM
 

grimshaw

Member
SoSH Member
May 16, 2007
4,219
Portland
Surprised the first game is so early this year - it's usually the last or next to last day in February.
It must be because there are fewer same day split squad games.
 

pjr

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 17, 2005
780
Quincy,MA
Surprised the first game is so early this year - it's usually the last or next to last day in February.
It must be because there are fewer same day split squad games.
Spring training started early because of the World Baseball Classic.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 23, 2009
20,595
Maine
Video ended after second inning.

Sox starting lineup was Betts, Bogaerts, Moreland, Young, Sandoval, Travis, Castillo, Hernandez, Vazquez.
 

Hank Scorpio

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 1, 2013
6,870
Salem, NH
Mitch Moreland hit a three-run home run. And then Sam Travis hit another three-run jack.

I'm way too happy about a couple of taters off of college pitchers.
 

InsideTheParker

persists in error
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
40,359
Pioneer Valley
I only heard from the 7th inning, when Hanley got a double, pinch-run for by Swihart, who scored on a 2-run homer by Brian Bogusevic, who I guess is a non-roster invite. No one else did anything at the plate for Boston.
 

Imbricus

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 26, 2017
4,793
Anyone looking for a silver lining, Sox pitchers did manage to strike out 16.
 

nvalvo

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
21,446
Rogers Park
People on Twitter are parsing a team press release: the team "agreed to terms with 18 players on one-year contracts for the 2017 season. In addition, the club renewed the contract of OF Mookie Betts for the 2017 season."

Announcement coming after Opening Day?
 

nattysez

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 30, 2010
8,411
People on Twitter are parsing a team press release: the team "agreed to terms with 18 players on one-year contracts for the 2017 season. In addition, the club renewed the contract of OF Mookie Betts for the 2017 season."

Announcement coming after Opening Day?
It's the opposite -- the two sides couldn't agree on a contract, so they just renewed Betts's deal.


Good idea to mess with your team's relationship with a generational talent. I'm sure there's no way this will backfire.

The only excuse I'd accept for this is that they really want to stay under the lux tax cap for this season so they can make it rain on Betts next year. Fingers crossed.

Edit: Mookie saying the right things.

 
Last edited:

nvalvo

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
21,446
Rogers Park
The only excuse I'd accept for this is that they really want to stay under the lux tax cap for this season so they can make it rain on Betts next year. Fingers crossed.
Yeah, I clearly jumped the gun posting before everything came out.

I worry that Dombrowski might be playing hardball here inappropriately. Couldn't you achieve the same thing by announcing a new deal (Adrian Gonzalez-style) shortly after opening day?

edit: then again, he's unlikely (just due to the law of large numbers) to repeat his 2016. If he doesn't, he might be easier to retain. If he does, we offer him something like Posey's 9 year, $167m deal.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 23, 2009
20,595
Maine
Yeah, I clearly jumped the gun posting before everything came out.

I worry that Dombrowski might be playing hardball here inappropriately. Couldn't you achieve the same thing by announcing a new deal (Adrian Gonzalez-style) shortly after opening day?

edit: then again, he's unlikely (just due to the law of large numbers) to repeat his 2016. If he doesn't, he might be easier to retain. If he does, we offer him something like Posey's 9 year, $167m deal.
The luxury tax rules no longer work the same way, so signing/announcing a deal after opening day (Gonzalez-style) does not exclude the new contract figures from being included in luxury tax calculations.

Any negotiation with Betts this spring has been for his 2017 salary alone, and frankly, because of how pre-arb contracts work, were merely a courtesy. As the renewal demonstrates, the team doesn't have to negotiate at all.
 

chrisfont9

Member
SoSH Member
Yeah, I clearly jumped the gun posting before everything came out.

I worry that Dombrowski might be playing hardball here inappropriately. Couldn't you achieve the same thing by announcing a new deal (Adrian Gonzalez-style) shortly after opening day?

edit: then again, he's unlikely (just due to the law of large numbers) to repeat his 2016. If he doesn't, he might be easier to retain. If he does, we offer him something like Posey's 9 year, $167m deal.
Well the number for this year was close to precedent-setting, so I am guessing they really didn't want to do anything actually precedent-setting. But the longer-term deal wouldn't raise that sort of issue so I don't expect this to turn into a bigger concern.
 

j44thor

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
10,934
Betts was given the second highest 1yr contract for a player with 2yrs service time at $950K. The only player to have received more was Mike Trout at 1M.

Seems like Betts was treated quite fairly this time.
 

HriniakPosterChild

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 6, 2006
14,841
500 feet above Lake Sammammish
Any negotiation with Betts this spring has been for his 2017 salary alone, and frankly, because of how pre-arb contracts work, were merely a courtesy. As the renewal demonstrates, the team doesn't have to negotiate at all.
"The sun will rise. The sun will set. And I'll have lunch," someone said 30 years ago.

In other news, Harley's shoulder will keep him out of the WBC.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/18805846/boston-red-sox-slugger-hanley-ramirez-wbc-shoulder-soreness
 

NoXInNixon

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 24, 2008
5,282
I have zero concern that DD is going to lowball Betts. When the time is right, they are going to back up the truck for him.
 

johnnywayback

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 8, 2004
1,421
I have zero concern that DD is going to lowball Betts. When the time is right, they are going to back up the truck for him.
I am not a fan of Dombrowski's approach, but even I have a hard time believing that a top-5 revenue team is going to let a popular homegrown top-5-in-the-game position player walk, especially given, what, four years to strike a deal? Mookie isn't going anywhere. If you want to be concerned about something, be concerned that they'll let that deal become so expensive that they can't also keep guys like Bradley long-term.
 

charlieoscar

Member
Sep 28, 2014
1,339
This is a synopsis of what the Red Sox face soon when it comes to payroll using Mike Trout and Bryce Harper as a basis for comparisons.