Sox extend the pitcher or trade him?
ally are for real, however, then Pivetta will likely stick around through the end of the season. At that point it becomes a question of whether or not an extension is realistic.
Both sides have strong incentives to wait it out. Pivetta is going to be 32 at the start of next season, so this winter will probably be the best chance he ever gets to land a big multiyear contract that sets him and his family up for life. If he pitches well, he could potentially enter the winter as one of the top free agents on the market, so it would probably take a pretty enticing offer from the Red Sox to convince him not to test the waters. Nothing we’ve seen from the Red Sox over the past few years suggests the club will be willing to do that.
Maybe this is a cop out, but I think the answer to this question is neither. I suspect the Red Sox and Pivetta will strive to get the most out of their partnership this year, and once the dust settles in the fall both sides will assess the landscape and figure out their next move from there.
Does ownership pony up to extend Alex Cora? Would he stay if they did? — @ DorvidGoldy
Alex Cora occupies a fascinating place within the Red Sox organization. On one hand, ownership thought highly enough of Cora to not only publicly assure he’d remain manager following Chaim Bloom’s firing, but to include him in the search for the club’s new head of baseball operations. As a result, the new executive (Craig Breslow, it turned out) would take the job knowing he wouldn’t be able to install his own manager.
On the other hand, the Red Sox have allowed Cora to enter the final year of his contract without a long-term deal. He is effectively a lame duck, and by season’s end either side could determine they’d be better off parting ways.
Cora’s future with the franchise will be a cloud looming over the organization throughout the season, and the financial component is an important part of the story as well. Craig Counsell effectively reset the market for managers by signing a historic fiveyear, $40 million contract with the Chicago Cubs this offseason, a deal that made him the highest-paid manager in history and will pay him $8 million a year. Cora, who is highly respected within the game and who has a World Series championship to his name, would no doubt command a similar deal, and if the Red Sox aren’t willing to give it to him, someone else will.
But let’s say the Red Sox do, would Cora take it? The manager has often expressed his appreciation to the franchise for giving him a second chance after his suspension stemming from the 2017 Houston Astros sign stealing scandal, and it’s clear he has a strong affinity for the city and close relationships with people throughout the organization. Those factors shouldn’t be discounted.
But the Red Sox also haven’t fielded a competitive roster the last two seasons and still appear to be in “build” mode. Given that Cora has admitted he doesn’t see himself managing 10 years from now, would he want to spend more of that time toiling on an extended rebuild, or would he prefer to take over a contender and try to get back into the World Series now?
I think at the end of the day the Red Sox and Cora will find a way to stick together, but it could ultimately come down to how this season plays out.
Why haven’t the Red Sox worn their blue alternate uniforms yet? And where is the Tim Wakefield patch?
This wasn’t actually a formal submission as much as it was a conversation I’ve had with some fans on Twitter this past week, but I figured it was worth addressing with the wider Herald audience as well. Basically, several observers recently noted that the Red Sox haven’t been wearing the new Tim Wakefield “49” patch on the seasonopening road trip, and also that the blue road alternate uniforms weren’t featured through the first week of games.
The second observation was particularly noteworthy given that amid Nike and Fanatics’ disastrous rollout of MLB’s new uniforms, several clubs haven’t received all of their alternate uniforms yet. The St. Louis Cardinals, for instance, reportedly won’t get either their Saturday home ivory or road blue alternates until possibly as late as June. Were the Red Sox experiencing similar problems?
I reached out to the team and was told by a club spokesperson that the Red Sox haven’t experienced any such delays and they’ve received all of their uniforms for the season. I was also told the plan is to debut the Wakefield patch at Tuesday’s home opener, when Wakefield and his wife Stacy will be honored as part of the pregame festivities. Presumably the patches will be worn throughout the season after that.
As far as why the blues have become less prominent, Cora indicated this past fall that they planned to introduce more structure with the uniforms this season compared to past years. Basically, the club will wear either their home whites or road grays on Sunday through Thursday, their red or blue alternates on Friday and the yellow City Connect uniforms at home on Saturdays.
The Red Sox have followed that blueprint so far, with the exception of last Friday in Seattle, when the Mariners wore their own blue alternates, which likely necessitated the Red Sox wear gray. Right on cue, the club debuted the blue alternates for Friday night’s game in Anaheim.
Now, let’s finish up with a real question, one I enjoyed answering far more than I should have.
In honor of WrestleMania 40, which Red Sox players would make good heel pro wrestlers? Who makes your list? — Ed H.
Man, what a great thought exercise. I don’t think there are any obvious candidates on this year’s team — besides maybe Josh Winckowski, who made himself a heel in Chicago after bagging on Wrigley Field a couple years back — but over the years the Red Sox have definitely had a few. Josh Beckett and John Lackey weren’t known for being warm and cuddly and David Price’s “I hold all the cards” promo after the 2018 World Series was straight out of a WWE script.
Those would be some of the popular choices, but after thinking way too long and hard about it I came up with an even better answer. The question is who would make a good heel pro wrestler, not necessarily who acted most like one, so by that standard I think there is one obvious candidate who stands head and shoulders above the rest.
David Ortiz.
What makes a good heel? Someone who is larger than life, dripping with charisma and, in many cases, an overwhelming physical presence. That’s Big Papi, and just because he’s worked babyface his entire Red Sox career doesn’t mean he wouldn’t make an incredible heel if he ever decided to make a late-career turn like Hulk Hogan at Bash at the Beach ’95.
Imagine, Ortiz shows up at Fenway Park sometime this season to a hero’s welcome, only to turn around and powerbomb Wally through a conspicuously placed table. Then he dramatically rips off his Red Sox jersey to reveal a Yankees shirt underneath and teams up with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez to form MLB’s new most dominant faction — the “Evil Empire.”
Fans would boo. Children would cry. But just like The Rock on this year’s road to WrestleMania, Ortiz’s appearances would become must-see TV. That’s the power of a great heel, and I think Ortiz could be one of the best if he ever felt compelled to change things up.