The Red Sox announced on Thursday that southpaw reliever Robby Scott underwent a “left elbow arthroscopy and debridement” procedure but is expected to be back to full strength by Spring Training 2018. As several have pointed out (including CSN New England’s Evan Drellich, on Twitter), it’s rather confounding that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told the media just yesterday that he wasn’t aware of any Sox players that required offseason surgery on the very day on which Scott was undergoing this procedure.
The 28-year-old Scott has emerged as a viable lefty option in the bullpen in the past two seasons with Boston, pitching to a combined 3.24 ERA with a 36-to-15 K/BB ratio across 41 2/3 innings of work. Right-handed batters haven’t had much trouble with Scott (.254/.338/.463), but he’s held lefties to a paltry .141/.227/.295 slash in the big leagues.
A bit more on the Red Sox…
- Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (via Twitter) that former Twins skipper and current Diamondbacks bench coach Ron Gardenhire is among the three favorites to succeed John Farrell as the next manager of the Red Sox. Indeed, Walters calls Gardenhire one of the “final three” for the post — a surprising development just over 24 hours after Farrell was dismissed. Yesterday alone, there were six external candidates linked to the Red Sox’ job, for instance (Gardenhire included), though it’s possible that Dombrowski has been crafting his list of top options for awhile now.
- Meanwhile, Peter Gammons of MLB Network and GammonsDaily.com has penned a lengthy and must-read look at Boston’s managerial opening as well as a number of offseason questions they’re facing. Per Gammons, one executive who was on hand for the last time that Brad Ausmus interviewed for Boston’s managerial spot (the 2012-13 offseason) called Ausmus’ interview the best he’d ever seen. Gammons writes that had the Sox not been able to pry Farrell away from the Blue Jays, Ausmus would’ve been the team’s manager years ago. Further in Ausmus’ favor, per Gammons, is that David Price feels that Ausmus is the best manager for whom he’s ever played. Gammons also notes that Alex Cora will be in consideration and that Sandy Alomar Jr. will likely receive an interview as well. Like Ausmus, Alomar has previously interviewed for the Red Sox’ managerial post.
- Within that same column, Gammons reports that Blake Swihart’s surgically repaired ankle bothered him as late into the season as Labor Day, which would in part explain a disappointing .190/.246/.292 batting line in 53 games at the Triple-A level this year. Swihart, who received just seven MLB plate appearances in 2017, was once one of baseball’s most untouchable prospects but has seen his star fade in the wake of repeated injuries and defensive concerns behind the dish. Nonetheless, one Red Sox exec tells Gammons that with his ability to play catcher, first base, third base and the corner outfield, “Swihart can be a huge part of this team.”
Dombro = Dumbo
If im DD i will trade Bradley and 2 prospect for Marcell Ozuna ( .312 37hr 124 rbi)sing Carlos Santana he a free agent ( .260 23 hr 79rbi) re-sing Nunéz and AlexCora Mng
Bogarts-Peddy-Santana-Ozuna-Betts-Benitendi-Hanley( dh)-Devers -Castillo( catcher) a free agent from Orioles!!there you are!! Power bats2018
Said it in the other thread, I’ll say it again here:
Farrell Won back-to-back American League East Division titles for first time in organization history and a World Series title his first year.
The leash deserved to be longer.
Yeah I don’t follow the red sox, but even I thought this guy had a relatively short leash given at least getting his team to the postseason.
the managerial position takes into account relationships with players and other officials, as well as off-the-field interactions, and Farrell was not the best at those.
Him and Dombrowsli didn’t see eye to eye that was the only problem. He wasn’t Dombrowkis giu
Never know what goes on behind closed doors
Charlie Rich knows….
Farrell has no in-game management skills. He uses starting pitchers for pinch running only to watch the slide incorrect and get hurt. Red Sox Nation is done with John Farrell, especially when he’s won only one playoff game in the past four years.
Sounds like you should put your name in the hat for manager since you seem to know more about in game management skills than Farrell
Already did. My World Series titles on MLB the show will attest to my skills
You’re hired
Read the article. Swihart. Surgically repaired ankle. And Farrell was using him as one of his legion of beloved pinch-runners? Why would you do that? Was he just trying to finish the kid off? There’s also Steven Wright, The Machado-Pedroia incident, The Price incident, the cheating, the classic late-season fold two years in a row. Farrell deserved to be canned.
For a guy that can’t manage in game he won back to back division titles with a mediocre pitching staff other than Sale and a lineup that is inconsistent. My gut says they hire Ausmus and he’s there 3 yrs and they don’t make the postseason at all. Grass isn’t always greener
I beg to differ jwoodham. Farrell’s problems center around a technical glitch which will fix itself next month when Apple releases WatchOS 3.0. This will allow his players to have a blank screen on their Watch that blends automatically into their wrist color.
Lol
This move had little to nothing to do with wins and losses. This is very much a “we have no idea what crazy sh*t is going on behind the scenes” kind of deal…………..and some of his personal shortcomings became very public. He also doesn’t seem to be the greatest leader in the world. I don’t how much Farrell was hurting them, but I certainly can’t recall of even one instance where I thought, “wow, Farrell really out-managed someone to win a game.” Can you?
Nah, I love what Farrell did for my Sox. But it was time for him to go. Two back to back AL East Divison crowns doesn’t cancel out the back to back early playoffs losses and questionable managerial decisions in both playoff losses. For example, this year, why in the HELL was Foster starting over Erod or Price?
Because Erod always gets injured when he pitches more than a couple of times per month.
And PRICE could care less about the team or his teammates. He only pitched a little bit to try to impress some team to sign him so he could opt out. He hates Boston as the fans and press are “too demanding”.
I agree. DD deserves the credit for the failure this year (if you want to consider making the playoffs two years in a row as division champ a failure! But it must be because Farrell got axed). DD evaluation: Got Sale, great move. Passed on JD Martinez because the idea of Bradley (a great glove and no bat), Betts and Benintendi in the outfield suggested the best defensive outfield that couldn’t hit for power! Just that one bat would have made such a huge difference. Next, DD passed on Verlander. Can you imagine Sale, verlander and Pomerantz facing Keuchel and some potential decent pitchers. Who wins that series? Money issues? Clear the salary in the off season. Farrell got dealt a lesser hand by DD and then got axed. Completely unfair. Red Sox nation needs to put this on DD not Farrell.
What are you a Yankees fan? Thinking the team could get any player it wants? 1) DD would have been foolish and ran out of town to trade for one year of JD Martinez. 2)What do you think it would have cost to get Verlander? 3) How did Farrell get dealt a lesser hand? DD got him Sale and replace Papi with Moreland, then nabbed Nunez and improved the bullpen throughout the season. The Yankees advanced to the 2nd round with lesser talent and it wasn’t because of Judge or Sanchez.
Lmao at dombrowski.
Agreed! Ridiculous to fire a manager a few years from a championship. GM obviously wants his own guy.
A few years? It’s been four years and Farrell was simply able to win with a hot team.
There has been many managers that have lost with a hot team.
Oh your gonna think 4 yrs after winning was a good thing in 10-15 when you haven’t even come close again because of dumb ass moves like this. The curse of Dombrowsli has arrived lol
Where is the loyalty? Who’s the guy who kept Hanley in check without Papi? This guy busted his butt all 162 season games long–especially on defense.
Swihart leader of that untouchable core four. One year with this team it’s “chicken&Beer gate”…this year “Price disrespects Eckersley Gate”. The common theme is no veteran leadership presence to handle it and the Manager takes the fall.
Um what?
Where’s the veteran leadership to calm those storms? When a player throws other players under the Bus during interviews…hello Pedroia. The Eck fiasco should have been kept within. Just a couple of examples to “Um what”.
I’ll agree that the pedroia probably isn’t the leader some think he is, but the price thing was blown way up. He was sticking up for his teammate, and everybody just totally overreacted. You could argue he was acting as a leader, since it showed his guys that he’ll have their backs.
I agree entirely with this JD. I think people are quick to jump on Price because he gets paid a ton and his relationship to Boston prior to going there (which are fair reasons). But the Eckerlsey thing is dumb. Eckersley spent the better part of two decades in a major league clubhouse and talks some trash of his own, I’m sure Price telling him to screw off didn’t hurt his feelings too bad. Plus, the other side of it is Price sticking up for ERod, though I suppose the way he did it could be disrespectful. Honestly, of all the things Price has done, the Eckersley thing is a non-factor and scapegoat people use for other problems they have with him.
From what I read and heard David Price was the one who overreacted,but that’s the atmosphere Dombrowski has created. From Hanley,Price,the Panda contract,and those fans things seem to be always in upheaval. Yea you’d think Pedroia would be the one to corral the players in a meeting to halt stuff…perhaps Betts in the future can.
Leadership would be speaking to Eckersley one-on-one. Price demonstrated no respect by ambushing the hall of famer. Price needs to grow up.
JD, As a Red Sox fan I disagree. Price totally disrespected Eck and the fans let him know it with a standing ovation at the next home game. Eck’s comments were spot on and Prrice is the one that showed lack of respect or leadership.
You need to put that Swihart untouchable thing to rest. It was years ago and it involved a potential deal for Cole Hamels, who hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. Swinhart’s main weakness is he has Carlos Quintana disease. He plays a position where hitting for power is expected, but he’s no power hitter. Top that with Farrell playing him in left field in Fenway Park and destroying his ankle.
“David Price feels that Ausmus is the best manager for whom he’s ever played.”
Better than Joe Maddon!? That’s crazy talk. Price. isn’t right.
His opinion, not yours. I’d think he knows a bit more than you do.
That might be one of the smartest comments ever found here.
Joe Maddon? Lol
I think he meant of the mgrs he’s worked under
He played for Maddon in TB.
Every year all the teams should fire their managers, put the names in a hat, and draw a new one randomly. For all the present logic that seems to go into hiring and firing managers, this should be a perfectly reasonable and far less complicated system.
Same goes for congress and the senate.
The Senate is part of Congress
jrwhite21 educate them lol
I figure it this way, 10% of managers are good, 10% are lousy, and the rest could be replaced by putting all potential game choices on a wheel and having someone spin it. And honestly, the NL is where more managing is needed because the pitcher hits.
In Boston the biggest job of a manager is to manage the media, something Farrell was pretty decent at but otherwise he fit in the 80% of managers who are interchangable. But the rumors have been for a while now that Dombrowski wants his own man, so even if Farrell won it all this year, I doubt he would have kept his job.
I think that if you were from Boston and listened to him deal with the media throughout the season you would realize he is actually not very good at dealing with the media. He protects his players well but he is terrible at explaining his decisions.
…Well I’m not from Boston but I am from Worcester and I tend to follow the Red Sox fairly obsessively. I thought Farrell did well enough. He kept calm and was able to keep the focus off the negative except for the Price/Eck spat which no manager could have contained.
I’m slightly amazed that fans of any team believe not being good at dealing with the media might be a firing offense. And this comes from a fan in a baseball town where the lights shine as bright as they do anywhere.
It will never happen, but if the Red Sox only made one trade this offseason and it was for Terry Franconia, the fans and media would be ecstatic.!
Tito has too many medical problems for that stress…
They ran Francona out of town for fried chicken in the locker room
As a DBacks fan, I’d hate to lose Gardenhire and his experience on the coaching staff. He deserves a manager position though so if he gets the job I would of course be happy for him
He’s had several mgr chances and didn’t get the only prize that matters- WS
Tahoe, several managers have had their chances and never won a WS. Two that come to,mind Ron Washington and Dusty Baker.
Boston media will be too much for Gardenhire.
Now that the nationals are done, again, dumsty bakers days are numbered
I agree. He’s not been able to get his teams to the big dance.
He did with the Giants and got schooled by Scosia…
I live in Cincinnati. He got schooled by bochy also
No one gets handed better teams that they cannot win with. He is a horrible manager.
I found Dombrowski’s comment a couple days ago interesting. He said Farrell would have been fired regardless of post season wins or losses. So if the Red Sox would have won the World Series, Farrell would have still been fired? Can you imagine?
I find it even harder to believe because they picked up his 2018 option during the season. If they had won the World Series, all evidence points to him staying. I understand trying to act like the move wasn’t contingent on post season success. But that statement also doesn’t seem very honest.
A GM throwing out the baby with the bath water!! Good thing he got Sale otherwise his tenure as GM would be complete crap. Now he thinks he can be a hero by bringing in his own guy. I guess it’s because he is confident he can bring as many titles to Boston as he brought to Detroit!! haha His Sale deal only buys him temporary credit. Not getting JD Martinez or Verlander or both to win THIS YEAR was a bigger mistake than getting Sale was a positive move. He did EXACTLY what plagued the old Red Sox regime that never won all those years. He made just enough moves to be competitive but wasn’t smart enough to make the key decisive moves that win Championships. I only see more of this in the future. It’s exactly what he did in Detroit. I hope he can learn from his mistakes this year. but I’m not optimistic.