Truck Day is less than a week away. Next Monday, the Boston Red Sox will pack up their gear and head south, with spring training starting on Feb. 11.
That’s when pitchers and catchers report for the start of the 2020 season. A day later they will hold their first workout, soon to be followed by the rest of the squad.
Can you remember a time there was this much uncertainty this close to the start of the season? Here we are, just days away from players taking the field in uniform, and we don’t know who will be managing this team.
Few leaks are coming out the front office of the Boston Red Sox since Chaim Bloom was installed last fall as the team’s chief baseball officer. The Red Sox are still seeking a manager as the start of spring training nears. AP Photo/Elise Amendola
For that matter, we don’t fully know who will be on this team. Late last week rumors kicked up again that the Red Sox were actively engaged in talks with multiple teams about moving 2018 MVP Mookie Betts. We all know he’s one of the best players in the game, but we also know that he’s entering the final year of his contract. And there’s been no talk about him signing any sort of long-term extension with Boston.
That makes sense. The Red Sox set course on this offseason by telling us they would be looking to lower their payroll below MLB’s Competitive Balance Tax threshold, meaning they’d need to slice about $20 million off the current roster to get there. Since principal owner John Henry set that as a goal last September the team has walked back from the statement a bit, explaining that they won’t trim salary just for the sake of saving money. The goal, ownership and management states, is to build a team that will be competitive for the coming years.
That’s probably why Betts hasn’t been moved yet. Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom is trying to get value for the superstar, or any other player he is dealing away. Getting below the CBT is good business. Some reports suggest the franchise could see a $100 million difference over the next few years if they can reset the luxury tax. But winning is still the best mission statement the Red Sox can set for themselves.
Winning would be tougher without Betts. That’s why the team would need to get talent in return if they were to deal him. The Los Angeles Dodgers – who have the money to spend and are still stinging after missing out on big-name free agents this winter – are an obvious trade partner. So are the San Diego Padres, who have built a good roster but are still missing star power and have their own albatross of a contract in the Wil Myers deal.
Bloom needs to make sure a Betts deal would help reset an organization that wiped out much of its farm system on the way to building a championship club in 2018. The development end of the Red Sox could take a further hit if they lose draft picks as the result of the ongoing MLB investigation into allegations of stealing signs electronically.
We’ve waited all offseason to see if Betts would be here in the spring. Now we’re waiting to see who will manage this team.
The Red Sox have remained remarkably quiet in their two-weeks old search for a field general. The Houston Astros have reportedly interviewed several candidates while the New York Mets have already replaced Carlos Beltran. Meantime, Bloom is working quietly on his plan to replace Alex Cora.
The fact that Bloom is handling this process with no publicity is a reminder that the Betts talks could lead to a deal, even at this late stage of the offseason. We are just getting a feel for how this baseball operations group works under Bloom, and it would seem at this point there are very few leaks in the front office.
For now, the silence of a very quiet offseason continues. That will change soon. It has to. The truck, and the 2020 baseball season, are almost ready to roll.
Tom Caron is a studio host for Red Sox broadcasts on NESN.
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