OPTIONS WITH GILMORE
Who is standing out offensively in Fort Myers in the first week?
THE BRADY CHRONICLES
During a video conference with the media Wednesday, Bucs GM Jason Licht was asked about how much input Brady has in the decisionmaking process.
Licht said the degree of input with respect to Brady has been exaggerated to a degree, although he didn’t dismiss the notion that he and Bruce Arians do consult the GOAT on occasion.
Obviously, with both Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown landing in Tampa, there had to be a nudge from Brady.
“I would say both Bruce and I talk to Tom. Why wouldn’t you, with the resume that he has?’’ Licht said. “But, I think with Tom, it gets a bit overblown. Tom isn’t banging down the door and saying, ‘We need to sign this guy, we need to sign that guy, Bruce, we need to draft this guy.’
“We ask him his opinion at times. He gives us his opinion at times, but he never mandates anything. He’s actually been a joy to work with, so I think a bit of that gets overblown. We like to devise with him on certain things, just like Bruce does with the game plan, but there’s never been any animosity or directive from him. In fact, most of the things we do, we don’t consult with him on.”
But the fact Brady provides a voice, and a welcomed voice, has proven to be productive on both sides.
In terms of their many free agents, which include wide receiver Chris Godwin, as well as linebacker Lavonte David, outside linebacker Shaq Barrett and defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, who might be on the Patriots’ radar, Arians said the top priority was keeping the front seven intact.
“For me, it’s still keeping the defense together,” Arians said. “And then whatever’s left, we’ll score enough points. It’s a matter for me keeping the defense as solid as we can.”
In terms of taking hometown discounts, Arians pointed out no one wants to take a pay cut. It’s more about restructuring contracts, and moving money down the road.
“Nobody’s giving up money,” Arians said. “That’s one thing for sure. They’re not giving it up, they’re just pushing it in a different direction to help the cap. But we’re in great shape.
Jason and (director of football administration) Mike Greenberg have done a great job of keeping us in a great spot that way. It always comes down to dollars and cents, but also to fit. Guys know where they fit. I think these guys all know they fit here. We’ll get the dollars right and hopefully keep this core together.”
MARIOTA A CAP CASUALTY?
There was a report Thursday by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport that trade interest in Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota had cooled.
But cooled enough for the Raiders to release him? Mariota’s contract appears to be the deal-breaker with teams who have inquired.
With the Patriots reportedly kicking the tires on everyone, they were likely in the mix.
Mariota is set to make a base salary of $10.625 million with a cap number of $11.35 million.
The problem?
Incentives in the contract more than double his compensation if he’s a starter in 2021, which is probably why teams have backed off. If the Raiders can’t swing a deal, they might have to cut the 27-year-old quarterback loose. For what it’s worth, Mariota is the betting favorite to be the Week 1 starter in Foxboro. So the situation bears watching.
QUARTERBACK TALES
As for 49ers GM John Lynch, and his recent endorsement of
Jimmy Garoppolo, take it with a grain of salt.
Don’t think he’s lying, per se. Right now, right this minute, Jimmy G is the Niners guy. And given his winning record with the team, it makes sense to stand pat with Garoppolo
The Lions said relatively the same thing with Matthew Stafford before trading him. Ditto the Eagles with Carson Wentz.
Now, it’s doubtful Lynch’s top plan is to trade Jimmy G. He wants a better backup for his injury-prone starter. That makes sense.
But, if something were to develop down the road, the door is open. That’s the takeaway from Lynch’s declaration.
Russell Wilson? The news on him was that he didn’t necessarily want out of Seattle, but then provided a list of places he’d go. Like Garoppolo, Wilson has a no-trade clause, so he’d have final say on any deal.
But this sounds more like a bluff on Wilson’s part. Said Wilcots: “Nothing’s going to happen. He’s not going anywhere, I don’t think he wants to go anywhere. But I do think he looked and saw what Tom Brady did in Tampa ... players want more say-so. He wants to be a part of it, just like Tom was this year. So I think it’s gamesmanship to pressure the controls of operation there to include him in the process.”
Tim Hyers sounded excited as he went through the names. The Red Sox hitting coach is working with a good mix of veteran and young guys this spring, and many who he’s still getting to know, and he’s been pleased with what he’s seen early in camp.
Spring training is just more than a week old, but plenty of time to come away with some good first impressions, whether they’re completely new to the Red Sox or just to get an idea of how returning players used their offseason and the adjustments they made. Here are some players who have specifically caught Hyers and the Red Sox’ eye early on:
Hunter Renfroe
The Red Sox signed Renfroe as their first significant free-agent acquisition of the winter after the power-hitting outfielder spent 2020 on a run to the World Series with the Rays. Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom joked that Renfroe peppered the Mass. Pike last season when the Rays came to town — he had two homers in a 17-8 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park — and so far in camp, they’re certainly seeing that power come to life.
“Hunter Renfroe has bazooka power right now,” Hyers said. “He’s a veteran, he comes in knowing what he wants to do and it’s really fun to see him go to work because he gets in, gets his work done and it’s very clean work, not any wasted work. The young guys, it really helps them see a guy like Hunter Renfroe work, because it’s very clean and very consistent, but he knows exactly what he needs to do to get ready and he gets it done, gets out on the field and does his thing and you can tell he’s done it before. That’s refreshing to see.”
Renfroe figures to play a lot of right field this season, a challenging position at Fenway but one that the Red Sox believe he can handle.
“Besides the obvious power that he displays, good defender,” manager Alex Cora said. “Today we did cut-off and relays and his arm plays in right field. A big physical guy but he can move. He did a good job in San Diego. Obviously we know about the swing-andmiss part of it but at the same time, he punishes the ball, and we’ll try to find matchups that benefit him throughout the season, not only against lefties but also against righties.
“Looking forward to seeing him mishit balls against the wall or over the wall, I do believe his power is obviously going to play. He plays anywhere, but I think at Fenway he really wants to play.”
Christian Arroyo
Arroyo made a good impression late last season after the Red Sox claimed him off waivers. He made his Boston debut in September and was a regular over the final weeks, as he hit .240 with three homers and eight RBI while displaying good defense at second base.
It’s unclear what Arroyo’s role could be this year after the Red Sox signed Kiké Hernández as an everyday player at second, but the 25year-old has what Cora
loves: versatility. If he can produce a more consistent bat, he could certainly find a spot on the team this season.
“I love Christian Arroyo and the things he’s doing in the batter’s box right now,” Hyers said. “Christian Arroyo has put together some quality days here before we head into games.”
Michael Gettys
Gettys, who signed with the Red Sox on a minorleague deal in November, is in camp as a non-roster invitee. Hyers described the outfielder, a second-round pick by the Padres in 2014, as a prospect who has a strong arm and a power bat,
and he’s impressed early.
“I’m just excited to see him play in a game just because he’s tooled,” Hyers said. “He’s got a bazooka for an arm, he hits the ball, supposedly he can play really good defense. The ball jumps off his bat. … You’re looking for him to put things together. Do I know? Yeah, he’s put some good practices together but like we say around here, talk is cheap, we have to carry it into game action, too.”
Kiké Hernández is another veteran who’s impressed Hyers early on. The two have familiarity, as Hyers worked as an assistant hitting coach with the Dodgers in 2016 and 2017. Already
known as one of the top defensive infielders in baseball, Hernández is looking to take a step offensively this season.
“(Some) people are like whoa, didn’t realize that number one, he’s a little bigger than people think,” Hyers said. “When he gets up close to you, he’s a bigger guy and he’s got sneaky pop. I mean, that ball jumps off his bat. He’s been really consistent as one of the veteran guys.”
Other regulars that Hyers has liked so far include Rafael Devers, Michael Chavis and Bobby Dalbec. Devers arrived to camp in noticeably better shape than he did last summer, and
Hyers said the third baseman looks focused and that the ball is jumping off his bat.
Chavis has been inconsistent over his first two seasons in the majors and there are no guarantees that he’ll make the Opening Day roster. But Hyers said he looks focused and has put in a lot of work, and he’s hopeful it will translate to games.
Hyers said that Dalbec, who struck out 39 times in 93 plate appearances last season, has been working on some moves to lower his strikeout rate while still maintaining his power. “We’ll see if that cleans up and he can take it into game action,” Hyers said.
Matt Barnes is the favorite to be the Red Sox’ closer this season, and he certainly wants it.
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
When Brandon Workman was traded last August, Barnes took over as the closer and saved nine games the rest of the way. In September, Barnes said he was “all in” on being the closer again in 2021, and that hasn’t changed. Asked Saturday if he wants to be the closer, he had a one-word answer.
“Yes,” Barnes emphatically.
After being rehired as manager, Alex Cora said in December that if the season started then, Barnes would close. This season, Cora is ready to name a set closer instead of the bullpen-bycommittee approach from 2019, but right now, he’s keeping his options open. Though he ruled out new addition Hirokazu Sawamura for the role, Barnes, Adam said
Ottavino and Darwinzon Hernandez seem like the most likely closer candidates.
Barnes is certainly capable. After a rough start to the season, he finished strong with a 2.45 ERA over his final 11 appearances, which included seven saves. Barnes attributed his earlyseason struggles to the pandemic-delayed start to the year, when he said that he physically didn’t have enough time to prepare like he’s used to. He said the first four weeks of the regular season felt like spring training because of the delay.
“The stuff wasn’t as crisp, things were off a little bit and I’m sitting there having to figure it out while trying to protect a one-run lead in the eighth,” Barnes said. “When that four weeks was up and everything felt great, that’s to me what my body had always felt like was the start of the season. Now obviously it wasn’t and like I said there are no excuses and you have to get outs in any way you possibly can. But from a physical standpoint I think that’s the biggest difference.”
Barnes faces a pivotal season in 2021, as the 30-yearold becomes a free agent after this season. He said nothing changes in terms of his approach to the year, but he’s hopeful to ink an extension to stay with the Red Sox sooner than later.
“That would be fantastic,” Barnes said. “This is the only place I’ve ever played in my career, obviously. I love playing here. I’ve won here. The fans are great in Boston. This is home to me. I would love to play here for the rest of my career, but at the same time I’m focused on going out and getting ready for the season and if those conversations pick back up, then they do, and if they don’t, they don’t. I’m going to focus on what I’m doing and let my agent and the front office handle any negotiations and let them take that if they want to.”
JBJ unsigned ‘mind-boggling’
Jackie Bradley Jr. was still a free agent as of Saturday, more than a week since spring training camps opened around baseball, and that doesn’t seem to sit right with Barnes.
Barnes, who was teammates with Bradley Jr. for the last seven years, was asked Saturday about his general thoughts on the treatment of players who are still free agents, including Bradley Jr., and the reliever let his feelings about the center fielder known.
“The fact that Jackie Bradley Jr. doesn’t have a job right now is absolutely mind-boggling,” Barnes said. “To me he’s the best defensive center fielder in the game, a guy who has won multiple World Series and absolutely needs to be on a baseball team right now.”
The 30-year-old Bradley Jr. is an unrestricted free agent for the first time this offseason. The Red Sox have said all winter that they remain in contact with the center fielder, but it appears unlikely that he’ll return to Boston.
J.D. Martinez said this week that he’s still in touch with Bradley, who told him he had multiple offers and “is just waiting for that one person to just take that next step so he can go ahead and sign.”
E-Rod good in sim game
Eduardo Rodriguez pitched two innings in a simulated game on Saturday morning in Fort Myers as the Red Sox left-hander made another good impression in his return from a lost 2020 season.
“He looked good,” Cora said. “Actually, we were talking about the fact that he was able to repeat his delivery for two innings, it’s a positive. Good stuff. A few pitches over the middle of the plate. As far as mechanics and how he felt, it was a good step towards the right direction.”
Red Sox pitching coach
Dave Bush was standing behind the plate for the simulated game and he echoed Cora’s sentiments.
“He’s in good shape,” Bush said.
“He’s ready to get out there. He’s excited to be pitching again. Mostly, the best thing I can say is he looks normal. You watch him pitch, there’s no indication he missed a year, no indication that he had health issues. His arm is moving well. His body looks good. His velo is good. So, it was a good first step for him.”
The next step for Rodriguez will be to pitch in a spring training game, likely late next week.
Nathan Eovaldi will start Sunday’s opener against the Twins, Garrett Richards will pitch Monday, Martin Perez on Tuesday, Nick Pivetta on Wednesday, Matt Andriese on Thursday and likely Rodriguez on Friday. …
The Red Sox acquired right-handed minor league reliever Zach Bryant from the Cubs as the player to be named later in last summer’s Josh Osich trade. Bryant was a 15th-round pick in 2019.