Neither principal proprietor John Henry nor chairman Tom Werner confirmed as much as Fenway Park on Thursday, when the remainder of the Red Sox management workforce arrived to reply questions for his or her last-place end.
Team president Sam Kennedy went to bat for the house owners, saying, “I think it’s undeniable they’ve been the best owners of the Boston Red Sox… They are as accountable as anyone in our organization. They want to win as much as anyone in our organization. In terms of media briefings and events like this, that’s part of our job responsibility to sit down and do this sort of year-end download and we try to do it the best we can and try to be as accessible to you guys as possible throughout the whole season.”
Kennedy additionally stated that the house owners’ involvement in decision-making “is at as high a level as it’s ever been.”
Things bought heated when Kennedy refused to say how precisely the house owners have been accountable.
“I think I spoke to it,” he stated. “Do you have another question?”
Asked additional, Kennedy stated, “You have a pointed question that they need to be accountable, and I’m telling you that this organization led by John Henry and Tom Werner has been a model franchise for the past two decades. We’ve had a disappointing year this year. We all acknowledge that.”
Speaking for the house owners, Kennedy stated that they’re assured in each chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and supervisor Alex Cora, who will each return subsequent 12 months, as anticipated.
“We have tremendous confidence in the strategic thinking, the direction that Chaim and (general manager Brian O’Hollaroan) are taking us,” he stated.
The Sox payroll completed round $232 million, simply above the posh tax threshold, and was one of many top-six payrolls in baseball this 12 months.
Kennedy stated: “ I anticipate our ownership group continuing to invest across our baseball operations, whether that’s major league payroll, whether that’s international signings, scouting, player development, analytics, infrastructure, medical. The commitment to spending has been there. How those resources have been allocated, the underperformance, just not getting it done, that’s on us. We’re responsible for that. We’ve had the commitment to spend in all areas and I do not see that changing moving forward. We just need to be better.”
A Devers commerce?
Rafael Devers has one 12 months of workforce management remaining earlier than he’s eligible without cost company. He stated Wednesday he can be prepared to start out speaking a few contract extension as quickly as Thursday.
Bloom stated the Sox are hoping to get an extension finished.
If they’ll’t get it finished, would the Red Sox contemplate buying and selling him? Bloom wouldn’t rule it out, however stated, “that isn’t on our radar. He is — No. 1, first and foremost — he’s a guy that we want to build around. He’s hugely important to what we’re doing. We hope he’s here not just next year but in the years to come.”
Bogaerts’ replacements
If the Red Sox can’t lengthen Xander Bogaerts, it’s anticipated that Trevor Story would slide over from second base to shortstop and the Sox may discover one other second baseman, maybe Kiké Hernandez or Christian Arroyo.
But Story has had arm issues lately, prompting many to surprise if he’d ever play shortstop once more. Watching him throw lengthy distance throughout pregame warmups typically reveals a participant who isn’t making an attempt to push his arm and is as an alternative taking it straightforward.
It’s truthful to surprise if Hernandez can be a greater match at shortstop, given how nicely he performed there at instances this 12 months.
Cora stated of Story, “I think he can handle shortstop. I know a lot of people talk about his arm. Just watching him this year, going to his right, playing deep in the shift, he was never exposed. He’s a different type of shortstop than second baseman. At second base, he plays back and he waits for the ball to get to him. When he plays short, he plays fast and he’s always on the run. So to answer your question, I do believe he can handle shortstop.”
Odds and ends
The Red Sox are hoping for a bounceback 12 months from Chris Sale in 2023, however Bloom admitted, “We know when somebody hasn’t carried a workload in a while, it means certain things on how you should plan.”
Asked about first base, Bloom wouldn’t say if the Sox plan to carry again Eric Hosmer. They have already got a left-handed hitting first baseman in Triston Casas.
“I guess with what we went through this year, the question of having too many options at first base is one we’re happy to take,” Bloom stated. “The short answer is I don’t know yet.”
Cora stated he plans on bringing his total teaching workers again subsequent 12 months.
Kennedy stated he’s been discussing the thought of transferring up begin instances of night time video games to do “what’s best for our fans, what’s best for baseball operations.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com