The Red Sox announced yesterday that they will retire the No. 26 in honor of Wade Boggs on May 26 of the upcoming season. Boggs, now 57, spent the majority of his career donning a Red Sox uniform. The 2005 Hall of Fame inductee debuted as a rookie with the Sox back in 1982 and played there through 1992, hitting .338/.428/.462 and winning five batting titles (in a span of six years) in his 11 seasons with the club. He’ll join the likes of Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Johnny Pesky, Pedro Martinez, Bobby Doerr and Joe Cronin as part of Red Sox lore.
Here are some more notes from the AL East…
- The Yankees are seeking an inexpensive rotation option, writes George A. King III of the New York Post. Per King, the club hopes to land a young starter via trade or add a rotation option on a minor league deal with an invite to Major League Spring Training. The Yankees, he adds, aren’t involved in the free-agent market at any position at this point. King notes that the Yankees continue to insist that Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird and Jorge Mateo aren’t available in trade, but adding a controllable arm to their rotation mix without parting with said prospects will be a difficult task. As such, it seems to me that adding some veteran arms on minor league deals is a likelier route. A pair of speculative names that would seem to me to be fits: Chad Billingsley and Wandy Rodriguez.
- Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun doesn’t believe that the Orioles will go beyond three years in their efforts to land a free-agent starting pitcher. While they’ve been connected to Yovani Gallardo and Scott Kazmir, both are seeking four-year pacts. Encina notes that Ubaldo Jimenez is the only free-agent starter the O’s have ever signed to a four-year deal. (Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Orioles are still in the mix for both Gallardo and Kazmir, among other pitchers). Encina also notes that there’s nothing imminent on the Chris Davis front, and the Orioles remain unwilling to up their offer from the reported seven-year deal worth $150MM.
- Former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos tells the Canadian Press that he expects to be working again next month. While Anthopoulos said there are media opportunities that have presented themselves, he will most likely take a job with a Major League team in some capacity. “I understand that I may not be a general manager again and I’m OK with that,” said Anthopoulos. “Now again, that’s what my perspective is today. And obviously deciding not to sign an extension, I had to be prepared for that. I just think that all of the decisions I’ve made in my life, I never chased the money. You try to do what ultimately you feel is going to satisfy you and fulfil you. As simple as it sounds — and maybe this is naive — but normally success will follow.”
- MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm breaks down the Blue Jays’ 11 out-of-options players, noting that many will be competing for jobs in Spring Training. Ezequiel Carrera, Brett Cecil, Jesse Chavez, Steve Delabar, R.A. Dickey, Josh Donaldson, Chad Jenkins, A.J. Jimenez, Josh Thole and Junior Lake are all out of options, Chisholm notes. While many of those names needn’t be the least bit concerned with their lack of options, that factor is much more impactful for the likes of Carrera, Jimenez and Lake. Both Carrera and Lake are at least fifth on the club’s outfield depth chart. Chisholm feels that it’s “only a matter of time” before Jimenez, once one of Toronto’s top prospects and a potential long-term piece behind the plate, is placed on waivers.
The Yankees are seeking any and all inexpensive options. Free, even better!
“The Yankees are seeking an inexpensive rotation option…” could truthfully be ” are seeking an inexpensive rotation option…”
That was supposed to read, “Every MLB team is seeking…”
Yanks match up well with the Nats, trade Gardner and Nova for Ross and Storen. Nats get their needed centerfielder and a long man in the pen or 5th starter, the Yanks get a young starter and bolster their pen to replace Wilson.
That trade leans pretty heavily towards the Nationals. Gardner is great but Ross is a legitimate starter with multiple years at the minimum left. If you include Werth and Beltran to balance it the money, then yeah maybe.
I can’t really see them giving up Ross for Gardner and nova… He seems like a big part of the future and storen would cost prob a top 20 prospect imo
Gardner gives the Nats a true lead off hitter with experience who plays great defense. He fills on of their needs. The Nats are looking to get rid of Storen since he can’t close and blew 2 playoff games. He needs a change of scenery. The Yanks are looking for a young starter, and could use a reliever to replace their loss of Wilson. This trade is good for both teams.
LOL. Please tell me you’re joking with Storen being worth a top 20 minor leaguer.
Maybe not top 20, but top 30 sounds reasonable depending on how good the farm is.
Gardner and Eovaldi might have a chance of landing Storen and Ross.
Is alex not being offered a Gm job due to moves last season.
He’s not being offered a GM job because every team has a GM
Nats wouldn’t even think about a deal like that-the Yankees would be getting the 2 best players in that trade!
Streamer has their projected WARs at Gardener 2.0, – Nova 0.8. Ross 1.6 and Storen 0.9. The Yanks players have a higher projected WAR next year.
Young pitcher with control and upside (Ross) is more valuable long term than Gardner, who is good but has a skill set that doesn’t age well. If the Nats wanted to go all in or felt that Gardner was the final piece to the championship puzzle, then it wouldn’t be a terrible deal. The Nats don’t have a serious need for an OF at this point and their priority should be trading/releasing Storen and Papelbon. This trade would address part of that, but in my opinion, packaging him with a young pitcher isn’t worth it.
Gardner and Miller
Unless, the Orioles have a free agent sitting in Baltimore as I type this, they aren’t going to sign anyone before Christmas. How is anyone going to pass that physical before the shut down for the Holidays.
#WanderingAround… describes the Oriole off-season again.
SMH
Is it necessarily a bad position to be in right now. I don’t want them bidding against themselves for Davis, I like that they aren’t going to go long-term with a pitcher like Gallardo or Kazmir, and the markets haven’t really percolated for Gordon or Upton yet. Meanwhile, we are kicking the tires on Latos, who is a great bounce back candidate.
As a fan, you want to see things happen, but when we are realistic, I don’t think there’s much to complain about right now.
Latos? Like the O’s have had such success with NL pitchers in the past. Like Steve Klein and Steve Reed. Let’s not forget the position player like former Cubs Sosa and Lee. Latos couldn’t cut it with the Marlins, so there’s no way he could survive facing the Blue Jays, Yankees and Red Sox for a full season. Dumpster diving Dan needs to take his (supposed) 150 million and get a qualified ML player with a successful track record in the AL. Personally; I think that sum was just a publicity stunt aimed at convincing gullible fans that management cares about a quality product.
Yankees are looking at 83 wins. That might be generous
That’s what they said last year and they made the playoffs. They have the 5th highest projected WAR on Fangraphs. There fate will depend on the health of key players like Tex, A-Rod, Tanaka, and Pineda as it did last year.
They would win 90 in the NL EAST playing the Braves and Phillies 19 times.
Boggs is 57??? Man do I feel old now
Boggs really should have won the MVP a few of those years.
Lake can play 8 positions, is young and has offensive potential. Id keep him over Darwin Barney TBH. The only reason he didn’t stick at short was because he was being blocked by castro and the cubs wanted him to start.
I don’t think Lake can catch or pitch. And I personally don’t think he has any real offensive potential. Abysmal plate discipline, little power, and decent speed. I agree that keeping him over Barney would be the right choice, but I’ve seen him play quite a bit and he’s one of the worst hitters I’ve seen at the major-league level. However, he does offer defensive versatility, but no way he cuts it at SS and I don’t see him adding much with the glove anywhere on the field.
That said, he’s still pretty young and it wouldn’t completely shock me if he managed to find a way to make consistent contact.
Left, center, right, first, second, third, short and DH (ok so 7, i was splicing numbers a tad) however have you seen his winter league numbers?
.255/.378/.415 (.793 OPS) with 4 Home Runs 15 RBIs and 7 for 10 with stolen bases. That is over 30 games and 125 PA’s. I know its just winter league, but he’s finding plate discipline which is huge (15.2% walk rate)
Wade Boggs was obviously great, and in that 1989 season where he hit .330 and led the league in runs, doubles and OBP, he was voted 21st for MVP? Look at the names ahead of him on that list and how much worse some of them were than Boggs. I’m bot a Red Sox fan, or Yankees fan, so I’m unbiased when I say this: As bad as today’s baseball award voters are, they were worse back then.
Homers and RBI’s were heavily favored back then and still are to a degree for rewards, if you look back at the 80’s with the tint of modern stats Rickey Henderson would win the MVP every single year though the decade of the 80’s, with the exception of maybe 1 or 2.years. Basically Boggs still wouldn’t be the MVP because other players were screwed over in the same manner.
singles hitters have rarely won MVP awards. Pete Rose did win once. So did Rod Carew and Ichiro. Tony Gwynn: zero.
To say Lake plays eight positions is beyond generous. He fumbled about in Baltimore’s OF last year and had as many fielding errors as runs scored. Lake once had a huge amount of potential but that’s in the past now. Realize that the O’s have a need for outfielders and still cut Lake loose. That tells me quite a bit about his lack of upside for 2016.
Personally, i would use him as a super utility guy next year. A freddy galvis type if you will.
It’s a little surprising to see the Sox retiring Wade’s number. I thought the regime under Henry was committed to only retiring numbers of players who finished withe the Sox. That said it’s a respectful move.
Yeah, before Sox fans deemed Johnny Damon Judas Iscariot, there was Boggs. I suppose time heals all wounds…and maybe remember that Red Sox management let guys like Boggs and Clemens go because they were ‘washed up.’ D’oh.
He’s 3rd all time in Red Sox history in rWAR among position players. He was also a much much better ballplayer than Jim Rice who is in the HOF and has his number retired by the Red Sox
It’s a joke that it wasn’t retired 10 years ago when he made the HOF. Before Jim Rice too.
I guess it took Henry and co. so many years to forget the image of Boggs on the horse as a Yankee in 96.
Exactly. Before Pesky, it was supposed to have been a HOF inductee, then with Pesky, it was for 50+ years of service as a player, coach, manager, scout etc..
Well, if Boggs is now on the bleacher facing, why isn’t Dwight Evans in my thinking? he should have been there before half the others of late.Yeah, he attempted to play half a season after 19 with Boston, but the guy put up 8GG’s and numbers many would say are better than both Rice and Boggs did career wise.
Have Alex Anthopoulos replace Dan Duquette.
I’m pretty sure he’d do better then him.
Barbara Billingsley’s boy might be a prudent minor league signing.
What would the Yankees give up for Julio Teheran? He’s young and has a fair contract. Last year was a fluke, he pitched with a bad knee, looked more like himself in September. He will be a hot commodity in spring training when some teams lose pitchers to injuries.
I don’t think they’d match up well Yankees insist on keeping judge severino bird Mateo and probably even sanchez now that he’s backup to McCann so you’re looking at Lindgren refsynder mason Williams heathcott clarkin Tyler wade as the second teir and I don’t think a mix of any two or three gets it done
I’m shocked that the Red Sox haven’t retired his number already. I mean, I know he left to become a Yankee but I would think that wouldn’t matter. He definitely should have been retired before Pedro, even tho Pedro was on the first breakthrough World Series team.
Boggs’ number retirement is being met by record indifference. Yes he was a hitting machine and yes he fashioned himself into an All Star 3B, but he was largely a selfish, stat oriented ball player who was anything but clutch. He didn’t win a thing in a Red Sox uni, and was anything but a clubhouse leader. His off field shenanigans with Margo was tawdry and embarrassing and he didn’t fail to implicate or blackmail teammates while deflecting blame. I guess time heals management wounds, but fans with memories will treat this with record indifference. And Eck can recount hoe he struck Wade out in the decisive playoff game with a slider just inside the outside corner of the zone: Wade just watched it…wasn’t his pitch, I guess