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Some Things I Think I Think: Big piece of the puzzle still missing for Red Sox as spring training begins
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- Some Things I Think I Think: Big piece of the puzzle still missing for Red Sox as spring training begins
∗ Pitchers and catchers are due to report to Fort Myers in a few days. The first full-squad workout will take place next weekend. Spring training is here and already, it feels like the Red Sox have some catching up to do.
They have acted and pivoted, swapped and bought, but they are at least one major piece shy of where they need to be. Their infield remains in a state of flux.
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We know that Trevor Story is the shortstop and Willson Contreras is the first baseman and Marcelo Mayer will have a significant role. After that, it gets murky.
Is Mayer the third baseman? And if he is, how regularly does he play there and can he stay healthy through an entire season? Even if Mayer is more-or-less the everyday third baseman, what does the team do at second base?
On the free agent front, there’s not a lot left from which to choose. The Red Sox might have signed the best remaining infielder when they landed Isiah Kiner-Falefa this past week and Kiner-Falefa is more of a quality depth piece rather than a starting infielder.
It’s far more likely the Red Sox trade for the infielder they so obviously need. That will either deplete their overcrowded outfield or further strip them of starting pitching depth. Either way, the composition of the team will look different than it currently does.
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One thing the Red Sox absolutely can’t do is stand pat. They can’t wait until after the season begins to fill the gaping hole. No more talk, please, of a platoon involving David Hamilton and Romy Gonzalez . Doing so would mark the Sox as unserious about their season.
It’s been more than a month since Alex Bregman slipped through their hands. It shouldn’t have taken this long to find a Plan B.
But here we are: spring training is about to start and the Red Sox are incomplete.
∗ I thought, mistakenly, that the Patriots’ season was about to reach an end in Denver two weeks ago. Now, I’ve learned my lesson.
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The criticism that the Pats got this far because of an easy schedule is now moot. They’ve answered every challenge thrown their way and have lost once since late September.
They don’t get rattled and no doubt, Mike Vrabel will have them well-prepared. I expect a competitive, entertaining game with the Patriots coming out on top: Patriots 30, Seahawks 27. As Van Morrison sang: It’s too late to stop now.
∗ The Olympics are about to get underway, which means that for the next few weeks, TV types on NBC will be promoting something called “ice hockey.”
You know — just so you’re not confusing one of the most popular, widely-played sports in the world with field hockey.
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∗ Major League Baseball desperately wants the World Baseball Classic to succeed, and three years ago, the tournament served as a nice appetizer for the regular season with plenty of big stars and dramatic moments.
So if the WBC is such a great opportunity to market the game internationally, how can MLB be so sloppy with so many details? The insurance fiasco has cost the WBC the participation of more than few star players. Meanwhile, Aroldis Chapman finds out just weeks before the start of the tournament that he’s not eligible to play for Great Britain.
Get it together, MLB.
∗ It’s one thing for fans to be disappointed with Tom Brady for refusing to say he was rooting for the Patriots in the Super Bowl. But when longtime teammates join the chorus, that’s evidence that Brady crossed a line.
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Like Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter , Brady has always exercised caution when it came to protecting his brand. But to many, this smacks of betrayal. When you spend two decades playing for a team, it’s perfectly acceptable to show some partisanship.
∗ When the Bruins return from the Olympic break, things are going to get very interesting very quickly. They’ll be one point behind the first wildcard spot and three points out of second place in the Atlantic. Their first four games out of the break will go a long way in determining the team’s approach to the trade deadline, set for March 6.
∗ Why do I get the feeling that Brendan Rodgers might be a better signing for the Red Sox than Isiah Kiner-Falefa?
∗ Just when you think the outdoor games staged by the NHL had run their course, the Bruins and Lightning put on one of the most entertaining games of the season, one that had a little bit of everything.
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∗ The Celtics seemed more interested in shedding payroll and getting out from the apron than getting better at the NBA deadline. In some seasons, that would make sense, but not in a year in which they’re tied for first place in their division.
∗ Tony Dungy refused to say whether he voted for Bill Belichick for the Hall of Fame, yet another occasion in which a non-answer is all the answer you need. Which reminds me: Why exactly is Dungy himself in the football Hall again? A lot of coaches won a single Super Bowl, but that didn’t gain them entrance to Canton.
∗ It’s always good to have another season of The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix.
∗ The Detroit Tigers — in consultation with MLB’s Labor Relations Committee — made the foolish decision to lowball Tarik Skubal in salary arbitration, filing an absurdly low number and, predictably, losing their case.
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Now, Skubal gets the highest salary arbitration award ever, to go with some bruised feelings over how the team handled the case. What do you think the chances are of him staying in Detroit when he hits free agency after this season?
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