Theo Hopes Sox And Cubbies Meet In Next World Series

(AP Photo)

Former Red Sox GM (and notorious Gorilla Suit devotee) Theo Epstein says he hopes his old (especially retiring David Ortiz) and his new team meet in the 2016 World Series. Since his Cubbies met in the 2015 NLCS, his end of the bargain could certainly be upheld. And, the upgrades to the Red Sox starting rotation, bullpen and outfield may have moved The Carmine Hose into serious post-season contentions. Said Epstein about Papi and the Sox, "I'm really rooting for him to put the cherry on top of a Hall of Fame career and to go out on top - well, to get to the World Series and hopefully the Cubs will be there, as well. I'm rooting for him. I'm proud of his entire career, how he's conducted himself and everything he's meant to this organization. He deserves a great year personally and for the club as a whole in his swan song." 

Red Sox On 'Blue Line' Of 'Baseball Transit Authority'

An imaginative idea by a Colorado baseball fan has resulted in the creation of the Baseball Transit Authority. Tyler Green, who characterizes himself as a "public transit enthusiast" came up with the "subway" concept. Says Green, "I like baseball. I like stadiums. I like maps. I really like transit. The result: the Baseball Transit Authority!" The Red Sox are the northern 'terminus' on the "Baltimore Chop" Blue Line—which directly connects with stops for the Yankees/Mets, Phillies, Nationals/Orioles, Braves, Rays and Marlins. Think of it as the "migration route" of Easterners during the Winter. Other lines are "Backdoor Slider" (yellow), "Warning Tracker" (red), "Short Hopper" (gray), "Seventh-Inning Stretcher" (green), "Mendoza Liner" (orange) and "Four Bagger" (purple). You can read more on the transit map and how the teams are connected HERE.

Red Sox Score Three Of The Top 25 MLB.Com Prospects

Three of the Top 25 Prospects in all of baseball—and four of the Top 100—are in the Boston Red Sox organization. On Friday night, MLB.com released their list of the Top 100 Prospects, which included the following Carmine Hosers in the Top 40: Yoan Moncada (#7); Rafael Devers (#17); Andrew Benintendi (#25); Anderson Espinoza (#39). You can see the full list HERE.

Los Angeles Re-Names Street For The Great Vin Scully

Vin Scully

The L.A. City Council voted unanimously to re-name a thoroughfare near Dodger Stadium for legendary broadcaster Vin Scully. The newly-named street (formerly Elysian Park Avenue) leads right into the stadium—which will have the new address of: 1000 Vin Scully Avenue. This is a right and fitting tribute for the 88-year old—who will be calling games for the last time in 2016. Anyone who has had access to the MLB TV package and listened to Scully do his solo play-by-play thing on a routine basis, knows that he is the best ever. Nobody even comes close. Even the tragic ending to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series was made more epic with Scully calling it. If we only had such an icon doing Red Sox games! The closest we ever came was the great Ned Martin. Good for the L.A. City Council!

Moncada Places 7th In Baseball Prospectus 100 Ranking

Red Sox second-base prospect Yoan Moncada is listed as seventh in the Baseball Prospectus ranking of the Top 100 Prospects in the sport. In fact, Boston has five players ranked in the first one-hundred. Third-base prospect Rafeal Devers is ranked 35th on the list, along with OF Andrew Benintendi (46), SP Anderson Espinoza (73) and SP Michael Kopech (98). Placing five prospects in the Top 100 is quite an achievement—representing 5% of the total (did you notice the quick ciphering we just did there?).

The Infamous 2012 Pizza Attack At Fenway Park

Sox And Robbie Ross, Jr. Agree On 1-Year, $1.25 M Deal

(USAToday Sports)

The Red Sox avoided arbitration and agreed with LHP Robbie Ross, Jr. on a one-year, $1.25 million contract—which could rise based on undisclosed incentives. The deal, however, is not guaranteed. The 26-year old Ross was pretty good last year—posting a 3.86 ERA over 60 2/3 innings (striking out 53 batters in 54 games). He was acquired from the Rangers for the (then) highly-touted Anthony Ranaudo (who had a 7.63 ERA last year for Texas). Ross will likely again be used to match up against lefties in mid- to-late-game situations. This is a solid, smart signing—making the 2016 bullpen even stronger.

"Big Tutor" David Ortiz Will School Hanley On DHing

(Getty Images)

Current Red Sox DH David Ortiz is more than willing to advise (potentially) future DH Hanley Ramirez about his possible 2017 role. Said Ortiz, "This year I'm going to talk to him about it and take him through things I normally like to do. In case it happens, he will be ready for it. I've got no problem showing my boy anything that I know." For his part, Ramirez was more than willing to take the DH tutelage of Big Papi. Over his career, Ramirez does have some DH experience (albeit limited to 25 games)—and he's hitting .316 with a .946 OPS.

Total MLB Salaries Will Approach Four Billion In 2016

The next time you start feeling sorry for some major-league baseball player, try to remember this story. According to current estimates, the total payroll of the 30 MLB teams will approach four billion dollars. Tell us again why this group of 'workers' needs a union? Just since this past November, teams have shelled out $2.4 billion in guaranteed money to just 99 free agents. The Dodgers and Evil Ones will have payrolls in excess of $200 million ($235M and $229M, respectively). Your 2016 Carmine Hose will slot in at #3 in overall payroll—with an estimated outlay of $197 million. Just keep rooting for the laundry—not necessarily the spoiled little rich boys who temporarily occupy that laundry.

Theo: Dombrowski And Red Sox Addressed Weaknesses

Cubs President Theo Epstein

Former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein was in town to participate in his annual "Business Of Baseball" round table and commented on the Red Sox off-season. Epstein feels that new honcho Dave Dombrowski (who happened to also be on the panel) and the team "really addressed their areas of weakness" over the Winter. Specifically, he cited the acquisition of free-agent David Price to fill the "Ace Void" and the trade for Craig Kimbrel to solidify the closer role. Epstein has already significantly re-vitalized the Cubbies—despite being swept by the Metropolitans last year in the NLCS.

Sox Will Don Tacky Red Uniforms This Spring Training

For those of us stodgy traditionalists, any uniforms that deviate from the classic Red Sox white (home) and gray (road) are a sacrilege. So, news that the team will be sporting hideous red uniforms and 'throwback' 1970s caps this Spring Training is just too much to bear. We do have to admit that the signature "road sign" patches designating either 'Florida' or 'Arizona' as the training venue are pretty cool (although way too big—especially on the caps). Anyway, this is just another example of MLB trying way too hard to be trendy. Bah, humbug, we say!

Moncada And Devers Top Sox 2016 MLB Prospect List

Second-baseman Yoan Moncada (#1) and third-baseman Rafael Devers (#2) top the list of Red Sox prospects in the latest ranking by MLB.com. LHP Brian Johnson ranks third on the list, while former Arkansas Razorback OF Andrew Benintendi comes in fourth. Moncada has been pegged as the top second base prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com, while Devers was tabbed as the number two third base prospect in the sport. You can view the full list of the Top 30 Red Sox prospects HERE.

RHP Joe Kelly Got A 'No-Trade' Call From John Farrell

(MLB.Com Photo)

Red Sox right-handed pitcher Joe Kelly was a hot topic over the winter—"hot" in the sense that he was mentioned in a lot of potential trades. His second-half performances in 2015 were indicative of how good he could be—with perhaps the best pure stuff and hardest fastball on the entire staff. Nevertheless, it was touch-and-go for the 27-year old in terms if whether he would be staying in Carmine Hose or not. In a podcast with WEEI.com's Rob Bradford, we learn that his angst was relieved by a phone call from manager John Farrell. Kelly says, "I got a call from John Farrell and he told me I wasn't going anywhere. He said he knew my name was being thrown out there and that was just from other clubs, throwing my name out there to see what fish would bite". And, in a not-so-subtle dig at his former employers, Kelly went on, "I didn't get that phone call from the GM or the coach from the St. Louis Cardinals before I got traded (to Boston). It just happened out of the blue." Hmm.

Breslow May Catch On Somewhere As Depth Starter

(FenwayNation Photo)

Former Red Sox lefty Craig Breslow (perhaps the highest IQ Boston hurler ever) is beginning to draw interest from teams as a potential starter. Breslow pitched well in two late-season starts for The Carmine Hose in 2015. According to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford, several clubs have been attracted to the dual role capability of Breslow—out of the 'pen and in the rotation. Breslow was FenwayNation's 2013 recipient of the 'First Citizen' Award—for service to the Greater Boston community.We hope the Yale grad catches on with someone soon and has a productive 2016 season.

Red Sox Re-Up Relationship With Greenville Drive (A)

The Red Sox announced that they have renewed their player development agreement with the Greenville Drive through 2020.  The Drive have been the Class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox since 2005 and are a member of the South Atlantic League. Since 2006, the Drive have played their games in downtown Greenville at Fluor Field. Notable Red Sox prospects on the Greenville roster are Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers and Yoan Moncada.

MLB.COM Ranks Devers As Number Two 3B Prospect

Yet another blue-chip prospect in the Red Sox organization is being ranked highly by MLB.com. After placing Yoan Moncada as the #1 second base prospect in baseball, the influential site has pegged Rafael Devers as the number two third base prospect. The 18-year old Devers—signed out of the Dominican Republic for $1.5 million—lived up to the hype in 2015 in the Class A South Atlantic League. He ranked second in that circuit in both doubles and total bases. Yet another quickly rising star in the Red Sox system.

MLB.COM Names Moncada Top Second Base Prospect

MLB.com has named Red Sox prospect Yoan Moncada as number one at the second base position in all of baseball. Boston spent a total of $63 million to nab the Cuban infielder, who hit his stride in the second half of 2015. The 20-year old Moncada ended up hitting .278 with a .380 on-base percentage for Greenville—Boston's Low-A affiliate in the South Atlantic League. While Dustin Pedroia is likely to man second base for many more years, Moncada is clearly not that far off from potential stardom somewhere on the diamond. Don't forget, Mookie Betts was once a 2B prospect.

Don Orsillo References Tito's "Slight" In Award Speech

(@PawSox Photo)

One of the highlights of the last Thursday night's baseball writers dinner in Boston was the "Good Guy" award given to former Red Sox play-by-play man Don Orsillo. The new Padre broadcaster took the opportunity to further tweak his long-time buddy (and antagonist) Terry Francona. After thanking multiple people for helping him through his firing (including former Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino and Yankee manager Joe Girardi), he mentioned these "kind" words passed along by the Indians manager: "I’m shocked that it took 15 years to figure out that you sucked." Hey, what are friends for?

FenwayNation's 2016 Calendar Now On Sale—20% Off!

Since we're almost one-twelfth through the new year, we've decided to give our readers a break on the dazzling 2016 FenwayNation Calendar. The price has just been reduced, going from $14.99 to $11.99—a whopping 20% discount! That saves you three bucks—enough to buy just over half of a Fenway Frank (which would set you back $2.63). So, go ahead and stock up on the calendar—which has exclusive FenwayNation photos on each month's page. You can order the discounted calendar HERE.

Christian Vazquez: "I'll Be 100%" At Spring Training

Christian Vazquez

OK, so 'Poutin' Manning has ruined your Wintah. Get over it. The Red Sox season is right around the corner. In fact in just over 15 days, the celebrated Equipment Truck will pull out of Yawkey Way headed for Fenway South. And, it looks as if the team may be facing a bit of a backstop conundrum. Christian Vazquez has proclaimed that he will be "100%" recovered from Tommy John surgery when camp opens on February 19th. So, that means we will have four healthy catchers at Spring Training: Vazquez, Blake Swihart, Andover High School's Ryan Hanigan and the immortal Ali "Cassius" Solis. The party line from Dave Dombrowski has been that Vazquez would be given time to regain his strength and skills at AAA this year. By the way, in case you've forgotten, Vazquez threw out over 50% of runners in 2014 and is called 'Mini-Yadi' after his idol Yadier Molina. So, the kid may force the brass' hand to make a decision on just who will don the "tools of ignorance" for The Carmine Hose in 2016. Stay tuned!

Brock Holt Pulls A 'Bourque', Gives Up #26 To Boggs

(MassLive.Com Photo)

It was reminiscent of Ray Bourque yielding his number 7 to Phil Esposito. On Friday, Brock Holt gave up his number 26 jersey to Wade Boggs. Instead of Bourque's number 77, Holt had his new number 12 underneath—but it was an apt gesture for the upcoming retirement of Red Sox number 26. The moment came at the Red Sox Town Hall Meeting at the Baseball Winter Weekend at Foxwoods. Boggs acknowledged that Fenway Park was "made" for him to hit in—as his late father had told him. Said The Chicken Man, "I played The Wall like a fiddle." Indeed he did. On May 26th, before a Thursday night game against the Colorado Rockies, the number 26 will take its place on the right field façade along with 1; 4; 6; 8; 9; 14; 27; 45; and 42. Congratulations, Boggsie!

B.U. May Sell Kenmore Building With Iconic CITGO Sign

So, you think John Silber was the worst thing to come out of Boston University? Think again! The Commonwealth Avenue institution (which houses more New Jersey residents than Newark) is planning to sell the Kenmore Square building on top of which rests the iconic CITGO sign. To paraphrase Boston's own Joseph N. Welch,  "At long last, B.U., have you left no sense of decency?" Extinguishing the former neon (and current LED) sign would be an affront to everything Boston. Here's what some B.U. flak had to say, "We’re going to leave it up to whatever the buyers feel they should do". What???!!! How dare they not require the new building owners to keep the sign's lease? This might just necessitate a grassroots movement to put B.U. in its place. Get ready, Nation!

Thirteen Years Ago Today, The Sox Signed David Ortiz

All In All, A Pretty Good Transaction

Somebody get Mayor Marty Walsh on the horn. We need him to designate January 22 as Wicked Good Red Sox Move Day in the city. Why? Because 13 years ago, on January 22, 2003, Boston signed 'Big Papi' David Ortiz to a free agent contract—off waivers from the Twinkies. Those of you in the Greater Minneapolis/St. Paul area, please stop reading right here. About a year before the Twins jettisoned Ortiz, David Srinivasan of the The Sporting News gave this scouting report: "Ortiz is a good major league hitter. If he gets a regular job as DH/first baseman, he could bat .275-.300 with 20-30 homers. He's young and he's got good power -- and he could develop excellent power because he's only 25 this season." Ya think? Anyway, many clutch hits and three World Series Championships later, this is still a good deal in our judgment. Nice move, Red Sox.

Don Orsillo Still Doesn't Know Why He's Not Still Here

Don Orsillo

Full disclosure. Even though Don Orsillo and FN's Editor-In-Chief are both Northeastern University grads, we were never huge fans of his broadcasting style. That said, his chemistry with the legendary Jerry Remy was—on most days— a pure delight. Some of the uncontrolled giggling (during key parts of games) was annoying, but, all in all, Orsillo was way above average on play-by-play. In our view, the manner in which the NOG cut him loose was despicable—especially from owners who claim to be so "sensitive" and politically-correct. In an interview with WEEI.com's Rob Bradford, Orsillo opened up on his departure. Said the new Padres announcer, "I think the realization that the job I loved so dearly and did for 15 years was coming to an end, and really trying to figure out why it happened. To this day, I really don’t know. So that part was really hard." Indeed. We wish him the best in Tijuana North.

Seth Meyers Explains It All In 'Boston Accent' Trailer

Assault Charges Dropped Against Aroldis Chapman

(AP Photo)

Aroldis Chapman was traded to The Evil Ones and—voilà—all domestic disturbance charges against him have been dropped by Florida prosecutors. Isn't that special? These are the same charges which—when they first came to light—torpedoed a "done" deal sending Chapman to the Dodgers. Chapman's 22-year old girlfriend had alleged that the Yankee pitcher "pushed and choked her". Chapman denied those charges but did admit that he later obtained a handgun and fired eight shots into a wall and window. Nice guy. New strategy for jerks—get traded to The Bronx Embalmers. You'll feel right at home there.

Winter Storm Jonas: 'Pouting Manning' Accumulations

See What FenwayNation Looked Like 10 Years Ago!

FenwayNation.COM was founded sixteen years ago this month. As part of our anniversary celebration, we will—from time to time—offer readers an opportunity to see what we looked like 'way back when'. Today, we send you ten years into the past—to January 26, 2006. Our hot topics were: the status of Coco Crisp trade talks with the Indians; a poll on the eventual outcome of "GorillaGate"; and an editorial on whether John Henry was fit to own The Carmine Hose. Fun stuff! Wow, did we really have such a lousy grasp of HTML? Yikes! You can see our main page from that day HERE.

Yankees Will Honor David Ortiz During Last Bronx Visit

(USAToday Photo)

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has announced that his team will honor retiring Red Sox DH David Ortiz during his final visit to the Bronx (September 27-29). Said the owner, "I am sure we’re going to do something. We have not formally, minute by minute, figured out exactly what we’re going to do yet. He’s a great player, great part of that franchise. Everything you like to see in a player." The tribute is not surprising, given all that Red Sox owners did during Derek Jeter's final trip to Fenway. It will certainly be interesting to see what the "parting gifts" are for Big Papi.

NESN Will Broadcast 16 Red Sox Spring Training Games

New England Sports Network (NESN) will broadcast 16 Red Sox Grapefruit League games in 2016. The schedule begins on February 29th with a double-header against the Northeastern University Huskies and another school located somewhere in Chestnut Hill. In a shocking departure from past years, there will be only two televised games against the Minnesota Twins. Al Franken could not be reached for comment. Other interesting televised tilts include: March 5th against The Evil Empire; March 12th against the Miami Marlins; March 15th against The Bronx Embalmers; March 20th against the Metropolitans; and two final games (April 1st and 2nd) in Toronto against the reigning AL East Champion Blue Jays.

POLL: 'Laser Show' Cements Lead As 'Franchise Face'

Final results to our latest FenwayNation Poll show that Dustin Pedroia is the clear choice to inherit the mantle of "Face Of The Red Sox Franchise" once David Ortiz retires. As the chart shows, 'The Muddy Chicken' pulls in a solid majority of the total vote (55%)—far ahead of second-place finisher Xander Bogaerts (22%) and third-place holder Mookie Betts (19%). Interestingly, Blake Swihart finished next on the list with 2%. The only players to receive less than one percent were: Jackie Bradley, Jr., Rusney Castillo, Hanley Ramirez and Christian Vazquez.

Red Sox 'Upgrades From Within' Should Spell Success

The Red Sox made a slew of offseason moves that will almost certainly improve the team's performance in 2016. Chief among these are: David Price, Craig Kimbrel, Carson Smith and Chris Young. But—at least according to August Fagerstrom of FanGraphs.com—it's improvement among returning members of the team that could bring the biggest boost in performance. In fact, FanGraphs states that Boston—along with the Washington Nationals—will enjoy the largest gains from roster returnees in all of baseball. Leading the pack for the "prodigal" Red Sox is Hanley Ramirez—with an expected extra WAR of +3.9. Not far behind is Pablo Sandoval with a +3.7 WAR increase, Rick Porcello with +1.9 increase, Dustin Pedroia with +0.8 jump and Rusney Castillo with +0.4 increase in WAR. If all of these projections come true, it's easy to see why FanGraphs sees The Carmine Hose coming in with a 92-win season in 2016.

Red Sox And Junichi Tazawa Agree On One-Year Deal

(Getty Images)

The Red Sox and reliever Junichi Tazawa avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.375 million contract. After the 2016 season, Tazawa will become a free agent. Given his uncharacteristically poor 2015, Boston was reticent to pledge any more "free agent" years to the right-hander—who will turn 30 this coming June. Given the efforts by Dave Dombrowski to significantly upgrade the Red Sox bullpen, manager John Farrell will not have to rely as heavily on Tazawa as in the past. Tazawa's burdensome workload was clearly affecting his performance as 2015 wore on.

MLB Caves On TV Streaming Case, Will Lower Fan Cost

Just before a landmark anti-trust case was heading to court, Major League Baseball caved in and agreed to settle a fan class-action suit over TV streaming. (see our earlier reporting on this case HERE). MLB announced that it will now offer single-team online streaming through MLB.tv for 23% less than the least expensive existing league-wide streaming options. The new $84.99 cost is a windfall for many fans who did not want to pay 'full boat' for games they didn't care about. Also, soon—and for an additional $10—fans who subscribe to local sports networks like NESN can watch some away team broadcasts that used to be blacked out. If the case had gone to trial— and MLB had lost—it could have revolutionized how fans watch baseball on TV (with teams making regional side deals all over the country).

Look For Mookie Betts To "Steal" The Show In 2016

(Getty Images)

The 2015 season was a breakout one for Mookie Betts. He was a revelation at his adopted outfield positions (for example, robbing Bryce Harper of a HR in the Fenway Opener), posted a solid .823 OPS as Boston's lead-off hitter and hit .291 with 18 HRs and 77 RBIs. He also featured 21 stolen bases. That last statistic is likely to improve in 2016—as the Red Sox aggressively unleash their young stars on the basepaths. With Dustin Pedroia hitting second and Xander Bogaerts in the three hole, Boston will have multiple opportunities to move lots of runners. Bogaerts, too, should be more daring this season—after swiping 10 bags in 2015. All in all, John Farrell's troops are likely to push the envelope with speed as they try to improve on the anemic run production of 2014-15. Mookie will probably be the leading edge of that effort.

POLL: 'Laser Show' Has Wide Lead As 'Franchise Face'

Further voting in our latest FenwayNation Poll shows that Dustin Pedroia has pulled out to a commanding lead as the readers' choice to be the new, Post-Papi 'Face Of the Franchise'. As the chart shows, a majority (53%) choose The Muddy Chicken as the new "face", followed distantly by Xander Bogaerts at 23% and Mookie Betts at 22%. A scant 1% each choose Eduardo Rodriguez and Hanley Ramirez. No votes were cast for Jackie Bradley, Jr., Rusney Castillo, Blake Swihart or Christian Vazquez. You can still vote in the poll HERE.

FN POLL: 'Muddy Chicken' Leads As 'Face of Franchise'

Early results to our latest FenwayNation Poll suggest that most readers think Dustin Pedroia will emerge as the new "Face Of The Franchise" once David Ortiz departs after the 2016 season. Of course, many fans already thought of Pedroia as the face of the team—which could have some impact on this vote. As the chart shows, a solid plurality (41%) pick The Laser Show, followed by Mookie Betts at 31% and Xander Bogaerts at 28%. None of the other six choices on the list have gotten any votes at all so far. You can still vote in this poll HERE.

FN POLL: New Face Of The Red Sox Franchise?

The New 'Face' Of The Red Sox Franchise
After Papi leaves, who'll be the new face of the franchise?	Mookie Betts Xander Bogaerts Jackie Bradley, Jr. Rusney Castillo Dustin Pedroia Hanley Ramirez Eduardo Rodriguez Blake Swihart Christian Vazquez
	Current Results

'Universal' Designated Hitter Could Arrive By '17 Season

Finally some rationality on the subject of the so-called "universal" DH. Since 1973, only the American League has allowed teams to use a real hitter in place of a pathetic pitcher in the bating order. The National League has resisted the logical change and suffered through debilitating pitcher injuries (Adam Wainwright, please step forward—if you can), hundreds of  thousands of useless at-bats, and unnaturally lower ERAs. Now, it seems that NL owners are seriously warming up to the idea of instituting the DH in the Senior Circuit. According to Cardinals GM John Mozeliak, there is increased "momentum" to go to the universal DH. Of course, the players' union would agree—with 15 new jobs opening up for older sluggers. And, the fans would finally have a sport with the same rules for everybody. With the CBA expiring after this year, 2017 could be the time to make the change. Just do it!

Are The Red Sox Interested In Signing David Freese?

David Freese

Nick Cafardo (of the Red Sox House Organ Boston Globe) is hinting that the team may have interest in free-agent third baseman David Freese. This, despite the fact that they are paying a King's Ransom to have Pablo Sandoval man the 'hot corner'. The theory is that Freese could be a back-up option (though not a strict platoon option) against left-handed pitchers. Of course, Freese is used to a more meaningful role than 'occasional sub'—so it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to bring him to Fenway. Anyway, stay tuned.

Tornado-Like Storm Slams Fenway South Security Booth

(News-Press.Com Photo)

Hopefully, it's not an omen for the 2016 season. Just a matter of weeks before the Red Sox open Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida, a tornado-force storm wiped out a team security booth at jetBlue Park in that city. The Red Sox moved to the so-called "Fenway South" complex in 2012, after vacating City Of Palms Park (also in Fort Myers), which was their Winter home from 1993-2011. The team's Director of Florida Operations stated, "We’re all good here. The cart was the only real thing that happened and we were planning to get rid of it anyway, so Mother Nature took care of it for us." Mother Nature could not be reached for comment.

Chris Davis Sweepstakes Over: O's Sign 1B For 7 Years

(AP Photo)

Forget about the Red Sox trading Hanley Ramirez and then signing Chris Davis to play first base. It was a nice pipe dream, but it just went up in smoke. The Orioles have signed Davis to a seven-year, $161 million contract. As recently as yesterday, reports suggested that former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette had become fed up with the Davis Soap Opera and was ready to move on. Not. The Orioles were also flitting around former Carmine Hoser Yoenis Cespedes—but they will likely drop out of that bidding now.

Red Sox Sign Joe Kelly To One-Year, $2.6M Contract

(AP Photo)

Right-handed starter Joe Kelly signed a one-year, $2.6 million contract with the Red Sox to avoid salary arbitration.That's a more than $600,000 raise from his 2015 salary. Kelly went 10-6 with a 4.82 ERA last season and will likely be the fifth starter in 2016—behind David Price, Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello and Eduardo Rodriguez. Of course, his best role might ultimately be in the bullpen—where his powerful stuff might actually be more effective in short stints.

Red Sox Pitchers Kelly, Ross, Tazawa File For Arbitration

Three Red Sox players have filed for salary arbitration—pitchers Joe Kelly, Robbie Ross and Junichi Tazawa. All three qualify for the arbitration process by having no more than six, but no less than three years of major-league service time. Confused yet? The team and the three will exchange figures today—but that may or may not bring about resolutions. Without agreement, hearings would be held in February. All three should see at least modest bumps from their 2015 salaries—with Tazawa likely getting the biggest boost.

Sox Are Early Leaders For AL Team Of The 21st Century

We are now 15 years into the 21st century. So far it pretty much stinks as centuries go—except for baseball. Your Carmine Hose have won three World Series Championships since 2001—exactly 20% of all available rings. Not bad. In fact, according to MLB.com columnist Mike Bauman, the Red Sox are leading the pack for American League Team Of The Century with 69 points. Bauman allocates ten points for a World Series championship, five for a league championship, and three for getting to a League Championship Series. Teams also get two points for winning a division and one point for reaching the postseason as a Wild Card. Finishing an ignominious second in the AL are The Bronx Embalmers—trailing Boston by 5 points. The Cardinals lead all teams with 83 points.

Ex-Red Sox OF Cespedes Offered 5-Year Deal By Orioles

(Photo By Icon Sportswire)

Yoenis Cespedes—who toiled in Carmine Hose for just 51 games in 2014—has been offered a five-year deal worth $75-$90 million by division rival Baltimore. During his brief stay in Boston, Cespedes hit .269 with 5 HRs, 33 RBIs—while slugging an impressive .604. He came to us in exchange for Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes and was traded to the Detroit Tigers (along with the talented Alex Wilson) for the immortal Rick Porcello. Can you say "bad trade"? Anyway, the Orioles' offer seems low for Cespedes—but the Birds might be desperate enough for offense to up the ante substantially. Stay tuned.

February 'Détente Dinner' In NYC With Sox And Empire

The Truth

We'll believe this when we see it. The Red Sox and Yankees will hold a so-called "Conversation with Baseball Rival Clubs" on February 11th in Baghdad-by-the-Hudson. Boston's chief honcho Dave Dombrowski will sit down at a table (the shape of which is undoubtedly being negotiated as we speak) with Empire honcho Brian Cashman at a "fund-raising" event that will feature a discussion of "the inner workings of baseball operations". Yeah, right. The event will benefit the foundations of both teams—so that's at least a good thing. It will take place at something called the 'New York Yankees Steakhouse' in mid-town Manhattan. Tickets are $150. We will not be attending (unless we get a free media pass, of course).

Red Sox Fan Ready To Dump Mantle/Maris Ball Again

(Photo By Ken Chowder)

A long-time Red Sox fan (now living in Copenhagen, Denmark) has had two chances at memorabilia immortality. In 1961, he was able to visit the New York Yankee home locker room and got a ball autographed by both Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. As any true Sox fan would, Ken Chowder (Glantz) used the ball to play catch with his brother—no special treatment needed. So, at age 19, he gave the "worthless" thing to his girlfriend's Dad. Fast forward 41 years. The Dad (now in his 90s) sends the ball back to Ken in The Land of Hamlet. Says Ken, "But the funny thing is that I’m still a Yankee hater.  I have kept the ball for the past 5 years, but I still don’t love Maris, Mantle, or the Yanks, and I’d like to sell it." And he will very soon—for at least $5,000. That will buy plenty of Fenway Franks.

Baseball America Dreams Up Wild Yoan Moncada Trade

Moncada (L); Matz (R)

We have a lot of respect for Baseball America—it's one of the most knowledgeable (and least pretentious) baseball resources around. But, a recent piece on hypothetical "prospect-for-prospect" trades had us scratching our collective head. BA's J.J. Cooper proposes a swap that would send blue-chip prospect Yoan Moncada to Flushing Meadows. The Red Sox have invested some serious change in Moncada (a total of $63 million) and see him as a future second baseman (his natural position) or a fleet outfielder. The kid has monster potential wherever he plays—he's that good. So, why would Dave Dombrowski ship him off for two Met prospects—even if the centerpiece is starting pitcher Steven Matz? Now, Matz (a LHP) is a premier young talent—but even with the "throw-in" of SS prospect Luis Carpio—this deal is way out-of-whack. Matz will be 25 years old in May and has just part of a year in the big leagues—albeit a solid year. In six starts for the Division-winning Metropolitans, he went 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA. But he seems "get-able" with a package of Sox prospects that are far less gold-encrusted than Moncada (who will turn just 21 in May). Interesting article—never happen.

Brennan Boesch Invited To Spring Training By Red Sox

Boesch

The Red Sox added some potential outfield depth by extending a Spring Training invitation to former Detroit Tiger Brennan Boesch. The 30-year-old has been languishing in the minors for a couple of years, but did have some semi-productive campaigns under Dave Dombrowski in The Motor City (three straight double-digit HR years). In six MLB seasons, Boesch is a .250 hitter, with 48 career home runs. Even worse, we think he might still be represented by Scott Boras.

Red Sox Pulling Out All The Stops On 2016 Promotions

The powers-that-be on Yawkey Way must be really worried about another "off" attendance year (as well they should be). Why else would they be offering fans an unprecedented number of "give-aways" during the upcoming season? It all starts with the David Ortiz "500 necklace" promotion on April 12th. Then you get: Mookie Betts Bobblehead Night (April 19th); David Price Bobblehead Night (May 10th); Ortiz 2013 Replica World Series Ring Night (May 24th); Jason Varitek Bobblehead Night (June 14th); Stars And Stripes Cap Night (July 5th); 'Pet Brock (Holt)' Night (July 19th); Ortiz Talking Bobblehead Night (August 9th); Xander Bogaerts Bobblehead Night (August 30th); and the mysterious "Fan Vote" T-Shirt giveaway (September 13th). Whew! Mark your calendars!

Schilling Bumped From Sunday to Monday By ESPN

(AP Photo)

It looks as if Curt Schilling's political views are hurting more than his Hall of Fame chances. ESPN announced that Schilling is being bumped off its Sunday Night Baseball broadcast to the Monday Night Baseball telecast. Jessica Mendoza will—essentially—replace Schilling in the booth. She will join Aaron 'F.' Boone as an analyst along with play-by-play man Dan Schulman. 'The Worldwide Leader' has obviously gone completely over the top on political correctness. Sad.