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White Sox decline option on Youkilis

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 30, 2012 08:19 PM

The White Sox today made two moves of interest to Red Sox fans:

-- They signed RHP Jake Peavy to a two-year, $29 million deal. They declined his $22 million option for 2013 and went with a new deal. So cross Peavy off your list of possible Red Sox rotation additions.

-- Chicago also declined its $13 million option on Kevin Youkilis, paying him a $1 million buyout. The White Sox have not closed the door on the idea of Youkilis returning to the team, but he expected to hit the open market on Saturday.

Youkilis had a .235/.336/.409 line this season, the worst of his career. He turns 34 in March.

There are no indications the Red Sox have any interest in bringing Youkilis back. Will Middlebrooks will be the third baseman and they can probably find a first baseman (or a platoon) who would give them better offensive production.

Red Sox name Butterfield third base coach

Posted by Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff October 30, 2012 12:08 PM

Brian Butterfield spent nearly 11 full seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, serving as a third base coach and bench coach under four managers. He was one of the constants in that organization.

That ended on Tuesday when the Red Sox named Butterfield as their new third base coach.

A 54-year-old native of Bangor, Maine, Butterfield is the second Blue Jays coach to join manager John Farrell in moving to Boston. Torey Lovullo was named bench coach last week.

The Red Sox still need a pitching coach, hitting coach, first base coach and bullpen coach to complete their staff. The Sox have not ruled out first base coach Alex Ochoa or bullpen coach Gary Tuck returning, but have not committed to them.

Butterfield, who was recruited by several other teams, should be a strong addition to the staff. Butterfield has shown good judgment at third base during his tenure with the Jays and is an excellent infield instructor.

Like Lovullo, he also has the ability to communicate well with players and that should help improve the atmosphere around the team.

Butterfield joined the Blue Jays in 2002. He previously worked for the Yankees (1994-95) and Diamondbacks (1998-2000) under Buck Showalter. In all, he has 16 years of experience coaching on the major league level.

Butterfield also managed for parts of six seasons in the Yankees organization, from rookie ball to Triple A. He was a roving infield instructor for the Yankees as well and a minor league coach. He held similar duties for the Diamondbacks for two years.

Butterfield attended the University of Maine as a freshman, playing baseball and basketball. He continued his career at Valencia Community College and Florida Southern.

Florida Southern won the NCAA Division II national championship in 1978 with Butterfield playing second base. The Yankees signed him as a non-drafted free agent in 1979.

Butterfield played 397 games in the minors, getting to Triple A with the Yankees in 1982. He is the son of Jack Butterfield, the former Maine baseball coach who joined the Yankees as a scout in 1976 and became vice president of player development and scouting before his death in 1979.

Greetings from Gate A-30

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 30, 2012 08:47 AM

DETROIT -- Good morning from the Al Kaline International Airport here in Detroit. We are are waiting to (hopefully) fly home to Boston at 10 a.m.

The World Series ended on Sunday night. But with Hurricane Sandy striking on Monday, there was no getting out of Detroit. So it was a rare day on the road without a baseball game to attend.

The folks at MLB must have been relieved to get the Series over so quickly. It was raining in Detroit last night with more on the way.

Given what was going on back on the East Coast, nobody was complaining. I wrote a Red Sox notebook and a story on Buster Posey.

Plenty of other time was spent figuring out travel plans. The idea of driving back home was briefly considered then rejected. It would take roughly 14 hours and the idea of driving into bad weather seemed a little nutty.

Considered trying to fly to an airport closer to Boston and driving from there. But finding a flight was impossible.

The best alternative seemed was waiting and hoping a flight would leave for Boston today. So far, that seems to be the case.

Here's hoping you got through the storm safely. It has been very strange seeing so many friends in New York and New Jersey disappear from Twitter and Facebook because they don't have power or were being evacuated. The scenes from Manhattan were staggering.

Anyway, that's it for now. There's a plane at the gate and hopefully it will take off. After nine months on the road, it'll be a relief to get home. Now more than ever.

Red Sox 22-to-1 to win 2013 World Series

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 29, 2012 04:25 PM

According to Bovado, an online gambling site, the Red Sox face 22-to-1 odds to win the 2013 World Series.

The Tigers (6-to-1) are favored, followed by the Yankees (7-1) and Giants (10-1). Remarkably, there are 17 teams facing longer odds than the Sox, including the Orioles (25-1), Athletics (25-1), and White Sox (28-1).

The longest odds? Kansas City is at 150-1.

Pedroia a Gold Glove finalist

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 29, 2012 12:58 PM

Dustin Pedroia is a finalist for the American League Gold Glove at second base along with Dustin Ackley (Mariners) and Robinson Cano (Yankees).

The awards will be announced on Tuesday at 9 p.m. on ESPN2. Pedroia won a Gold Glove in 2008 and 2011.

Adrian Gonzalez is listed an AL finalist at first base along with Eric Hosmer (Royals) and Mark Teixeira (Yankees). Gonzalez won the Gold Glove last season and twice (2008-09) with the Padres.

Managers and coaches vote on the Gold Gloves.

Six Red Sox would hit the market on Saturday

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 29, 2012 12:31 PM

DETROIT -- Players no longer have to file for free agency. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, those eligible become free agents when the World Series ends.

Players hit the open market at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.

That group includes Aaron Cook, James Loney, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Vicente Padilla, Scott Podsednik, David Ortiz and Cody Ross.

The Red Sox are making progress on a multi-year deal with Ortiz. Whether he signs before Saturday is probably not that significant. He wants to stay with the team and the team wants him to stay. It's just a matter of when something gets done.

The Sox also have said they would like to retain Ross. But he could explore what opportunities are out there for him.

Clubs have until Saturday to make qualifying offers to their free agents.

Official free agent list

Posted by Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff October 29, 2012 10:41 AM

Here's the official list of free agents (as of now) put out by the Major League Players Association this morning:

Atlanta: Baker, Jeff; Batista, Miguel; Bourn, Michael; Diaz, Matt; Durbin, Chad; Hinske, Eric; Johnson, Reed; Overbay, Lyle; Ross, Dave; Sheets, Ben
Arizona: Saito, Takashi
Baltimore: Chavez, Endy; Hall, Bill; Johnson, Nick; McLouth, Nate ; Saunders, Joe ; Thome, Jim ; Wolf, Randy
Boston: Cook, Aaron ; Loney, James ; Matsuzaka, Daisuke ; Ortiz, David ; Padilla, Vicente ; Podsednik, Scott ; Ross, Cody
Chicago Cubs: Camp, Shawn
Cleveland; Broxton, Jonathan ; Cairo, Miguel J. ; Navarro, Dioner ; Rolen, Scott ; Kotchman, Casey ; Sizemore, Grady
Colorado: Francis, Jeff ; Giambi, Jason ; Sanchez, Jonathan
Chicago White Sox: Bruney, Brian; Hudson, Orlando; Liriano, Francisco; Lopez, Jose ; Pierzynski, A.J. ; Wise, DeWayne
Detroit: Laird, Gerald ; Sanchez, Anibal ; Valverde, Jose ; Young, Delmon
Kansas City: Guthrie, Jeremy
Los Angeles Angels: Greinke, Zack ; Hawkins, LaTroy ; Hunter, Torii K. ; Isringhausen, Jason ; Izturis, Maicer
Los Angeles Dodgers: Abreu, Bobby ; Blanton, Joe ; Choate, Randy ; Kennedy, Adam ; League, Brandon ; Victorino, Shane ; Wright, Jamey
Miami: Gaudin, Chad ; Kearns, Austin ; Lee, Carlos ; Oviedo, Juan ; Zambrano, Carlos
Milwaukee: Marcum, Shaun ; Rodriguez, Francisco ; Gonzalez, Alex ;
Minnesota: Capps, Matt; Pavano, Carl
New York Mets: Byrdak, Tim ; Cedeno, Ronny ; Hairston, Scott ; Ramirez, Ramon ; Rauch, Jon ; Shoppach, Kelly ; Young, Chris
New York Yankees: Chavez, Eric C. ; Feliciano, Pedro ; Garcia, Freddy Antonio ; Ibanez, Raul J. ; Jones, Andruw ; Kuroda, Hiroki* ; Lowe, Derek ; Martin, Russell ; Pettitte, Andy ; Rivera, Mariano ; Suzuki, Ichiro ; Swisher, Nick ;
Oakland: Colon, Bartolo ; Gomes, Jonny ; Inge, Brandon ; McCarthy, Brandon
Philadelphia: Pierre, Juan ; Schneider, Brian
Pittsburgh: Correia, Kevin ; Grilli, Jason ; Qualls, Chad;
San Diego: Marquis, Jason
Seattle: Millwood, Kevin ; Olivo, Miguel ; Perez, Oliver ; Sherrill, George
San Francisco: Affeldt, Jeremy ; Cabrera, Melky ; Mota, Guillermo ; Nady, Xavier ; Pagan, Angel ; Penny, Brad ; Sanchez, Freddy ; Scutaro, Marco ; Theriot, Ryan
St. Louis: Berkman, Lance ; Fuentes, Brian ; Lohse, Kyle
Tampa Bay: Farnsworth, Kyle L. ; Howell, J.P. ; Keppinger, Jeff ; Pena, Carlos ; Peralta, Joel ; Upton, B.J.
Texas: Adams, Mike ; Dempster, Ryan S. ; Hamilton, Josh ; Lewis, Colby ; Lowe, Mark ; Napoli, Mike ; Oswalt, Roy ; Uehara, Koji*
Toronto: Frasor, Jason ; Johnson, Kelly ; Lyon, Brandon ; Villanueva, Carlos ; Vizquel, Omar
Washington: De Rosa, Mark ; Duke, Zach ; Gonzalez, Mike ; Jackson, Edwin ; Wang, Chien-Ming

*Eligible per contract terms

The following players are eligible for free agency pending option provisions in their Uniform Players Contract (UPC):
Atlanta: Hudson, Tim ; Jones, Chipper ; Maholm, Paul ; McCann, Brian
Arizona: Blanco, Henry ; Lindstrom, Matthew
Baltimore: Ayala, Luis
Cleveland: Ludwick, Ryan ; Madson, Ryan ; Hafner, Travis ; Hernandez, Roberto
Chicago White Sox: Floyd, Gavin ; Myers, Brett ; Peavy, Jacob ; Youkilis, Kevin
Detroit: Dotel, Octavio E. ; Peralta, Jhonny
Houston: Snyder, Chris
Kansas City: Soria, Joakim
Los Angeles Angels: Haren, Danny ; Santana, Ervin
Los Angeles Dodgers: Coffey, Todd ; Rivera, Juan ; Treanor, Matt ;
Minnesota; Baker, Scott
New York Mets: Wright, David ; Dickey, R.A.
New York Yankees: Aardsma, David ; Cano, Robinson ; Granderson, Curtis ; Soriano, Rafael
Oakland: Balfour, Grant ; Drew, Stephen
Philadelphia: Contreras, Jose ; Polanco, Placido ; Ruiz, Carlos ; Wigginton, Ty
Pittsburgh: Barajas, Rod
San Francisco: Huff, Aubrey
Tampa Bay: Molina, Jose ; Rodney, Fernando ; Scott, Luke ; Shields, James
Texas: Feldman, Scott
Toronto: Oliver, Darren
Washington: Burnett, Sean ; LaRoche, Adam

Scutaro shines on the World Series stage

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 29, 2012 08:45 AM

DETROIT -- Marco Scutaro was with the Red Sox when they collapsed at the end of last season, calling that terrible September one of the worst times of his career. That Sox team, he believed, was capable of great things.

Scutaro, who was playing with an arm injury, wasn't to blame. He hit .387 with a 1.019 OPS that month and was one of the few who played with any sense of purpose.

A year and two trades later, Scutaro sits atop the baseball world. His RBI single in the top of the 10th inning on Sunday night gave the San Francisco Giants a 4-3 victory against the Detroit Tigers and the World Series title.

Scutaro's two-out single to center off Phil Coke scored Ryan Theriot with the winning run. Sergio Romo then finished off the Tigers by striking out the side.

"Incredible, incredible," Scutaro said. "After last year and everything else, I never thought something like this would happen."

It was the seventh championship in franchise history for the Giants, their second in the last three years.

"Our team has done some special things. It's a joy," said general manager Brian Sabean, a New Hampshire native. "We could have been knocked out so many times."

San Francisco won seven consecutive games to close the season, staving off elimination in the National League Championship Series against the Cardinals before sweeping the Tigers. They outscored St. Louis and Detroit 36-7 in those games.

"That's what it makes so much special, the way we did it," Scutaro said. "We're always against the wall and my team, it just came through first series, second series and now we sweep the Tigers."

Scutaro hit .328 with eight RBIs and 11 runs scored in 16 postseason games. It was the end of a journey that saw the Sox trade him to the Rockies in January before he was then sent to the Giants in July.

He hit .362 for the Giants in the regular season and continued that in the playoffs, getting named the Most Valuable Player of the NLCS. Pablo Sandoval was the MVP of the Series, but it was Scutaro who had the biggest hit.

"I knew he was a good player, but to get this many clutch hits? It was fitting that he got the game-winning hit," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Marco is the guy you want up there. You know he's probably going to put the ball in play."

Scutaro turns 38 on Tuesday. He has played 11 seasons in the majors with six teams and has played seven different positions. Scutaro is one of baseball's grinders, a guy who makes the best of whatever situation he is in.

Red Sox players enjoyed having him around, as did the Rockies and Giants. Because second base is now his best position, it's uncertain how much of a difference Scutaro would have made on the 2013 Red Sox. But he was perfect for the Giants.

"Everybody was so mad last year," he said. "Now this. It's crazy."

Why Bruce Bochy should give Red Sox fans some optimism

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 27, 2012 05:52 PM

DETROIT -- Some Red Sox fans are grousing about John Farrell being named manager because of his uninspiring two seasons with Toronto.

That's understandable. Until we see how Farrell handles the Red Sox, it's fair to believe that Brad Ausmus or one of the other candidates would have been a better choice.

But before you complain about Farrell, consider the path of Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

He managed the Padres from 1995-2006 and was under .500 despite making the playoffs four times. The Padres finished in first in his last two seasons then lost in the division series.

When Bochy wanted to jump to the Giants, he was still under contract. The Padres, who wanted a younger manager, let him go without compensation. Bochy was 71-91 and 72-90 in his first two seasons in San Francisco.

Hiring Bochy away from the Padres looked like a terrible idea at the time. But the Giants were patient and now they are two wins away from their second World Series title in three years. For them, Bochy was the perfect choice.

"He's one of the best managers in all of baseball, there's no question," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said of Bochy earlier today. "Handles his bullpen tremendous; as good as you can handle a bullpen. He's at the head of the class with some other guys, there's no question about that.

"He's a tremendous manager. He's got a nice, calming influence about himself. You know who's in charge. He's everything that's good about baseball managers, in my opinion. He does it the right way."

You can use statistics and fact-based projections to pick players. It's not an exact science, but there is at least some degree of science involved. But it's not the way with managers. You have to weigh a bunch of intangibles and make a call.

Ben Cherington made his call, deciding that Farrell was the best manager for this particular Red Sox team at this particular point in time.

How it all works out will be determined in time. But when it comes to managers, predicting success is rarely about their record.

Baseball coverage in today's Globe

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 27, 2012 10:45 AM

The Red Sox named Torey Lovullo as their bench coach. His relationship with John Farrell is a strong one.

Dan Shaughnessy writes that Detroit is a city worth rooting for.

In Los Angeles, Nick Cafardo checked in with Carl Crawford and found a happier player.

Former Red Sox prospect Anibal Sanchez has to come through for the Tigers in Game 3 of the Series.

Farrell and Lovullo join up again with Red Sox

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 26, 2012 08:15 PM

New Red Sox manager John Farrell knew a week ago that he wanted Torey Lovullo to become his bench coach. There was really no second choice.

The two have been friends for nearly 20 years, meeting as teammates in 1993 and working together for five years in player development for the Cleveland Indians. Lovullo then coached under Farrell for two seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays.

During a 28-minute conference call on Friday to discuss Lovullo's appointment, he and Farrell bantered about the old days and discussed the future, often using the same phrases.

"Excited is probably an understatement," Lovullo said about his new job.

The familiarity, trust and professional respect underscored to what degree that was missing with the Red Sox this season with Bobby Valentine and his bench coach, Tim Bogar. The two feuded to the point of not speaking, the bitterness going back to 1997 when Valentine cut Bogar from the Mets.

On most teams, the bench coach serves a clubhouse liaison for the manager, helping communicate with the players and smoothing out problems before they fester. For the Red Sox, those lines snapped early in the season and were never repaired.

In Farrell and Lovullo, there's a partnership that should contribute to success on the field.

"The relationship we formed is pretty unique. I think we developed a natural confidence in one another," Lovullo said. "I can look over at John and at times get a feel from just watching some of his reactions to what he's thinking. That will be advantage for me in being in the dugout with him. I think we'll be able to challenge one another; I think we’ll be able to inspire one another."

Farrell and Lovullo played together for the Angels in 1993 and with Triple A Buffalo in 1995. In 2003, when Farrell became Cleveland's director of player development, Lovullo managed Single A Columbus then made his way up the Cleveland ladder.

Lovullo managed Triple A Pawtucket for the Red Sox in 2010 then accompanied Farrell to Toronto as the first base coach.

"You first connect with a person on the way they live their life, the way they view the game [and] they way they interact with people. That was present in '93 when we were teammates out in Anaheim with the Angels," Farrell said.

"You see how people react to certain challenges. Watching Torey handle his own team in the minor leagues over a number of years in Cleveland gave a lot of those examples. I can tell you, they weren't always the easy ones. Whether they were issue that arose with a given team; whether they were things inside the framework of a team. There were some fires that we had to put out along the way."

Lovullo, 47, played parts of eight seasons in the majors before retiring in 2000 after playing in Japan. The Red Sox interviewed him during their managerial search last year and Valentine considered him for bench coach.

Farrell said that Lovullo would coordinate plans for spring training and make sure everything runs smoothly in Fort Myers. He also will be charge of the team's running game.

Like former Red Sox manager Terry Francona did with his bench coaches, Farrell plans to use Lovullo to inform players of expected lineup switches the night before they happen.

Their relationship is such, Farrell said, that Lovullo would have no reluctance to make a suggestion during even tense moments of a game.

"That's what allows you to weigh all the options that might be present, even though I might not be thinking of them. To have that free-flow and not have anything held back, those barriers aren't there," Farrell said.

Lovullo said his aim would be to provide Farrell with as much information as he can about players to help the manager make better decisions.

"We've got to make sure we're thorough in our preparations," he said. "I think John used the word 'relentless.' To never be underprepared. That's the first and foremost thought that I have in moving forward in this position."

The Red Sox did not name their coaching staff until Dec. 23 last season. But as November approaches, Farrell is moving diligently to get that done. The Red Sox have asked permission to speak to Rick Peterson, Baltimore's director of pitching, about becoming the pitching coach.

"We've got some work to go," Farrell said. "We're deep into it in terms of not only building lists as they relate to each position on the staff but getting recommendations and going deeper than just out personal relationships with an individual candidate. We're working through. We'd like to get it done sooner than later. But we're not going to take any shortcuts just to put names in positions."

Dodgers' Carl Crawford talks fresh start, playing hurt for Red Sox fans

Posted by Robert Burgess October 26, 2012 05:35 PM

LOS ANGELES - Carl Crawford admitted that "I was chasing a big contract" when he signed with the Red Sox two years ago, but when asked about whether he regretted the decision he said, "No, I don't regret nothing. At the time I thought it was the right decision."

Crawford met with the Los Angeles media for the first time since he was traded on Aug. 25 along with Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett for prospects. Crawford had Tommy John surgery the day after the deal and never showed up to L.A.

It was the first time he'd ever been in Dodgers Stadium, as he was taken around by team president Stan Kasten and general manager Ned Colletti.

Crawford said he was in disbelief when he heard of the trade. He first heard mention of it on TV, but said, "you hear a lot of rumors. I just didn't believe it. I didn't believe it for two weeks."

Crawford had a no-trade clause, but he quickly waived it, saying "I'm the type of person if someone wants to trade you it means they don't want you there or they're thinking about getting rid of you. I didn't think about it (no trade) too much. It was time to move on. I was really shocked because I definitely didn't see it coming. From what I heard, they were working on it for a while. I'm happy I'm here now."

Crawford said it was outside pressure, not from the Bobby Valentine or Ben Cherington, that kept him playing even after Dr. James Andrews had told him he needed Tommy John surgery.

"Nobody said I should keep playing, that was just me. I didn't want anyone to say 'I'm not sitting on y'all money.' That was the biggest thing, people on the radio shows saying he makes 20 million. I'm a hard worker and I wanted to show that. I wasn't performing well. I know Boston is a blue collar town so I just wanted to have the same attitude that I was working hard to be on the field. At the end of the day, I should have listened to the doctor and helped myself out," Crawford said.

Would he have done it sooner?

"Looking at it now since I got it done. Dr. Andrews is a well respected doctor. The first thing he said was I needed Tommy John. I wish Id done it, because I'd be better now. With the Boston fans you have a big deal that was made about my money and trying to play for the team. Maybe I shouldn't have done that and taken care of myself. I pretty much put pressure on myself to play. You get looked at as being soft and as somebody just trying to take money. I wanted to prove that wasn't the case. That probably cost me a little time for next year. You live and learn from it," Crawford said.

Crawford said the way the trade was presented to him was that it was time for both sides to move on.

"They just said this is best for both sides. They thought it was best to move on. It just wasn't working. They just wanted to start over and start from scratch. It wasn't a bad split or anything like that. 'This is good for us and this is better for you' is the way they kind of said it," Crawford said.

Crawford, who will wear No. 25, said the way the last two years went down he's motivated to prove people wrong.

"It definitely motivates me. It's like I have a fresh start. Like I said, things didn't work out in Boston for whatever reason. I'm happy to have a second start."

Was the major reason injuries?

"I'm the kind of guy who doesn't make excuses. I wasn't 100 percent all the time. For some reason I had issues up there that didn't let me be the normal person that I was. Toward the end I was feeling better, but I still had arm issue and that was wearing me down physically," he said.

He said, however, the worst time was the September collapse.

"September of last year (2011) for me was the one of the worst years I ever experienced in my whole career. I just didn't seem to have one good day. I can't really explain why that was the case. Just couldn't get it going. We was in first place for most of the year but we had that bad fall. I took a lot of the blame for myself. That offseason was the lowest offseason I had in my life. It took a lot for me to come back and start all over," he said.

Red Sox name Torey Lovullo bench coach

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 26, 2012 12:08 PM

The Red Sox on Friday named Torey Lovullo as bench coach. Lovullo has several ties to new manager John Farrell going back to 1993 when they both played for the California Angels.

Lovullo joined the Indians as a minor league coordinator in 2001. Farrell joined that organization in 2002 as the director of player development. That was the first of eight seasons Lovullo spent managing in the Cleveland system.

In 2010, when Farrell was in his final season as the Red Sox pitching coach, Lovullo managed Triple A Pawtucket. Lovullo then accompanied Farrell to Toronto as his first base coach.

Lovullo also handled Toronto's defensive positioning.

Lovullo, 47, played parts of eight seasons with the Tigers (1988-89), Yankees (1991), Angels (1993), Mariners (1994), Athletics (1996), Indians (1998) and Phillies (1999). Primarily a second baseman, he hit .224 with 15 home runs and 60 RBI in 303 games.

Best little-known fact about Lovullo: His father, Sam Lovullo, was a producer on the television show "Hee Haw."

Contract statuses of the Red Sox players

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 25, 2012 06:31 PM

Here is the contract status of the Red Sox players who ended their season on the roster or on the disabled list:

UNDER CONTRACT
RHP Clay Buchholz (through 2015, team options for '16 and '17)
RHP John Lackey (though 2014, team option for '15)
LHP Jon Lester (through 2013, team option for '14)
2B Dustin Pedroia (though 2014, team option for '15)

Notes: John Lackey ($15.25 million the next two seasons) is the highest-paid Red Sox player at the moment. That tells you everything you need to know about the state of things. ... Lester, to at least some degree, is pitching for a contract in 2013. His 2014 option is worth $13 million.

ARBITRATION ELIGIBLE
(Must be offered a contract by Dec. 2)
RHP Alfredo Aceves
RHP Scott Atchison
RHP Andrew Bailey
RHP Daniel Bard
LHP Craig Breslow
OF Jacoby Ellsbury
LHP Rich Hill
LHP Andrew Miller
LHP Franklin Morales
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
OF Ryan Sweeney

Notes: Ellsbury made $8.05 million last season and will get a raise despite playing only 74 games and posting a .682 OPS. ... Several of these players could be non-tendered or traded before the Dec. 2 deadline.

FREE AGENTS
RHP Aaron Cook
1B James Loney
RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka
DH David Ortiz
RHP Vicente Padilla
OF Scott Podsednik
OF Cody Ross

Notes: The Sox are moving close to a deal with Ortiz. Ross said on Wednesday that nothing had changed in his situation. The rest are sure to get into the market after the World Series. Best of luck, Daisuke.

UNDER TEAM CONTROL
(0-3 years of service time)
RHP Pedro Beato
RHP Chris Carpenter
RHP David Carpenter
INF Pedro Ciriaco
INF Ivan DeJesus Jr.
LHP Felix Doubront
INF Mauro Gomez
SS Jose Iglesias
OF Ryan Kalish
C Ryan Lavarnway
RHP Mark Melancon
3B Will Middlebrooks
RHP Clay Mortensen
OF Daniel Nava
RHP Zach Stewart
RHP Junichi Tazawa
INF Danny Valencia

Notes: The Major League minimum is $490,000 for 2013. These players can be renewed at that number or higher depending on their service time. There are several candidates to be released if 40-man roster spots are needed.

Bench coach Tim Bogar will not return to Red Sox staff

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 25, 2012 03:22 PM

On most baseball teams, the manager and the bench coach work closely together and are often close friends. But Bobby Valentine and Tim Bogar went long stretches without speaking this past season.

Valentine was fired as Red Sox manager Oct. 4, and on Thursday came word from team sources that Bogar will not be returning.

Bogar, 45, spent four seasons with the Sox. He was the first base coach in 2009, the third base coach from 2010-11, and then the bench coach.

New Red Sox manager John Farrell is expected to name Torey Lovullo as his bench coach. Lovullo was considered by Valentine for the job last December before he settled on Bogar.

Red Sox hosting a Halloween party

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 25, 2012 02:30 PM

This from the Sox:

"Trick-or-Treat at Fenway Park" will be Oct. 31 from 4-8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Families and kids of all ages will have an opportunity to go trick-or-treating around the warning track (weather-permitting), decorate pumpkins, and enjoy magicians, face painting, and balloon artists.

Red Sox alumni Frank Malzone, Ted Lepcio, Rich Gedman, and Bob Montgomery will also be on hand to meet fans and sign autographs. Families are encouraged to wear costumes and can enter the park through Gate B starting at 4 p.m.

Discounted concessions will be offered during the event.

So, did David Ortiz really decide not to play?

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 24, 2012 02:41 PM

The headlines scream at you today.

"Valentine: Ortiz Decided Not To Play"

"Bobby V: Ortiz Decided Not To Play Any More"

"Bobby Valentine: Ortiz Bailed After Trade."

It sounds like a big deal. It usually is when a former manager accuses a star player of not wanting to play. So let's look at the facts.

Here is exactly what Valentine said to Bob Costas of NBC Sports: "David Ortiz came back after spending about six weeks on the disabled list and we thought it was only going to be a week.

"He got two hits the first two times up, drove in a couple runs; we were off to the races. Then he realized that [the Red Sox' trade with the Dodgers Aug. 25] meant that we're not going to run this race and we're not even going to finish the race properly and he decided not to play anymore. I think at that time it was all downhill from there."

Now to the facts:

-- The Red Sox were 60-66 on Aug 24, 13.5 games out of first place and 8.5 games out of the wild card with 36 games left to play.

-- The Sox traded Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Nick Punto, and Carl Crawford to the Dodgers on Aug. 25.

-- Ortiz reinjured his right Achilles' tendon while playing Aug. 24. He was physically incapable of playing Aug. 25 and was placed on the disabled list Aug. 27.

So Valentine is incorrect in saying that Ortiz decided not to play. Ortiz was on the disabled list.

But was there a time in mid-September, when he was eligible to come off the disabled list, that Ortiz could have played?

Maybe so. Big Papi was moving around fairly well and if the Sox had been a game out of a playoff spot, maybe he would have tried it. Even a limping Ortiz can be a dangerous hitter.

Again, let's look at the facts. Ortiz was eligible to come off the disabled list Sept. 11. The Sox were 15.5 games out of a wild card berth at that point with 21 games to play.

Ortiz coming back at that point would have been irresponsible for all involved. There was nothing to be gained and everything to lose. A severe Achilles' tendon injury would have been a caeer-ender for him.

Ortiz is still getting treatment for his injury now. To even hint at the idea that he was jaking it is irresponsible.

So while Valentine is somewhat correct in saying that Ortiz decided not to play, Ortiz would have been foolish to play.

Beyond the facts, Valentine picked a bad target. Ortiz was one of the few veteran Red Sox players who were public in their support of Valentine. That was the case from spring training until the end of the season. To cast doubt on Ortiz's effort is hardly a way to pay him back.

Valentine has a way of creating these headlines, and this won't be the last one one. But the Sox have a new manager and it's probably time that all of us -- including Valentine -- move on.

Farrell: 'There's work to be done here'

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 23, 2012 11:00 PM

Here are a few of the key quotes from Tuesday's press conference:

John Farrell on the job at hand: "There's some realization on my part that there's work to be done here. There's a lot of quality players that are currently here and yet the results, the win-loss record, doesn't reflect that. It's my job and my intent to find out what took place and how to we best address it and correct it."

Ben Cherington on Farrell: "It's important that I have a relationship with the manager that's strong to the point that you can disagree and be candid with one another and walk away knowing that relationship is still intact. I have a better chance of making good decisions if that relationship allows for that kind of candid discussion and disagreement at times. I feel confident about that with John based on my existing relationship with him."

Farrell on the players: "I firmly believe that there's an amount of professionalism that every player that comes to the big leagues and certainly that would come to the Red Sox here would have. That guides their preparation, their motivation.

"But most importantly, because I've been here before, there will be no taking for granted that relationships exists. I will work my butt off to earn their trust, earn their respect and create an environment in that clubhouse that is just that, it's a trusting one. It'll be a learning one and, yes, it'll be a competitive one and hopefully a very successful one at the same time."

Lovullo expected to be named as bench coach

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 23, 2012 10:34 PM

The Red Sox are close to naming Torey Lovullo as their new bench coach. The manager of Triple A Pawtucket in 2010, Lovullo followed John Farrell to Toronto and was the first base coach for two years.

The Red Sox have allowed Valentine's remaining coaches -- Tim Bogar, Alex Ochoa, Randy Niemann, Jerry Royster and Gary Tuck -- to speak to other teams.

Bogar, Ochoa and Tuck are candidates to remain in the organization in some capacity.

"We're not closing the door to someone who was here before. We want to give John the latitude to have fresh canvas to work off of, Cherington said.

Two other Toronto coaches -- Brian Butterfield and Luis Rivera -- could be considered.

The key hire may be the pitching coach. Since Farrell left in 2010, the Red Sox have had three pitching coaches.

"With any position stability is critical," Farrell said. "I think it's important for the pitching coach coming in that this isn't going to be a situation, because so much has been brought out about my return here, that it's not going to be micromanaged.

"Certainly there's going to be involvement, but that person needs the freedom to do his job and do it to the best of his ability and that's why, to me, it's important to get the most qualified pitching coach available and bring him in here."

Also:

-- Three reporters from Toronto were at the press conference to introduce Farrell, asking him pointed questions about leaving the Blue Jays with one year left on his contract. In Canada, Farrell has been labeled as disloyal.

"The reaction to the anger or the feelings that might emanate from this happening, I appreciate that. That means there's passion," Farrell said. "I would take exception to the thought that there was no intent to fulfill a contract."

-- The trade of shortstop Mike Aviles to Toronto as compensation for Farrell does not necessarily mean 22-year-old Jose Iglesias will start right away next season, Cherington said. The team wants to see if Iglesias can earn his way in spring training.

-- Farrell has exchanged text messages and voice mails with righthander Daniel Bard, whose career spiraled sharply downward last season because of control problems. "Before getting a chance to talk with him in-depth, I couldn't begin to say what the steps to adjustments might be," Farrell said. "I think we all recognize it wasn’t too long ago this might have been the best eighth-inning reliever in all of baseball. He's not injured."

-- Farrell will wear No 52, which he had as pitching coach with the Sox.

Valentine says Ortiz decided not to play

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 23, 2012 10:10 PM

David Ortiz strained his right Achilles tendon on July 16 and played only one other game, on Aug. 24, before the season ended.

In an interview with Bob Costas of NBC Sports that aired Tuesday night, former manager Bobby Valentine suggested Ortiz could have played.

"David Ortiz came back after spending about six weeks on the disabled list and we thought it was only going to be a week," Valentine said.

"He got two hits the first two times up, drove in a couple runs; we were off to the races. Then he realized that [the team's trade with the Dodgers on Aug. 25] meant that we're not going to run this race and we're not even going to finish the race properly and he decided not to play anymore. I think at that time it was all downhill from there."

Ortiz re-injured his foot in that Aug. 24 game. He also had an injection designed to speed his healing in September. By then, with the Red Sox hopelessly out of contention, he did not pursue the idea of playing again.

Ortiz was one of the few veteran players who supported Valentine last season.

The rest of the interview was fairly benign. Valentine said the silly "Nice inning, kid" incident with Will Middlebrooks never actually happened. Middlebrooks confirmed that on Twitter during the show.

What's odd about that is Valentine was the one who created that controversy by telling WEEI it happened.

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