For some time on Friday it regarded just like the Red Sox had been staring down a worst case situation.
Juan Soto had already been traded to the New York Yankees, and now hypothesis was ramping up that Shohei Ohtani was on the verge of becoming a member of him within the AL East. Reports broke that Ohtani was flying to Toronto on a non-public jet, and {that a} Japanese countryman had reserved a complete restaurant to have a good time his signing with the Blue Jays.
It was a executed deal, or so the web thought.
Subsequent reporting threw chilly water on the Toronto narrative, after which Saturday Ohtani dropped the bombshell himself. The two-time MVP introduced he will probably be becoming a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and with that Red Sox followers in all places may take a deep breath.
Short of Ohtani signing in Boston himself, the two-way famous person staying in Los Angeles and shifting to the National League is near a greatest case situation for the Red Sox. Instead of getting to take care of him as much as 13 instances per yr with the Blue Jays, Boston will now solely want to fret about him for a single three-game collection at Dodger Stadium from July 19-21.
And if the Dodgers run roughshod over the league and stack nicely over 100 wins? Big deal. It received’t be a problem for Boston till the World Series, at which level it will grow to be an excellent drawback for the Red Sox to have.
The particulars of Ohtani’s deal are staggering, too.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan and others, Ohtani’s take care of the Dodgers is for 10 years, $700 million, obliterating the earlier MLB file of $426.5 million set by Ohtani’s former Angels teammate Mike Trout. Passan additionally reported the contract has important deferrals, which can cut back his luxurious tax hit and liberate extra money for the Dodgers to construct a contender round him.
To put that into perspective, Ohtani’s $700 million assured eclipses the $530.8 million LeBron James is estimated to have earned over his complete enjoying profession, even taking subsequent yr’s earnings under consideration. It additionally exceeds the $660 million John Henry’s possession group initially paid for the Red Sox in 2002.
Could the Red Sox have afforded a deal like that? Probably, however it will have been an unimaginable danger to take. Ohtani just lately had his second elbow surgical procedure in lower than 5 years, and for the Dodgers to get their cash’s value they’ll want him again on the mound in 2025 and past.
Considering that Boston wants beginning pitching proper now, it’s not shocking the membership in the end handed on the two-way famous person.
With Ohtani off the board the remainder of the free agent market ought to kick into overdrive. On deck is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the highest beginning pitcher out there and a really perfect addition for the Red Sox rotation. Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell and different extremely regarded arms received’t be far behind, so after weeks of ready and hoping we should always lastly achieve some readability on what subsequent yr’s Red Sox group may appear to be.
Will Craig Breslow show a extra aggressive and decisive government than Chaim Bloom? We ought to know by the top of the week.
Once factor is for sure, it doesn’t matter what occurs with the Red Sox, Los Angeles has firmly established itself as the middle of the baseball world. With Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and now Shohei Ohtani on board the Dodgers enter 2024 as heavy World Series favorites, giving the two-way famous person his first actual alternative to shine on the postseason stage after six years of disappointment throughout city in Anaheim.
The Dodgers have as soon as once more set the bar, now it’s on the Red Sox to see if they will match it.
O’Neill boosts Sox outfield
Days after shifting Alex Verdugo, the Red Sox restocked their outfield by buying Tyler O’Neill from the St. Louis Cardinals. While not an influence bat like Juan Soto, O’Neill fills a number of wants for Boston and must be match for the present roster.
A two-time Gold Glove winner, O’Neill will instantly enhance Boston’s protection and may play all three outfield positions. He can also be a right-handed hitter, one thing Boston badly wanted on condition that Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu all bat left-handed, and has flashed important energy potential.
In 2021, O’Neill turned in by far his greatest season on the plate by hitting 34 house runs with 80 RBI and 15 stolen bases. He hasn’t been almost as impactful in his different 5 MLB seasons, and final yr he solely hit 9 homers with a .715 OPS in 72 video games. He does have a formidable monitor file in opposition to left-handed pitchers, posting an .816 profession OPS in opposition to southpaws.
How a lot O’Neill elements into the equation will most likely depend upon whether or not or not Abreu earns the beginning proper discipline job or if Ceddanne Rafaela makes the large league roster. Most probably he’ll see the vast majority of his time in left or heart, particularly when a lefty is on the mound, whereas Yoshida shifts into nearer to a full-time DH position.
O’Neill additionally probably matches Boston’s timeline higher than among the larger profile outfielders on the free agent market.
Like Verdugo, O’Neill is in his closing yr of wage arbitration and is because of grow to be a free agent subsequent winter. He is projected to earn $5.5 million this season, about half of what Verdugo will probably make, so between that and the sunshine haul of prospects they gave as much as purchase him, the Red Sox aren’t making an enormous funding bringing O’Neill in.
Considering that Boston already has Abreu and Rafaela knocking on the door, and with prime outfield prospect Roman Anthony not far behind, a possible one-and-done addition like O’Neill makes extra sense than giving somebody like Lourdes Gurriel Jr. a three-year deal.
Is O’Neill the splashiest addition? No, however he fills a key want whereas leaving most of Boston’s assets freed as much as deal with different priorities, most notably the beginning rotation.
Nashville makes enlargement case
Former Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has lived in Nashville for a number of years now. He stored his house there after becoming a member of the Phillies and has continued to spend his winters within the Music City since taking excessive job in Philadelphia.
But whereas proper now Nashville isn’t house to an MLB franchise, Dombrowski’s hopeful that will quickly change.
“I think Nashville is a tremendous city,” Dombrowski mentioned. “There’s a lot of things about it, there’s growth all over the place, there’s something going on all the time, so to me it’s a big league city.”
Though he’s had no official involvement since becoming a member of the Phillies, Dombrowski has served as an advisor for Music City Baseball, a bunch devoted to bringing an MLB enlargement franchise to Nashville. The metropolis is considered as a prime enlargement candidate and this week Nashville discovered itself on the heart of the baseball universe as host of the MLB Winter Meetings.
Nashville is already host to an NFL and NHL group, and if the town had been awarded an MLB franchise, Music City Baseball says it hopes to construct a $1 billion retractable-roof stadium on the banks of the Cumberland River north of downtown, close to the campus of Tennessee State University. The new franchise can be referred to as the “Nashville Stars,” honoring the town’s Negro League historical past in addition to its present affiliation with quite a few stars in music, leisure and sports activities.
Others related to the hassle embody former Oakland Athletics ace Dave Stewart, Hall of Fame supervisor Tony La Russa and Texas Rangers supervisor Bruce Bochy.
“Oh, I hope it happens,” Bochy mentioned this week. “It’s growing, it’s an exciting city. All the people I know that are here, they’re having a great time. After the meetings get out, having dinner and going to various places, listening to music, things like that. There’s a lot of action in this city so I think it’s primed and I’m certainly hoping it happens.”
Since the Oakland Athletics’ transfer to Las Vegas was permitted by MLB’s house owners and the Tampa Bay Rays introduced plans for a brand new stadium in St. Petersburg, hypothesis has ramped up that enlargement might be on the horizon. Commissioner Rob Manfred has repeatedly mentioned that enlargement wouldn’t occur till these golf equipment’ stadium conditions had been resolved, however now the prospect of MLB shifting from 30 to 32 groups in some unspecified time in the future by the top of the last decade appears more likely.
“I cannot speak for it, that’s for the commissioner, he’s always said they had to settle those two situations first before they talked about expansion. The reality is now those two situations look like they’re settled, so now perhaps the next step is there,” Dombrowski mentioned. “I can’t say if it’s immediate or not, but I’d be much more optimistic now that those things are done.”
If that occurs, Nashville appears to be a preferred alternative throughout the sport. Recently The Athletic polled 100 gamers on quite a lot of topics, and when requested what metropolis they really feel can be greatest for a brand new MLB enlargement franchise Nashville was the overwhelming alternative. The Music City drew 69% of the vote, with Montreal ending a distant second with 10% and Charlotte, N.C. and Austin, Texas tied for third with 5% every.
Nashville’s case isn’t unassailable. Even with the town’s latest progress it nonetheless ranks because the nation’s twenty sixth largest tv market in response to Nielsen, behind different enlargement candidates like Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville in North Carolina and Portland, Oregon. Nashville would additionally rank twenty fifth in market measurement amongst present MLB groups, but it surely’s additionally far bigger than Las Vegas, the place the A’s are set to maneuver throughout the subsequent few years.
The metropolis may additionally draw opposition from the Atlanta Braves, who’ve traditionally dominated the southern U.S. market, and from the Cincinnati Reds, whose territory consists of most of close by Kentucky. That being mentioned, groups from all three cities have peacefully coexisted for years within the NFL, suggesting there are sufficient followers to go round.
Manfred hasn’t commented publicly on Nashville or some other membership being a goal of enlargement because the Oakland Athletics transfer turned official, so for now these related to the town are nonetheless ready and hoping. But after placing its greatest foot ahead for the Winter Meetings, Nashville appears prepared for its second, which can be proper on the horizon.
Source: www.bostonherald.com