CORNERED WITHOUT ABREU
Failure to acquire 1B still costs Sox
The Red Sox are doing more than OK for themselves this season without Jose Abreu. Based on new details on just how badly they wanted to sign him five years ago, however, it’s worth exploring the alternative reality with Abreu on the Red Sox since 2014. That stretch does include division titles (likely) each of the last three years, but also last-place finishes in 2014-15, immediately after Abreu slipped their grasp. While Abreu was mashing for the White Sox, the Red Sox were searching for better answers at first base, turning to and then from Mike Napoli and Hanley Ramirez before landing on Mitch Moreland. It will never be proven one way or another what Abreu would have meant to the Red Sox, but in crystalclear hindsight, it’s logical to see how his signing could have smoothed some bumps, especially offensively, and prevented some or all of the quarter-billion dollars — $255 million, to be exact — lavished on Pablo Sandoval, Ramirez and Rusney Castillo. Perhaps the Abreu signing could have saved Ben Cherington his job instead of preceding his dismissal less than two years after the 2013 title. That championship run was not even completed when the Red Sox took their serious run at the 26-yearold Abreu. On March 18, 2017, Allard Baird, Red Sox senior vice president of player personnel, testified in the U.S. vs. Bartolo Hernandez and Julio Estrada case in Miami. Baird was one of several MLB executives who testified in the government’s case, which was successfully prosecuted, against Hernandez and Estrada for smuggling their clients out of Cuba. Abreu was one of those clients and he testified as well, recalling how he ate pieces of his fake Haitian passport as he flew into the U.S. out of fear he would be caught with false documents when he landed in Miami. In addition to discussing the Red Sox’ successful signing of one Hernandez client, the recently retired Dalier Hinojosa, Baird detailed the club’s efforts to sign Abreu, a series of offers that maxed out at six years, $60 million. Baird testified he first scouted a 23-year-old Abreu at an international tournament in Japan, as well as at a late-summer 2013 showcase in the Dominican Republic in front of more than 60 others. Abreu “showed very well.” The Red Sox mounted what sounded like a charm offensive as well. Baird said that Abreu worked out at the Red Sox’ academy in the Dominican Republic for around a month, 3-4 days a week. The ballclub took him and family members out to dinner in the D.R., “getting to know him. Getting to know his experience — even who his favorite players were — what was important to him as far as playing in the National or American League.” Asked if he thought the Red Sox would win the bidding, Baird replied, “You never know. We thought we were confident in that regard but you never know.” He testified that he believed that the White Sox and the Yankees were the Red Sox’ chief competitors. On the morning of Oct. 14, the off day between Games 2 and 3 of the ALCS, the Red Sox sent in their final offer to Abreu. The White Sox bid was higher: $68 million over six years.
The Red Sox’ intel and scouting on Abreu was solid. He won the 2014 AL Rookie of the Year award for Chicaas go and has been a reliable, consistent slugger since. His name has come up the last two offseasons as part of the White Sox’ sell-off and rebuild efforts. The Red Sox were linked to those trade talks, believed not to have advanced very far. It does not require a vivid imagio nation to see how the Red Sox envihim sioned him fitting into their plans. That deal would have locked in Abreu for his peak years (age 27-32), a span which would overlap with the end of David Ortiz’ tenure, on a more than affordable deal. Abreu signed with the White Sox on Oct. 29, 2013, the day before the Red Sox won the World Series, so the blow was considerably softened. But remember that the Red Sox’ 2013 title caught even them by surprise — they believed their team was set to peak a year later, with Abreu factoring prominently in the Red Sox returning The to perennial contender status. Red Sox instead remained quiet that offseason. They had Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. for the future — as well as Mookie Betts, even though he did not come up until the following June — which made free agents Stephen Drew and Jacoby as Jarrod Saltalamacchia. llsbury expendable, as well Their additions, however, were lackluster. They re-signed Napoli for first base , A.J. Pierzynski at catcher, took a flier on Grady Sizemore and signed B Mujica for the bullpen. The 2014 club finished in last place, the first to-worst plunge triggering the three worst moves of the otherwise strong Cheringt The 2015 season was not much better. Sandoval and Ramirez were disappoin ntments, and Rick Porcello and Wad de Miley were underwhelming in the rotation. Before the season ended, the Red Sox owners were convinced that Cherington had to go and the Tigers, with convenient timing, reached the same conclusion with Dave Dombrowski. At first t base, the Red Sox’ producpaled tion has paled compared to other teams. Since 2014 up until the middle of last week, Red Sox first basemen ranked 20th in home runs (121), 23rd in batting average (.244), 16th in onbase percentage (.330), 21st in slugging (.42 25), 19th in OPS (.755) and 16th in bWAR (8.5). Napoli was good in 2014, but tailed off significantly the follow ing year. Ramirez manned the position adequately in 2016, but he was
far from a premier presence and Moreland came aboard. He was a worthy All-Star pick this season, but his production — in the first year of a two-year deal — has tailed off to the point where he is ranked in the high teens for OPS and low 20s in fWAR among all first basemen in the majors this season.
A strong case could be made that the Red Sox should have more aggressively explored signing free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer last winter, but the need for J.D. Martinez was greater and — with 101 wins — they’re doing just fine. Without a premier first baseman, though, it’s a position of need. And as Baird testified, that need was supposed to be negated through the end of next season.
In reality, Abreu was the one who got away.
Goodbye, Bill
Bill Ballou of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette is heading off to greener pastures, taking advantage of a buyout in order to explore a few of his fancies, including canoeing the Connecticut River from its source to mouth and learning to play the piano coda to “Layla.” Eventually, he hopes to cover the Worcester Red Sox when they begin playing in a couple of years.
Ballou has been covering the Red Sox for 32 years, and was one of a few writers who took pity on my inexperience and ineptitude when I joined the beat a long time ago. Pity from Ballou sometimes meant being asked to join him for runs through the boiling-hot or dog-populated streets of Arlington, Texas, or Cleveland, but I always enjoyed his company.
Ballou seldom is at a loss for words or opinions, all of which usually circled back to the wonders of Whitinsville. If they didn’t, somehow the Three Stooges (Shemp version only) would be worked in, or the imminent demise of bananas, which we’re all still waiting for. Even to this day, he maintains a perfect game in candlepin bowling is impossible, a quaint if misguided belief.
Ballou is a fount of Red Sox lore, trivia and statistical nuggets, and somebody needs to keep up the spreadsheet he’s kept on every game, or at least archive it. He worked tirelessly on behalf of the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers of America. He’ll be missed on all those accounts, although personally, I will miss most the moments of sheer mirth when Ballou found something funny and was incapacitated by giggles and laughter.
In a sport and job where there’s a tendency for everyone involved to take themselves way too seriously, Ballou usually could be relied upon to keep matters in their proper perspective.
Ain’t that a kick
The book “Baseball Cop” by former Red Sox resident security agent
Eddie Dominguez had its share of stories to tell about the Red Sox and
David Ortiz, as well as threads from the Aaron Hernandez case and PEDs.
One tale from the book comes from the 2001 season, when the Red Sox achieved an all-time low in terms of chemistry, injuries and performance — yes, even worse than 2011-12. A subplot of that season featured the ascension of Joe Kerrigan as manager at the expense of Jimy Williams. Pedro Martinez was no fan of Kerrigan, their animus dating to Kerrigan’s days as Martinez’ pitching coach in Montreal.
In one amusing anecdote never reported, not even in Martinez’ memoir, new manager Kerrigan was upset that Martinez was not on time for a meeting at Yankee Stadium. Kerrigan asked Dominguez to keep Martinez out of the clubhouse, which Kerrigan locked. When Dominguez told Martinez that the pitcher was not welcome, Dominguez writes:
“Pedro smirked and said, ‘Is that right.’ Then, without hesitation, he lifted his right leg and kicked the door so hard that it burst open and then back shut, broken. He walked into the locker room, looked around, and casually asked, ‘What’s going on, boys?’ ”