Boone ready to rejoin heated Red Sox rivalry
Teams must determine to try and win now or build for later
FORT MYERS, Fla. — As one question about the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry was followed by five more, Aaron Boone sat in the first base dugout Saturday at JetBlue Park and told a story about the night he became a Yankee at the 2003 trade deadline.
“When I got traded by the Reds, that night we were hanging out in the clubhouse in Cincinnati, hanging out and saying goodbyes and Tim Naehring was there,’’ Boone said of the Yankees’ VP of baseball operations today and a minor league field coordinator for the Reds then. “Obviously, he played in Boston and he said, ‘ You have no idea what you are walking into.’ I consider myself a fan of the game with pretty good knowledge of what the heck is going on. Sure enough he was right.’’
Of course Boone stamped his name into the rivalry with a pinch-hit home run off knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the ALCS that sent the Yankees to the 2003 World Series.
Now, Boone is back as a centerpiece of sports’ most heated rivalry as the Yankees’ manager. He replaced Joe Girardi, and Alex Cora took over for John Farrell in the Red Sox dugout.
Saturday, the first spring training meeting went to the Yankees, 5-3.
“I remember my first trip to Fenway sometime in August, and it was another level but so much fun,’’ Boone said of a three-game Yankees-Red Sox series that started Aug. 29 and finished with the Yankees winning twice and Boone going 5-for-13 with five RBIs. “Obviously, in 2003 that was a peak time in the rivalry. It was something to be a part of and an honor to get to play where it matters like that, especially in August. I understand it’s a big deal.’’
Wakefield was at JetBlue Park on Saturday as part of the Red Sox television coverage and spoke with Boone.
“Wake is good people. It’s always good to bump into him,’’ said Boone, who was aware a picture of the two had been snapped.
Naehring knew what Boone was headed for because he played for the Red Sox from 1990-97, and wasn’t shy about letting the Yankees’ new third baseman know what he was getting into.
“I said good luck and this and that and I said, ‘It’s quite different,’ ” Naehring recalled, standing between home plate and the Yankees’ dugout. “He said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘You will see.’ ”
Boone tore up his knee playing basketball following the 2003 season, the Yankees acquired Alex Rodriguez, and Boone finished his career playing for the Marlins, Nationals and the Astros. Boone then ducked into the broadcast booth. So, his taste of the rivalry consists of six games played 15 years ago and watching and yacking for TV.
“It’s dynamic and unlike anything I experienced before. It was the old Yankee Stadium and Fenway,’’ Naehring recalled. “A lot of the oldtime baseball scouts talk about how East Coast baseball is a little different, a little different mentality and you have to be able to handle it.’’
Boone, who says Red Sox fans have treated him well when he runs into them, and Cora get their first taste of managing in the rivalry from April 10-12 in New England’s living room.
The Yankees chased the Red Sox until the final weekend last season, advanced further in the postseason and added superstar power by acquiring Giancarlo Stanton from the Marlins in December. The Red Sox countered by signing J.D. Martinez.
The Red Sox rotation appears stronger than the Yankees, whose lineup gets the edge.
“Obviously, both clubs look like they are going to be pretty strong,’’ Naehring said. “Obviously the rivalry will be hot and heavy.’’
Just the way the baseball galaxy loves it.
THE DEVASTATION of the Royals did not begin this offseason with the free-agent departures of Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and — we presume at some point — Mike Moustakas.
That they were free agents collectively was not a secret kept from the Royals. Kansas City saw the storm approaching and decided after back-to-back AL titles (2014-15) and a championship (2015) to hold the core together, to keep going for it. The Royals doubled-down on players such as Danny Duffy, Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez, and decided to make minor trades to try to upgrade last July rather than move the expiring trio for prospects.
It is hard to criticize trying to win more, but the Royals almost certainly slowed down the advent of their next strong contender by not being proactive. The reminder is that windows to win can be short and ever-closing, and the choice whether to keep pushing or break it up is constant.
The Orioles are Exhibit 1A for just how proactive an organization must be, especially because teams have so lowered what they are willing to pay for, even stars entering their walk year. Baltimore has kept trying to win around Zach Britton, Adam Jones and Manny Machado — knowing all can depart after this year.
This offseason the Orioles considered strongly for the first time dealing Machado, but as a free agent after 2018, he did not elicit enough in return offers for Baltimore to blink. Meanwhile, Baltimore talked and talked last July about moving Britton, didn’t and then he blew out his Achilles tendon this offseason. Also, Jones’ value has decreased not only because of approaching free agency, but advancing age — 33 in August.
This made me wonder about which teams have to keep one eye on contending and one on a possible closing window due to who can be free agents over the next two offseasons:
1. RED SOX
Boston has the finances to retain players and/or buy new ones. But the Red Sox are here because they have a ton of key players leaving, have used huge pieces of their farm to contend now (Baseball America had them ranked with the 24th-best system) and, thus, do not have as vibrant a pipeline to replenish, and because president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski is on the hook for dealing those prospects (and getting stars such as Craig Kimbrel and Chris Sale) and swelling the payroll to No. 1 in the majors (about $230 million).
The good news is Hanley Ramirez and his $20 million-plus salary vanishes after this season. But so does Kimbrel’s. David Price can opt out, which Boston fans may see as a positive. Nevertheless, if he stays it means he probably did not perform well and is weighing down payroll, and if he leaves it would be the same offseason when Drew Pomeranz can depart, a season before Sale and Rick Porcello can at a time when the Red Sox are not blessed with well-regarded starting prospects on the come
J.D. Martinez can opt out after next season, the same point that Xander Bogaerts is due to be a free agent. Thus, the clock may be 2018-19 for the Red Sox to win it all under Dombrowski.
2. ASTROS
They are defending champs and look to have the best 25-man roster going right now. Their system remains strong, but not as good as in recent years (No. 10 by Baseball America), and their No. 1 prospect, righty Forrest Whitley, was recently banned 50 games for failing minor league drug protocols.
That is vital because fourfifths of Houston’s rotation are free agents after this season (Dallas Keuchel, Charlie Morton) or next (Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander). Valuable, versatile Marwin Gonzalez is also free after this season.
Most noteworthy is that AL MVP Jose Altuve, who has been working on arguably the most team-friendly deal in the sport (six years, $25.5 million), is free after next season — and in recent years Scott Boras has corraled Altuve, Gonzalez and Keuchel as clients.
3. NATIONALS
This franchise has never won a championship. It has won the NL East four times in the past six seasons without ever winning a playoff round. Tick-tock. Bryce Harper is a free agent after this season — as are Daniel Murphy, Gio Gonzalez and Ryan Madson. Anthony Rendon is free after 2019 as are Tanner Roark and Sean Doolittle. Harper, Gonzalez and Rendon are repped by Boras — you might see who will be controlling much of the top of the market the next few years.
4. ROCKIES
Because they play at Coors Field, there is a sense the Rockies have a powerhouse offense. That is not particularly true. They do have a good core in Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon and D.J. Lemahieu. Blackmon and Lemahieu are free after 2018, Arenado — one of the five best overall players in the game — is free after 2019.
Colorado made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2009. There is pressure to keep the good times going. The Rockies have the future payroll space to make Arenado one of the highest-paid players ever. But will Arenado want to seek a franchise with a) a greater history of serial contention and b) a place where his popularity will rise?
5. DIAMONDBACKS
They are a bit the 1A version of the Rockies — making the playoffs for the first time since 2011 last year and having their franchise face/player (Paul Goldschmidt) due for free agency after the 2019 campaign. The complication is the presence of Zack Greinke. More notably Greinke’s contract. He is making more than $31 million annually through 2021 — his age-37 season. One reason Arizona did not retain Martinez long term is that it might have been impossible for this franchise to pay Greinke, Martinez and Goldschmidt substantial dollars. Further complicating matters is that the second-highest-paid Diamondback is Yasmany Tomas, who has three years at $42.5 million remaining and no starting position on the team. Patrick Corbin and A.J. Pollock are entering their walk years.