Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced today that second baseman Dustin Pedroia will not return during the 2018 season, as Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston was among those to report (Twitter links). In fact, Pedroia has been recovering from a previously undisclosed knee surgery since July.
Of course, even without knowing of the surgery, it has long seemed unlikely that Pedroia would make it back to the field this year. The 35-year-old attempted to return from offseason knee surgery but played only three games before again hitting the shelf. While it wasn’t clear at the time that he’d be sidelined this long, there never was much indication of progress over the months that followed.
For the Boston organization, the absence of Pedroia was already accounted for earlier this summer. The club swung a deal for veteran second bagger Ian Kinsler, who is perhaps as neat a match for Pedroia’s skillset and veteran status as could be imagined.
Of course, Kinsler is slated to hit the open market at season’s end, while Pedroia remains under contract through 2021. Under the extension signed over the summer of 2013, Pedroia will earn $40MM total over the ensuing three-year span — a theoretically reasonable sum for a player of his quality, even at this advanced stage of his career, but also now a hefty amount to have committed given his increasingly worrisome slate of injuries.
For now, the Red Sox will surely welcome Pedroia as a non-playing part of the dugout mix as they seek to convert an incredible regular season into postseason glory. But the offseason will present some tough questions. Brock Holt and (likely) Eduardo Nunez will remain on hand as potential options, though clearly the team’s preference would be for those players to function as reserves.
Pedroia says his most recent procedure was to remove scar tissue, so perhaps it’s not a major concern in and of itself. The hope will have to be that a lengthy respite will allow him to finally get the troublesome knee in shape after requiring significant surgeries in each of the past two months of October. And Pedroia himself says he expects to be ready to go for the 2019 season. Surely, though, further infield moves will at least be contemplated.
Will he get traded or retire?
He’ll try to come back next season, play in 2 games, overexert himself making plays and/or running the bases, and then his knees will actually disintigrate, and THEN he’ll retire.
Karkat has it right
If Lieutenant Dan can make a comeback with no legs, so can Pedroia. He’ll come to the field dragging himself on the ground like a Living Dead Zombie. Go Pedroia.
Neither
He’ll retire a Sox whenever that is. If Phillips shows anything the rest of the way. the team could keep Holt, resign Kinzlet and Phillips and trade Nunez. Then if Pedroia is healthy, you worry about who plays 2B then. You certainly can’t build next year’s roster expecting Pedie to be ready and fully able.
He’ll retire a Sox whenever that is. If Phillips shows anything the rest of the way. the team could keep Holt, resign Kinzler and Phillips and trade Nunez. Then if Pedroia is healthy, you worry about who plays 2B then. You certainly can’t build next year’s roster expecting Pedie to be ready and fully able.
He won’t retire before he tries again. Chisel it.
A three year DL stint.
“I wonder why tickets are so expensive?”
“I wonder why tickets are so expensive?”
There is little to no correlation between payroll and ticket prices. Teams have and will charge as much as they think they can get away with without regard to player salaries. It’s supply and demand at work. Higher payrolls is a symptom not a cause.
This.
Owners would loooove you to believe that higher player payrolls have anything to do with ticket prices (because then fans get mad at those oh-so-greedy PLAYERS), but it’s all about how much they can charge to maximize profit from ticket sales.
Agreed. Pedie is a rare breed in that a signed a player friendly contract that guaranteed more years. He would have already gotten similar or least much more total $$ had he signed a typical contract for his abilities back then.
Dewey…. Sox got the benefit early on and now its time to take the hit. Its not how Pedey’s career was supposed to end.. The contract was player friendly. Fortunately but its going to end up with some dead money.
I realize it hurts the luxury tax threshold but they saved earlier with him and Papi’s contracts. I consider it balanced as compared to dead money. What hurts is how they spent those savings on Hanley, Panda, etc.
Dead nuts accurate Dewey.. Fenway Fats and Hanjob were a waste. Pedey’s dead money doesn’t blow the budget. regarding the cap and to a billionaire its a drop in the bucket.. 14M vs the lux tax cap.
Nothing to sneeze at but far less than Hanley’s 23M.
You know the money is going to hurt on long term contracts in the later years, and I don’t worry about JH’s bank account. He doesn’t worry about mine while setting his ticket prices.
Last time I was at Fenway was box seats third row behind the Sox dugout. 2005 I believe. Papi was playing first. Those prime seats had a face value of $70 each if I’m remembering right.
I had Loge Box seats in 05 that were $160 a pop but that was on StubHub
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the removal of Hanley and Pedroia from the dugout combined with JD becoming the voice of the team vs Price has greatly influenced the attitude of the team.
Price won’t say a thing anymore. He’s afraid of Dennis.
He should be. A lesser man would have whooped his arse right then and there on the plane.
I feel like we could have assumed this
I mean, really guys and girls……great player, great guy (or so they say), but the train left the station 2 years ago…..hope he comes back, but if he doesn’t? Ah well, move along now…..
Red Sox will again have to scan the open market this winter for a mid-range 2B FA who may have to shoulder most of the innings in 2019 productively. Hard to imagine DP coming back at full strength. One nagging injury after another will keep him on the shelf for the foreseeable future.
Kinsler backed up by Holt and Nunez. Already have the solution.
Or as I posted above, Phillips in place of Nunez if he shows anything in September. Nunez has recently played better but will cost more to keep and absent a recurring of his knee injury, should be tradable without having to throw in $$.
Don’t forget Marco Hernandez, who might get to finally play a season without missing part, or all of one without ending up on the DL.
True.
Go ahead and hang up the cleats. Good career.
As hard as he swings, I bet at some point he will swing and miss and turn into a pile of pieces in the batters box
Nice Cora. Your use of Joe Kelly is mind boggling!! Lighter fluid on ambers. Not a late inning guy, how can you not see that? Do you need 55 examples because 54 isn’t enough?. Glad the team has pulled your rear-end out of the fire so many times but seriously, trying to figure out Kelly’s role against Houston? You are the worst manager in baseball when it comes to xxs and oos!!. You have the best team in baseball and they are on a record setting pace despite the pathetic managerial moves Rook!!. Please start asking, 12 year old kids in the stands who should bat where in the order, who should come in when relief situations occur, ask them when to make the changes and most of all let them tell you that you don’t rest guys after a week when you had two days off!! How the Red Sox make up for your mistakes is beyond me. The post season doesn’t work like the regular season. Your mistakes are going to cost us a shot at the World Series!! Gets some help from an experienced manager!!!
You seriously should not write so much…and we all see why.
Charles add value with your comments nobody cares if you don’t like to read.
Might simply be giving trials for his playoff relief roster. First two hits were not hard hit and at least no walks. That said, another failed Kelly appearance. Do the numbers, if they take 11 pitchers max, he and Pomeranz are on the outside looking in as of today. Poms definitely and Kelly, Hembree and Workman might be competing for the last spots. Bobby Poyner might also sneak in. With Wrght back both Johnson and Velasquez also might not make it. First round even ERod might be in the pen if they go with three starters: Sale, Porcello and Price. Hoping they have been playing it safe with Sale but can you imagine if his arm can’t get stretched out again to start and he goes to the back end of the pen with Kimbral? I see at most 1% of that happening but it is interesting to think about.
“Please start asking, 12 year kids in the stands who should bat where in the order . . . “
You really think the manager makes those decisions on his own? You believe that the Red Sox took $200M+ worth of baseball talent and told Cora to use them as he sees fit? That isn’t the way the modern game works, not with experienced (and currently unemployed) managers like Girardi and Dusty Baker, and certainly not with rookie managers like Cora, Boone and Martinez.
“Gets some help from an experienced manager.”
You are assigning blame without much rhyme or reason. The fact that a particular move doesn’t work out does not necessarily mean that 1) it was the wrong move under the circumstances, or 2) the organization would have wanted the manager to act otherwise. And, last I checked, didn’t the Sox have the best record in baseball? Some folks is tough to please, I guess.
Dewey if you could pick 11 pitchers who would you take? It’s so bad that I think I would take Sale, Price, Porcello, Kimbrel, EROD, Brasier, Barnes, Wright, Eovaldi, Hembree and Pomerantz. After Wright in my list, I don’t have much confidence. Before right, I have some confidence but frankly only Sale and Price if Sale gets a chance to stretch out prior to the playoffs, are solid right now. That’s scary.
My list matches yours KD17 with only Poyner over Pomerantz. At this point I have Johnson and Velasquez over Poms but none make my list. The team will go only as far as the relievers can eliminate walks. Even Kimbral has been shakey. If Earl Weaver was managing he’d smoke 4 packs a day (reference to Don Stanhouse who he knicknamed two pack). Porcello is hot or cold but I think the starters will be fine. My reference to Sale closing was more of a joke but it is appealing to think of him in the ninth. I know this is greedy or arrogant but Kimbral does scare me this year.
I remember those days! Earl was 4 packs per game not per day! Haha
Dewey, Pom looks like he’s history once the season ends. BJ gets the lefty nod and the ability to pitch more than one inning is a plus as well.
They aren’t locks but Cora seems to like Kelly, Workman is also in the mix.
For me? I hold my breath with any of them.
Most of the time its pinching our noses…
That too Dewey. It hasn’t been pretty for the last month
Sad for such an otherwise solid team. Has to do i. my view with overthrowing instead of pitching. Lack of control. Eck should take them aside (no David Price jokes please) and get them to understand MPH is not pitching. He never walked guys as a starter nor as a reliever. Pinpoint control. Yes he gave up homers buy without as many baserunners as you see today, they rarely hurt when he was closing.
Thanks for the memories but it’s time to retire.