BOSTON — Tom Werner and Sam Kennedy were first to open the door regarding the Red Sox and their possible activity ahead of the Aug. 31 trade deadline.
Boston’s chairman and president/CEO addressed the team’s future in separate interviews with NESN and WEEI over the last week. Werner said Boston doesn’t have the necessary pieces to compete at the moment and Kennedy said no player in the organization was untouchable over the [...]
BOSTON — Tom Werner and Sam Kennedy were first to open the door regarding the Red Sox and their possible activity ahead of the Aug. 31 trade deadline.
Boston’s chairman and president/CEO addressed the team’s future in separate interviews with NESN and WEEI over the last week. Werner said Boston doesn’t have the necessary pieces to compete at the moment and Kennedy said no player in the organization was untouchable over the next two weeks.
This should have been obvious, of course. The Red Sox traded Mookie Betts and David Price prior to spring training, a clear signal to other organizations they would be open to shuffling their roster and payroll situation. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has pulled Boston below the Competitive Balance Tax and now must rebuild what was a 6-17 team entering Tuesday night’s matchup with the Phillies.
"We understand this time of year that kind of stuff is a possibility, but we’ve got more things going on in the immediate future for us right now," Boston first baseman Mitch Moreland said. "Just trying to get back to playing good baseball and getting back on track here."
Boston’s roster includes nine potential free agents over the next two years — Moreland, Dustin Pedroia, Jackie Bradley Jr., Eduardo Rodriguez, Martin Perez, Kevin Pillar, Brandon Workman, Matt Barnes and Heath Hembree. All but Pedroia could have a certain level of attractiveness to a contender and help the Red Sox beef up their farm system. Boston manager Ron Roenicke said personal conversations with players who hear their names discussed are common in any year.
"Sometimes there’s never been any mention of moving the guy," Roenicke said. "Yet that player thinks the organization is trying to ship him off. That’s a hard time. Their families are affected.
"I don’t like it too much. I don’t like it unless the rumors are a fact and you know that it’s true."
This unique 2020 season carries with it additional layers to consider. The 60-game format and expanded playoffs could result in more or less aggressiveness from certain franchises. Persuading a player to switch cities in the midst of a pandemic — perhaps with their family members coming along — is something no executive has been forced to consider until now.
"I guess it’s going to be up to the players and the teams that take part in it to make sure that safety is there — the travel and the switch are smooth and safe," Moreland said. "We’ll see. Obviously these are new times and there are going to be different ways of doing stuff."
Bradley is one of three Boston players represented by Scott Boras, and the mega-agent released a statement last week with a proposal. Boras will personally provide private jets for his clients to travel between clubs should they be traded at any point. Standard intake protocols for COVID-19 call for an immediate test and a waiting period of at least 48 hours prior to joining a new team, something the Red Sox are waiting out with latest waiver acquisition Christian Arroyo.
"What does that cost you days-wise?" Roenicke said. "It’s a complicated year. We’ll see how that all plays out."
Walking wounded
Christian Vazquez (right heel) and Bradley Jr. (left wrist) were out of the Red Sox lineup on Tuesday night.
Vazquez was removed in the seventh inning of Monday’s 6-3 loss to the Yankees. The catcher singled twice and knocked in a run but is battling a mild case of plantar fasciitis. Vazquez was spotted walking to the indoor batting cage at Fenway Park an hour before first pitch against the Phillies and was potentially available off the bench.
Bradley has been playing in occasional pain for two weeks. Roenicke said Bradley caught his glove on the Tropicana Field turf while diving for a ball against the Rays during their series Aug. 4-5. Bradley is just 6-for-31 at the plate with two walks and eight strikeouts in his last nine games.
"I just know that he feels it," Roenicke said. "Not all the time — you’ll notice he’ll take a swing and kind of back off for a while. Then he’ll get back in there and swing again."
Scarcity of outfielders
The Red Sox are suddenly running a bit short of true outfielders.
Jose Peraza started in left field Monday night against the Yankees and Tzu-Wei Lin was in center field on Tuesday night against the Phillies. Both profile more as infielders who have made the occasional outfield appearance throughout their respective careers.
Boston is looking to avoid the lower back troubles that plagued J.D. Martinez at times last season after he played the field. The Red Sox are also without Andrew Benintendi (right rib cage strain), who remains on the injured list.
"He’s going to be out for a while," Roenicke said. "He continues to come in and get treatment, but there’s nothing new. That just has to heal up, and once it heals up he’s got to start doing some activities to see how much he can tolerate."
Peraza now has 38 career starts in the outfield, including two this season with Boston. Tuesday marked the third career outfield start for Lin.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25