Devers follows Betts’ lead
Sox renew slugger at just under $700G
FORT MYERS — Following in the footsteps of Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers did not agree to a contract with the Red Sox for the 2020 season.
Instead, the Red Sox renewed Devers’ contract at $692,500 for 2020, according to an industry source.
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
Devers is not eligible for salary arbitration until next year. Pre-arb players often agree to terms with the club, which can choose to offer them salaries at or above the MLB minimum ($563,500 in 2020) based on service time and performance. If they do not agree, the club decides on any salary above the minimum.
The Red Sox typically offer their pre-arb players higher salaries than most other clubs. But a player can choose to not agree to the contract, as Devers did on Monday and as Betts did in his final year before he was arbitration eligible.
“Both sides didn’t agree and that’s OK, that’s part of business,” Betts said when he was renewed at $950,000 in 2017. “When you just stand for something, you kind of stand for it. I think that’s kind of my view on it.”
The Sox agreed to terms on a contract with every other one of their big league players for 2020.
Darwinzon delayed
It’s looking more and more like the Red Sox will try exciting young lefty Darwinzon Hernandez in a starter-type role at some point this year.
Hernandez has been away from the team due to a death in the family and has made just one appearance all spring, a one-inning relief outing early in camp.
Because of his recent absence, he’ll need to build up strength in side sessions before he’s able to take the mound in another game. But the Red Sox are looking at extending him into a multi-inning role, at least two or three innings at a time, and continue to explore the idea of using him as a starter down the road.
“He could be a two-inning guy,” interim manager Ron Roenicke said. “We could keep pushing him and make him three innings if we need him. And depending on what we do with that fifth spot in the rotation, he could be one of those guys we use as an opener or the second guy who comes in after an opener.”
His status for opening day on March 26 is not in jeopardy, Roenicke said. But it will take time for him to build up strength again. It’s unlikely he’s able to pitch more than two or three innings at a time early in the year.
As the season goes on, however, the Red Sox may try using him out of the rotation.
“We’re not quite sure where we’re going with that, but first of all we need to get him back and throwing and then try to get him out to at least a couple of innings,” Roenicke said.
Hernandez made only one start last year on June 11, when he went three innings against the Rangers and allowed four runs (three earned) while walking five and stirking out seven.
It was the kind of outing that the Red Sox were afraid of with him. He’d been prone to losing control of his emotions (and his pitches) in the minor leagues.
“Every time he takes the mound you don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s going to be extremely exciting,” Double-A Portland manager Joe Oliver said back in 2018.
Team told to avoid high-fives
The hardest part will be the high fives.
As the Red Sox prepare to take extra caution due to the spreading of the coronavirus, Dr. Lawrence Ronan visited the team on Sunday to share some tips.
Among them: limit high fives.
“Probably the hardest thing for us in this industry is not to high five,” Roenicke said. “Because you do it multiple times during a game. A guy comes in and everybody is (high-fiving) . ... There were some elbows (Sunday). Guys are thinking about it. Hopefully we get a handle on this worldwide and we don’t have to think about this too much more.”
Dr. Ronan didn’t forbid the team from high-fiving, but “said we probably shouldn’t do it,” Roenicke said. “It’s probably the smartest way to go.”
The Red Sox haven’t explicitly asked their players to stop signing autographs, but are following MLB’s lead on the matter. The league recommended players sign autographed memorabilia in the clubhouse before interacting with fans. They could pass out pre-signed items rather than share a pen and touch the items brought by fans.
“We’ve told guys, if you’re not comfortable doing certain things, signing autographs or whatever, do whatever you’re comfortable with,” Roenicke said. “Obviously it’s a concern. I don’t want to say right now to just stay away from everybody. Right now spring training is a huge time to interact with fans and it’s nice they can be out there on the practice fields walking around.”