2019 Predictions: MLB.com, MLB Radio Network, USA Today, The Sporting News, Baseball America

MLB.com

What does the 2019 season have in store? Will the Red Sox be able to repeat as World Series champions? Or will other American League powerhouses overtake Boston? Will the Dodgers again reign in the National League, or will one of a number of improved Senior Circuit teams capture the pennant?

We polled more than 50 experts from the MLB.com and MLB Network universe for predictions ...

AL East: Yankees 35, Red Sox 17 (Estimated based on "the Yanks garnered twice as many votes as the Red Sox")
AL Central: Cleveland 40, Twins 12
AL West: Astros 52
AL Wild Cards: Red Sox, Rays

NL East: Nationals 27, Phillies 25
NL Central: Cubs 19, Cardinals 17, Brewers 16
NL West: Dodgers 42, Rockies 11 (One extra vote in here?)
NL Wild Cards: Brewers, Phillies

AL Champions: Astros 27, Yankees 20, Red Sox 5
NL Champions: Dodgers 14, Nationals 12 (What about the other 26 votes?)
World Series champions: Astros 28, Yankees 15 (What about the other 9 votes?)

Also: "Should Los Angeles reach the World Series, it would mark only the fourth time in MLB history a club has gotten to the Fall Classic after losing the previous two years (also the 1909 Tigers, the 1913 Giants, and the 1923 Yankees, with the Yankees the only club to win on the third try)."

MLB Network Radio

AL East: Yankees 11, Red Sox 7
AL Central: Cleveland 13, Twins 5
AL West: Astros 18
AL Wild Cards: Red Sox 11, Yankees 6, Twins 5, Rays 4, Angels 4, Cleveland 3, Athletics 1, Mariners 1

NL East: Nationals 14, Phillies 3, Mets 1
NL Central: Cubs 11, Cardinals 5, Brewers 2
NL West: Dodgers 10, Rockies 8
NL Wild Cards: Phillies 8, Dodgers 6, Cardinals 6, Nationals 4, Rockies 4, Brewers 3, Cubs 2, Mets 2

AL Champions: Yankees 11, Astros 7
NL Champions: Nationals 6, Cubs 5, Rockies 3, Phillies 2, Dodgers 1, Cardinals 1
World Series champions: Yankees 10, Astros 6, Rockies 1, Phillies 1

USA Today

AL East: Yankees 5, Red Sox 2
AL Central: Cleveland 6, Twins 1
AL West: Astros 7
AL Wild Cards: Red Sox 5, Rays 4, Yankees 2, Angels 1, Twins 1, Cleveland 1

NL East: Phillies 4, Nationals 3
NL Central: Cubs 3, Cardinals 3, Brewers 1
NL West: Dodgers 7
NL Wild Cards: Cardinals 3, Nationals 2, Phillies 2, Atlanta 2, Brewers 2, Rockies 2, Cubs 1

AL Champions: Yankees 3, Astros 2, Red Sox 1, Cleveland 1
NL Champions: Nationals 3, Dodgers 2, Phillies 1, Cardinals 1
World Series Champions: Nationals 2, Dodgers 1, Astros 1, Cleveland 1, Cardinals 1, Yankees 1

AL MVP: Bregman 3, Trout 2, Stanton 2
NL MVP: Goldschmidt 3, Acuna 3, Bryant 1

AL Cy Young: Cole 3, Sale 2, Verlander 1, Kluber 1
NL Cy Young: Scherzer 3, deGrom 2, Nola 2

AL ROY: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 4, Eloy Jiminez 2, Jesus Luzardo 1
NL ROY: Victor Robles 5, Pete Alonso 1, Touki Toussaint 1

FiveThirtyEight

Here are the six teams that are given more than a 5% chance of winning the World Series:

          W-L    RunDiff   Win Div  Make PS  Win WS
Yankees  97-65     +147      47%      82%      13%
Red Sox  95-67     +131      39%      76%       9%

The Rays have a 12% chance of winning the AL East (which seems high).

The Sporting News

AL East: Yankees 9, Red Sox 4
AL Central: Cleveland 10, Twins 3
AL West: Astros 13
AL Wild Cards: Red Sox 6, Rays 3, Angels 3, Athletics 2, Yankees 2

NL East: Nationals 8, Phillies 4
NL Central: Cardinals 7, Brewers 3, Cubs 2
NL West: Dodgers 12
NL Wild Cards: Phillies 5, Cubs 4, Brewers 2, Atlanta 2, Rockies 1, Cardinals 1, Nationals 1

AL Champions: Yankees 6, Astros 4, Red Sox 2, Cleveland 1
NL Champions: Nationals 4, Cardinals 3, Cubs 2, Brewers 2, Phillies 1, Dodgers 1
World Series Champions: Yankees 4, Astros 2, Nationals 2, Red Sox 1, Phillies 1, Brewers 1, Dodgers 1

AL MVP: Trout 7, Judge 4, Bregman 1, Ramirez 1
NL MVP: Harper 3, Goldschmidt 2, Acuna 2, Aguilar 1, Arenado 1, Hoskins 1, Soto 1

AL Cy Young: Sale 6, Cole 3, Verlander 2, Kluber 1, Bauer 1
NL Cy Young: Scherzer 7, deGrom 2, Syndergaard 1, Flaherty 1

AL ROY: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 6, Eloy Jiminez 2, Yusei Kukuchi 1
NL ROY: Victor Robles 3, Pete Alonso 1, Nick Senzel 1, Chris Paddack 1

Baseball America

AL East: Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Blue Jays, Orioles
Other Divisions: Cleveland, Astros, Nationals, Cubs, Dodgers
Wild Cards: Red Sox, Angels, Atlanta, Brewers

World Series Champions

Teddy Cahill   - Red Sox over Dodgers in 4 games
Justin Coleman - Astros over Brewers in 6 games
J.J. Cooper    - Astros over Dodgers in 7 games
Carlos Collazo - Dodgers over Yankees in 7 games
Matt Eddy      - Dodgers over Astros in 6 games 
Josh Norris    - Dodgers over Astros in 6 games
Kyle Glaser    - Yankees over Cardinals in 6 games
Kegan Lowe     - Yankees over Nationals in 5 games

AL MVP Top 3: Trout, Betts, Bregman
NL MVP Top 3: Arenado, Acuna Jr., Rendon

AL Cy Young Top 3: Verlander, Sale, Cole
NL Cy Young Top 3: Scherzer, Nola, deGrom

AL ROY Top 3: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Eloy Jimenez, Yusei Kikuchi
NL ROY Top 3: Fernando Tatis Jr., Nick Senzel, Victor Robles

Red Sox

Team Strengths: The homegrown outfield of Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr. remains arguably baseball's best, while mashing designated hitter J.D. Martinez and every member of October's starting rotation return as well.

Team Weaknesses: The Red Sox's bullpen needed help from the starters to get through the postseason, and now setup man Joe Kelly and closer Craig Kimbrel departed as free agents. ...

What They Did About It: The Red Sox relied exclusively on minor signings to try improve their relief corps. Ryan Weber, Erasmo Ramirez and Carson Smith signed minor league deals, and Colten Brewer was acquired in a trade with the Padres. Jenrry Mejia, who was reinstated from his lifetime ban last summer and hasn't pitched in the majors since 2015, was to signed a minor league deal as well.

Final Outlook: The Red Sox's bullpen has a lot of questions marks, but with mostly every major contributor to the lineup and starting rotation back, the defending champions should return to the postseason.

Yankees

Team Strengths: Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Brett Gardner all return in an elite outfield group, with Jacoby Ellsbury and onetime top prospect Clint Frazier also available if they can prove they're past their injuries. The rotation received a boost with the trade for James Paxton and re-signing of J.A. Happ, and an elite bullpen became even better after Zack Britton re-signed and Adam Ottavino came aboard.

Team Weaknesses: At first base, Greg Bird continues to struggle to stay healthy and Luke Voit needs to prove last season wasn't a fluke. At third base, Miguel Andujar needs to improve his defense. Even so, the Yankees' weaknesses are stronger than nearly any other team's.

What They Did About It: The Yankees improved their overall infield depth with the signings of Troy Tulowitzki and DJ LeMahieu. In addition to helping the middle infield until Didi Gregorius returns, Tulowitzki and LeMahieu are capable of playing third base as well, allowing Andujar to shift to first base if Voit and Bird struggle.

Final Outlook: The Yankees took a 100-win team and made it stronger and deeper. The franchise's first World Series appearance since 2009 is in play.

Some People Never Learn

Jesus Christ, didn't anyone learn their lesson from last year?

Mike Lupica of MLB.com acknowledges that his (and his fellow writers') fanciful dreams of infinite home runs off the bats of Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge of the Yankees fizzled like month-old cola, but, undeterred, he promptly re-enlists in his fantasy world, telling himself that The Pinstriped Dong Show has simply been delayed by one year.

We were in the press box at The Trop on Opening Day of last season ...

The Yankees had beaten the Blue Jays, 6-1, and Giancarlo Stanton -- the new guy who had hit 59 home runs for the Marlins the year before -- had hit two on this day. [And thus was on pace for ... Lupica, fingers trembling, does some quick math ... 324 home runs!]

At the time, all of us were thinking the exact same thing: There was no telling how many he and Aaron Judge -- who had hit 52 long balls for the Yankees in 2017 -- were going to hit. ...

We really thought it possible that Judge might hit 100 homers between them [Does anyone edit this guy? Or maybe Judge is so awesome, he's really two people.], chase Mantle and Maris' 115 the way Mantle and Maris had chased Ruth. No one thought a number like that was out of reach. [You should get out more, Mike.]

They hit 65 between them. ...

So maybe Year 2 for the combination of Judge and Stanton is the Home Run Derby that we expected from them ...

All Rise Judge and Stanton were supposed to be the most fearsome 1-2 punch in the sport last season. Only J.D. Martinez, who hit 43 for the Red Sox, became a far more significant acquisition for them than Stanton was for the Yankees. He and Mookie Betts, the eventual AL MVP Award winner, became the 1-2 punch that the Yankees hoped that Judge and Stanton would be.

The Red Sox beat the Yankees out of the AL East title, beat them in the ALDS, then won it all. ...

Maybe the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium has just been delayed a year, to the New Year in baseball that begins on Thursday.

Check back in 365 days for Lupica's column: "Year 3 Of Judge-Stanton Combo May Be Historic".

2019 Predictions: Sports Illustrated, ESPN, NBC Sports, CBS Sports

Sports Illustrated

AL East: Yankees 7 votes, Red Sox 2
AL Central: Cleveland 8, Twins 1
AL West: Astros 9
AL Wild Cards: Red Sox 7, Rays 3, A's 3, Yankees 2, Twins 1, Angels (1

NL East: Nationals 7, Phillies 2
NL Central: Cubs 4, Brewers 3, Cardinals 2
NL West: Dodgers 9
NL Wild Cards: Phillies 6, Mets 4, Cardinals 3, Cubs 2, Brewers 1

AL Champions: Astros 5, Yankees 2, Red Sox 1, Cleveland 1
NL Champions: Nationals 4, Dodgers 2, Brewers 1, Phillies 1, Cubs 1
World Series Champions: Astros 4, Yankees 2, Dodgers 2, Phillies 1

AL MVP: Trout 5, Judge 2, Bregman 1, Ramirez 1
NL MVP: Arenado 3, Acuna 3, Soto 1, Harper 1, Rendon 1
AL Cy Young: Sale 3, Bauer 1, Snell 1, Clevinger 1, Cole 1, Berrios 1
NL Cy Young: Scherzer 3, deGrom 2, Nola 2, Buehler 1, freeland 1
AL ROY: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 4, Eloy Jimenez 3, Josh James 1 (one vote missing?)
NL ROY: Victor Robles 4, Pete Alonso 2, Fernando Tatís Jr. 1, Nick Senzel 1

Emma Baccellieri previews both the Yankees and Red Sox

Yankees

2018 finish: 100–62, lost in ALDS to Red Sox
2019 prediction: 99–63, First in AL East

Movin' On Up! ... Aaron Hicks ... finally put all the pieces together at the plate in an injury-marred half-season in 2017, and he matched this performance in an almost-but-not-quite-full-season in 2018. In 137 games last year, Hicks amassed 4.7 Baseball-Reference WAR, seventh-highest of any outfielder. ... Hicks just might be one of baseball's best leadoff hitters, and an entire year of solid play can cement that.

Sell! Brett Gardner's performance dipped last year after struggling to elevate the ball. The ensuing high groundball rate fueled his career-low 86 OPS+ over a full season. The 35-year-old should probably rebound some, but at this point, don't expect too much.

Appreciate This Man! Adam Ottavino stepped into the spotlight with a dazzling 2018, striking out more than a third of batters and logging a 2.43 ERA. ... Ottavino ditched his fourseam fastball for a sinker, which was a heavy contributing factor in his sudden success. ... Ottavino's January signing can be a true difference-maker. And, yes, he could definitely strike out Babe Ruth.

A Modest Proposal From Joe Sheehan: The Yankees spent the offseason bolstering their bench and their bullpen, so it was unfortunate that their first major injury of the season came to starting pitcher Luis Severino. Severino was shut down early in March with rotator cuff inflammation, and will be out until at least May. ... Severino is coming off the best two-year stretch of any homegrown Yankees starter since Chien-Ming Wang in 2006-07 ... He is the one irreplaceable Yankee, and until he's healthy, this team is second to the Red Sox in the AL East. ​

MLB.TV Rating: 9.2. You've got masterful slugging from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, vibrant youth in Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres, and first-class pitching from Luis Severino and James Paxton. Just like last year's Yankees, this club can be a bit hard to stomach for seasoned haters of the franchise: It's a Yankees team that's genuinely, seriously, undeniably likeable. They're not just good. They're fun, and that makes all the difference. Maybe you don't have to like them, but it sure is hard to hate them.

Keep an Eye Out for... ... Luis Cessa's strong spring has made him the frontrunner for a spot here after getting a brief showing in the big leagues in each of the last three seasons, mostly in the bullpen. But there are a few other options. There's Jonathan Loaisiga, considered one of the organization's top prospects, who showcased a strong breaking ball last season. Or maybe it's Domingo German, who's shown promise but is probably better suited for a role in the 'pen, given his struggle to develop a third pitch. ...

Scout's Takes - A rival scout analyzes the 2019 New York Yankees

What is the key question surrounding this team in 2019?

Starting pitching consistency would be the one big concern. CC Sabathia is 38, J.A. Happ is 36. James Paxton is a great acquisition if he stays healthy. Can Luis Severino repeat what he did last year?

Who is the most overrated player on the team?

Gary Sanchez. When I heard they wouldn't trade him for J.T. Realmuto, I was shocked, because Sanchez just seems to have lapses of focus defensively and gets into funks offensively. He's got an incredible tool package, but there's a lack of consistency. Second place is Giancarlo Stanton. He's an Adonis, but there are a lot of holes and a lot of streaks where there are some really, really bad at-bats. But when it's all said and done, on a club like that, his numbers fit really nicely.

Who is the most underrated player on the team?

Dellin Betances. When you dig into the numbers, he's been unhittable for four years now. He'll go two weeks without having five balls put in play hard. The other guy, on the offensive side, is Didi Gregorius. He brings so much positive energy. That's something that will be missed this year.

What young player(s) is/are on the cusp of stardom?

They've got three for me: Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres and Severino. Andujar has some glitches defensively which he's been working hard on. Severino's stuff is unhittable at times, but he gets into some funks. Torres I'd put a little bit ahead because he's the whole package. He was pretty consistent all year, plus his defense is so attractive. His power keeps getting better and his maturity at the plate will continue to get better.

What young player(s) is/are the biggest bust candidate(s)?

This is a guy I really like, but Greg Bird is kind of a shadow of what you thought he might be. I'm not seeing it. He's probably close to a thousand at-bats behind where he should be because of all of his injuries. He just doesn't seem to have the same rhythm or swing. It's a different look when you watch him now. Maybe the other would be Clint Frazier. I'm not a big fan of his. I think he's going to be an everyday guy, but not an impact guy.

Who gets the most out of his talent?

I have a man crush on Aaron Judge. He's my new hero. It’s about how he handles himself. He's talented, and he has a quiet leadership style where he does the right thing all the time. I think everybody on that team recognizes that. He's so big and strong. You want to rock the boat with that? I'm a huge fan of his.

Who gets the least out of his talent?

Sanchez. A lot of it is laziness and focus. He went and had a huge first year, and then all of a sudden, you saw the lazy, complacent guy.

Who has the nastiest stuff on the team?

Betances and Severino. When they're on, they can be unhittable. You can't get the barrel to the ball. It's high-octane velocity with late movement, hard breaking balls with late depth. It's tough to get the barrel to the ball when those two guys are on.

Who has the best baseball instincts/IQ?

Brett Gardner. He's a little grinder who's gotten so much out of his ability and continues to contribute. He's not afraid to hit with two strikes, he can steal a base, he can play centerfield still. I think that's why they re-signed him so quickly. He's a great leader; he's accountable for what he does everyday. I saw him coming through the minor leagues and I got him right, because he wasn't the most gifted guy, but I had him as at least an everyday guy whose makeup may make him an impact guy.

Whose batting practice makes your jaw drop?

It's must-see with Stanton, Judge and Sanchez. You go out there in Yankee Stadium, about 500 feet away [from home plate], and you might get hit.

Name two guys on this team that you would immediately trade for.

Judge and Severino.

Name the guy (or guys) on this team you would never want in your clubhouse.

Sanchez and Aroldis Chapman. He's very talented, but every year he gets into funks where he can't throw strikes. I guess he helped the Cubs win the World Series, but I don't know how much he really did. And he's had the off-field issues. He's good, but I wouldn't want him.

Whose effort could use a jolt?

Sanchez.

Who do you want at-bat or on the mound in a season-defining moment?

Aaron Judge. You're going to have to get him out, he's not going to get himself out. He does have some holes: his swing can get long at times and he can get into funks, but he's pretty patient. I was amazed at how good each at-bat was in the playoffs against Boston.

On the mound, probably Severino. Don't ask me why, because he shit the bed pretty bad the one year in the playoffs [the 2017 AL wild-card game], but he bounced back from that, and from everything I've heard about him, he has a tremendous focus to be great. I think with maturity, he's got a chance to be like Max Scherzer, that warrior guy, because he doesn't want to come out of games. A lot of starters now will happily give the ball to their manager. You can tell he's pissed when he's gonna come out.

Who don't you want in that situation?

On the mound it's Betances because of some of his funks. I think he's great in that seventh-inning bridge role where he's unhittable, but the later you get in the game, he might get excited. I hate to nail him on that, but I just don't think he's ever going to be a closer. With the way the game is now, though, he still has tremendous value. Their bullpen with him, a healthy Zack Britton, Chapman, Chad Green and Tommy Kahnle is going to be lights out this year.

On the hitter side, it'd be Sanchez. He gets himself out sometimes. You saw a lot of that last year. It was a tossup between him and Stanton. Stanton at times can give you some of the ugliest at-bats. He can just wave at three pitches like he doesn't even give a shit.

Which under-the-radar prospect/non-roster invitee could make a splash this season?

Jonathan Loaisiga is a guy who can come up if somebody gets hurt and be pretty dominant. He's fun to watch. He's got a plus curveball, a plus fastball, and he throws strikes.

Is the current manager one you would hire to run your club?

I'm an Aaron Boone fan, and I would hire him. I like him. I like the relationship he has with his players. He protects his guys. He's a baseball lifer. I think he's only going to get better the more he manages. He's still making mistakes, but I think he's going to learn from them and become more confident.

What is the ceiling for this team this year? What about the next three years?

Deep playoffs, possible World Series, times three. They've done a great job as an organization, they have depth to trade from, they have money to sign. They're in a great place.

Emptying the notebook:

... Troy Tulowitzki has lost a step, but I think a lot of that is trying to play under more control. He's been a very pleasant surprise. His swing looks better, and I really think he's got a 'fuck you Toronto, I'll show you I can still play' vibe about him ... They signed a great makeup kid in DJ LeMahieu, who's going to help them win a bunch of games. ... Masahiro Tanaka is a great pitcher ... He's going to win 13–14 games and have a couple of stinkers ... 

[Note: Man, that scout does not think much of Gary Sanchez!!]

Red Sox

2018 finish: 108-54, won World Series in five games over Dodgers
2019 prediction: 96-66, Second in AL East

Movin' On Up! Rafael Devers's first full season in the majors had plenty of rough patches. The young third baseman logged a pedestrian 94 OPS+ after struggling to draw walks and hit lefties. But Devers is just freshly 22 and already shown big-league patience, power (21 HRs in 2018) and an improved ability to hit southpaws. He'll likely master all of these traits by the time he's old enough to rent a car.

Sell!: Dustin Pedroia has finally made a return to gameplay in spring training—a good sign, after a knee injury kept him out for a chunk of 2017 and essentially all of 2018. Even if he manages to stay healthy for 2019, though, Pedroia is still a 35-year-old whose comeback attempt looks like a uphill battle.

Appreciate This Man! It's hard to stand out on a club so studded with stars; Jackie Bradley, Jr. might not do so even if he was able to consistently hit like he did during his breakout 2016 season. But the centerfielder is worth your attention for his defense alone. The human highlight reel regularly manages not only to make some seemingly impossible acrobatic catches, but to make them look smooth.

A Modest Proposal From Joe Sheehan: Last year, Xander Bogaerts broke out with a .288/.360/.522 season. This year, look 40 feet to Bogaerts's right for the next young Red Sox star. Devers was disappointing in 2017, posting a .298 OBP and playing poor defense at third base. Eduardo Nunez, no glove man himself, was chipping away at Devers's playing time in the second half. Still, Devers is just 22, younger than almost every player who got Rookie of the Year votes in the AL last season. When he hit the ball in the air, he averaged an exit velocity of 95.4 mph on his line drives and fly balls, in the top 50 among all hitters. His strikeout rate of 25% is just barely above average in today's game, and his walk rate of 6.6% is good for a player in his age-21 season. Devers will take a big step forward in 2019.

MLB.TV Rating: 9.1. They're the reigning World Series champions featuring Chris Sale's slider, J.D. Martinez's dingers and Mookie Betts' everything? Yeah. (Now included: Heightened drama in the later innings, courtesy of a bullpen that lost Craig Kimbrel and does not look fit for a team of this caliber.)

Keep an Eye Out for… Michael Chavis, one of the organization's top prospects, should be up this year at first or third, with the potential for plenty of power and plenty of strikeouts. ...

Scout's Takes - A rival scout analyzes the 2019 Boston Red Sox

What is the key question surrounding this team in 2019?

Who's gonna pitch the ninth? I think Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes are co-favorites here. Stuff-wise, it probably should be Barnes, but both are similar guys: They throw hard and have good offspeed but are unproven. Do they go out and spend a lot of money and re-sign Craig Kimbrel? If they did, they'd probably be the favorites in the league again, but it's a lot of money.

Who is the most overrated player on the team?

I don't think they have one.

Who is the most underrated player on the team?

Brock Holt's a good player. Other people look at him and see a utility guy. He's better than that. He'd be a starting second baseman for most clubs. He can hit good pitchers. He uses the whole field. He understands what pitchers are trying to do with him.

What young player(s) is/are on the cusp of stardom?

Rafael Devers is a good hitter. He's got power. He has to improve his footwork at third base. His hands are okay and he can get to most things.

What young player(s) is/are the biggest bust candidate(s)?

Christian Vázquez really hasn't made any offensive strides at all. He's always been a good defender, but he never got better offensively. He doesn't make enough contact and is easy to beat: just locate fastballs and throw him breaking stuff.

Who gets the most out of his talent?

The outfield as a group. They work hard at their craft. They're outstanding defenders, especially in Fenway, where it's very tough to play. J.D. Martinez plays it like Mike Greenwell used to—he's out there and does what he can, but he's not really a great outfielder—but the other three have basically got the whole thing covered.

Who has the nastiest stuff on the team?

Nathan Eovaldi's gas sets everything else up. Chris Sale's slider is incredible. It grinds like Steve Carlton's used to grind, like Randy Johnson's. It just keeps coming. It grinds right into the back foot of righthanders.

Who has the best baseball instincts/IQ?

Dustin Pedroia, but he's just starting back to playing. They'll ramp him up a little bit. He's an absolute tiger.

Whose batting practice makes your jaw drop?

Jackie Bradley Jr.'s, because nobody expects it. It's not because he hits it longer than anybody, it's because he's not supposed to be a power guy and he just mashes.

Name two guys on this team that you would immediately trade for.

Mookie Betts and Sale. Mookie is obvious: He works hard, he's a great talent, an all-around player, a clubhouse guy. I have concerns that they're not going to keep him. They'll offer him a ton and a half and he might take the money. Sale has electric stuff and electric commitment to his craft. He wears down a little bit, though.

Who do you want at-bat or on the mound in a season-defining moment?

Mookie steps up.

Who don't you want in that situation?

Right now, Rafael Devers, because he expands the zone, but he's going to get better. Going into last year it would definitely have been David Price, but he stepped up a little bit this year.

Which under-the-radar prospect/non-roster invitee could make a splash this season?

Darwinzon Hernandez. He's got some kind of arm, it's electric, but he's a puppy. Right now the only thing he can command is his fastball.He needs a lot of work, but it's in there, boy.

Is the current manager one that you would hire to run your club?

I give Alex Cora all the credit. He'd be at the top of the list. He's been there. He's played in the big leagues. He was not a great player himself, but he understands how to handle all kinds of guys. He's got a great feel for the ebb and flow of the clubhouse. In tough situations, Alex is never frantic.

What is the ceiling for the team this year? What about the next three years?

Win the whole thing. It's gonna depend on what they do in the ninth inning. If this were a seven-inning game, they'd win it again, but they have to figure out the eighth and ninth innings. Kimbrel is a huge loss, but Joe Kelly put up a lot of important innings for this club, too.

Emptying the notebook:

The core of the team is the outfield, obviously. Mookie Betts is probably the best player in the league. Jackie Bradley Jr. doesn't hit a lot of home runs, but has big power. He's a little like Ichiro — Ichiro could have hit 35 home runs a year if he wanted to, but then couldn't hit .350. ... I'm a big fan of Eduardo Nuñez. He knows how to win games. His numbers are never great, but he's an ideal utility guy. He knows his role, he can play a number of positions. He's what a winning team has to have on their bench.

ESPN:

AL East: Yankees 16 votes, Red Sox 14, Rays 1

AL Central: Cleveland 28, Twins 3
AL West: Astros 28, A's 2, Angels 1
AL Wild Cards: Red Sox 17, Yankees 12, Rays 9, Angels 7, A's 7, Twins 5, Astros 3, Cleveland 2

NL East: Nationals 13, Phillies 11, Atlanta 5, Mets 2
NL Central: Cubs 12, Brewers 10, Cardinals 9
NL West: Dodgers 24, Rockies 6, Padres 1
NL Wild Cards: Phillies 9, Nationals 9, Cardinals 8, Dodgers 7, Atlanta 7, Cubs 6, Brewers 6, Rockies 5, Mets 3, Padres 1, Reds 1

AL Champion: Astros 15, Yankees 7, Red Sox 5, A's 3, Cleveland 1
NL Champion: Dodgers 10, Nationals 6, Cardinals 4, Phillies 3, Brewers 3, Cubs 2, Atlanta 2, Rockies 1
World Series Champion: Astros 14, Dodgers 4, Yankees 4, Red Sox 3, Nationals 3, A's 2, Cardinals 1

MVPs, Cy Youngs and Rookies

AL MVP: Trout 12, Judge 6, Lindor 6, Bregman 2, Chapman 2, Betts 1, Correa 1, Stanton 1
NL MVP: Arenado 10, Goldschmidt 7, Acuna 4, Machado 3, Bryant 2, Harper 2, Bellinger 1, Rendon 1, Soto 1

AL Cy Young: Cole 10, Bauer 4, Sale 4, Snell 4, Verlander 4, Kluber 3, Berrios 1, Carrasco 1
NL Cy Young: Scherzer 18, deGrom 5, Nola 5, Darvish 1, Flaherty 1, Syndergaard 1

AL Rookie of the Year: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 19, Eloy Jimenez 8, Yusei Kikuchi 2, Jesus Luzardo 1, Forrest Whitley 1
NL Rookie of the Year: Victor Robles 15, Pete Alonso 5, Nick Senzel 5, Fernando Tatis Jr. 3, Francisco Mejia 1, Chris Paddack 1, Brendan Rodgers 1

David Schoenfield:

Most exciting outfield: Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox had the highest cumulative WAR from outfielders in 2018, at 18.6, edging the Brewers' 17.9 mark (the Yankees were a distant third at 13.7). There is the possibility that the Red Sox group fares even better, as there was a lot of optimism in Red Sox camp that Bradley is poised for his best season yet. In 2018, the batted-ball metrics suggest that Bradley hit into a lot of bad luck in the first half, when he hit .210 with a .265 BABIP. In the second half, with more normalized batted-ball results, he hit .269/.340/.487. He still struggled against lefties (.185 on the season), but look for him to repeat his 2016 numbers and boost his WAR by two or three.

NBC Sports

AL East: Yankees 7
AL Central: Cleveland 6, Twins 1
AL West: Astros 7
AL Wild Cards: Red Sox 7, Rays 3, Athletics 1, Twins 1, Angels 1, Cleveland 1

NL East: Nationals 3, Phillies 3, Atlanta 1
NL Central: Cubs 4, Cardinals 2, Brewers 1
NL West: Dodgers 5, Rockies 2
NL Wild Cards: Cardinals 3, Nationals 3, Dodgers 2, Phillies 2, Atlanta 2, Cubs 1, Brewers 1

AL Champions: Astros 4, Yankees 3
NL Champions: Nationals 4, Dodgers 1, Rockies 1, Cardinals 1
World Series Champions: Astros 3, Yankees 2, Dodgers 1, Nationals 1

AL MVP: Trout 5, Bregman 1, Correra 1
NL MVP: Arenado 3, Goldschmidt 2, Freeman 1, Harper 1

AL Cy Young: Sale 3, Cole 2, Verlander 1, Carrasco 1
NL Cy Young: Scherzer 2, Buehler 2, Nola 2, Taillon 1

Todd Dybas: "The Yankees are built for the modern game with bullpen pitching and multiple guys who could hit 40 homers."

Alex Pavlovic: "The World Series hangover is real, so expect the Yankees to pull away from the Red Sox."

Lou Merloni: "The Yankees won 100 games last year and have improved their biggest weakness ... The Red Sox are loaded but the bullpen will cost them the division ..."

Vinnie Duber: "The Yankees' lineup is going to hit about a million home runs ... The Red Sox are still a playoff lock in a top-heavy AL ..."

Tony Andracki: "[T]he Yankees somehow improved upon a 100-win team even without breaking the bank ... There's no way the Red Sox will miss the playoffs ..."

Corey Seidman: "I just think the Yankees have more than the Red Sox for the division ..."

[Note: A million home runs. Really? ... And the WS hangover is real. ... Oh, okay, Mr. Science.]

CBS Sports

AL East: Yankees 3, Red Sox 2
AL Central: Cleveland 4, Twins 1
AL West: Astros 5
AL Wild Cards: Red Sox 3, Athletics 2, Yankees 2, Rays 1, Twins 1, Angels 1

NL East: Nationals 4, Phillies 1
NL Central: Cardinals 3, Cubs 2
NL West: Dodgers 5
NL Wild Cards: Cubs 3, Phillies 3, Cardinals 2, Mets 1, Atlanta 1

AL Champions: Astros 3, Yankees 2
NL Champions: Nationals 3, Cubs 1, Dopdgers 1
World Series Champions: Astros 3, Yankees 2

AL MVP: Trout 2, Bregman 2, Judge 1
NL MVP: Goldschmidt 3, Acuna 1, Baez 1

AL Cy Young: Verlander 2, Sale 1, Cole 1, Kluber 1
NL Cy Young: Scherzer 4, Buehler 1

AL Rookie: Yusei Kikuchi 3, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2
NL Rookie: Victor Robles 3, Nick Senzel 1, Pete Alonso 1

AL Manager: Rocco Baldelli 3, Charlie Montoyo 1, Aaron Boone 1
NL Manager: Dave Martinez 4, Mike Shildt 1

AL Comeback Player: Byron Buxton 3, Miguel Cabrera 2
NL Comeback Player: Corey Seager 4, Yu Darvish 1

Radio Voices

WEEI's broadcaster pairings for the first month of the regular season:

March 28-April 7: Joe Castiglione (in his 37th year with the Red Sox) and Josh Lewin will call all the games on the season-opening 11-game road trip (4 at Mariners, 4 at Athletics, 3 at Diamondbacks).

April 9: Castiglione and Lou Merloni will call the season's first game at Fenway Park (vs Blue Jays).

April 11-17: Castiglione and Sean McDonough have the next seven games (1 vs Blue Jays, 4 vs Orioles, 2 at Yankees). Merloni will also be in the booth on April 11, 12, and 15.

April 19-30: Castiglione will be joined by Mario Impemba for 10 games (3 at Rays, 4 vs Tigers, 3 vs Rays). Merloni will join the booth on April 24. Castiglione is expected to miss about 18 games this year, the first one coming on Saturday, April 27. Impemba will call that game with either Merloni or Dale Arnold.

Boston's starting pitchers for the four-game series in Seattle: Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Rick Porcello. ... David Price will start in Oakland on Monday night.

Steve Pearce will begin the season on the injured list. Although Sam Travis will take Pearce's place on the 25-man roster, Brock Holt may see more time at first base.

Chad Finn, On The Boston Media's Deep-Seated Need For Chronic Negativity

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe wrote an essay on the Boston Red Sox for 2019's Baseball Prospectus Annual. It was republished at Deadspin.

It Shouldn't Be So Hard To Enjoy The Red Sox's Glory Days

The culture of Red Sox fandom was going to change for the so-much-better after the affirming events of October 2004. Hell yeah, it was. How could it not? Though so many sunny summers that inevitably chilled to anguished autumns during the franchise's 86-season World Series championship drought, the daydream of what life as a Boston baseball fan would be like if—no, when, for there was always at least a frayed thread of authentic hope—the Red Sox won a World Series was a constant one.

The years when all the Boston faithful had were dreams provided a vivid idea of what winning would be like, how catharsis and pure, life-changing joy would feel, before it finally and at last came to be. ... Also, we would definitely stop bitching about every minute thing that went wrong, or even hinted that it might. Man, were we ever master pre-bitchers. No more of that. ...

Yes sir, that's how it was supposed to go, those 15 years ago, after the 2004 Red Sox—a united, supremely talented, oblivious-to-pressure squad, or one possessing every attribute necessary to exorcise all perceived ghosts and lame narratives—showed us what a seemingly impossible dream looked like once fulfilled. It has not gone that way, despite three more Red Sox champions since, and eight more among New England's other major professional sports teams since the turn of the century. ...

As exasperating as it can be, and as much as we should be accountable for our own actions as fans, I should stop suggesting that this is entirely on a vocal, negative segment the fanbase because it is not entirely all their fault. It's the media culture that perpetrates it, shapes a bitter narrative, finds the negative needle in a haystack of positives, conjures some negative conjecture when there is no real negative to be found, and then processes into hot takes for easy consumption.

In retrospect, the '18 Red Sox played as close to a drama-free season of baseball excellence as there can be. They had the best record in spring training, sprinted out to a 17-2 regular-season start, never lost more than three games in a row, never won fewer than 15 games in a month, captured the American League East title by eight games, collected a franchise-record 108 regular season wins, and tore through the postseason, going 11-3 in the playoffs and World Series while wiping out the Yankees, Astros, and Dodgers along the way. ...

History will remember the 2018 Red Sox as one of the greatest teams ever. But few high-profile opinion makers in Boston—particularly in the aural cesspool that is sports radio—acknowledged it in real time. The most consistent talking points during the regular season weren't about Betts's all-around brilliance on a daily basis, rookie manager Alex Cora's charming candor and informed tactical boldness, or how J.D. Martinez was in every way the replacement for David Ortiz they so desperately lacked in 2017. No, they howled about Dave Dombrowski's checkered history of bullpen construction and his perceived failures to bolster the roster at the trade deadline. They told us time and time again that the regular season meant nothing, as if it were foolish and even wrong to enjoy the Red Sox' daily feats. ...

I've often thought David Ortiz is the best thing ever to happen to the Red Sox; he delivered the big hits that all the legends before him could not. But [David] Price, with his talent, defensiveness, flaws, and salary, might have been the greatest gift to happen to the Boston media. ... [I]t's the first time I can recall seeing a dominating team also have a scapegoat.

The sports radio banshees didn't care to acknowledge that the Red Sox were cutting a path to history for a simple reason: preaching misery is lucrative. Negativity is proven to earn massive ratings in sports radio's targeted men 25-54 demographic in Boston ...

A host on [one Boston] station said during the World Series that he's tired of hearing about Dave Roberts's history-altering steal in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. Two days after Mookie Betts—as admirable a person as he is a ballplayer—won the American League Most Valuable Player award, the same host was yelping that the Red Sox should trade him now because he could leave as a free agent after 2020. This show has been rated No. 1 in its time-slot for six consecutive years. ...

Sports radio brainwashes too many fans into believing optimism makes you a Pollyanna. Too many fans are willing to go along with it without any critical thinking. It's not just that they're chicken littles, telling you that the sky is falling. They tell you the sky was never that great, never especially bright or blue, in the first place. ...

In the final episode of the American version of The Office, the character Andy Bernard says, "I wish there was a way to tell you're in the good old days before you've actually left them." It's a sweet, sentimental line, but the reality is that there is a way to know—all it requires is a conscious effort and willingness to appreciate the good stuff as it is happening. I wish more Red Sox fans knew, or cared to do, this.

J.D. Martinez: "Anytime I See A Dog I Immediately Get Happy"

Anytime I see a dog I immediately get happy. It's instant. It's the only thing that makes me happy. I see a dog and I just want to go play with him and talk to him and treat him like he's a human.

J.D. Martinez

I've always loved dogs and I just love German shepherds. We had one growing up and [groundskeeper] Dave [Mellor] had told me they were breeding [his dogs] Drago and Lisle ... At first I held off because I was concerned about being able to take care of it during the season and things like that, and then I went up and visited them and Bronco, my puppy, he was the last one of the litter and the only one there, and I friggin' fell in love with the dog right when I saw him. ... I love playing with him and everything you get out of having a dog. ... If he was a person, he would definitely be a ballplayer. He's really athletic and if he sees a ball he's going psycho, and he knows kind of how to play catch, so he'll catch and toss it back to you and when we play catch. And he loves to run around, he's got a ton of energy.

Rick Porcello

Anytime I walk by Maverick [NESN's Mike Narracci's 7-month-old chocolate Lab], I've got to go and say hello and pet him and give him hugs. He reminds me so much of Tank [my own chocolate Lab] so being away from Tank for all of spring training hasn't been fun or easy ... Having Maverick around takes the blow off things. ... It's kind of cool being at home, Drago is always around. He's kind of like the team dog. He comes in the clubhouse and on the field and when he's out there, you see everyone go over to him and talk to him. And now this year, Maverick has been here, so it's good. Having a dog around, it's good for the soul.

Brock Holt

Drago has the nicest yard in New England:

Tony La Russa, a special assistant to Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, started the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) in 1990. ARF has roughly 200 volunteers and has rescued 40,000 animals. When La Russa managed the Cardinals, he would encourage the players bring their dogs to the park during spring training. And he would "have a litter bag and go clean up all the poop".

(Wait: Fenway Park uses coyote decoys to scare away geese??)

The Bullpen (Cora: "People Think We're Short On Pitching. We're Not.")

With Opening Day four days away, manager Alex Cora has decided who will fill the final three spots in the Red Sox's bullpen: Brandon Workman, Hector Velazquez, and Colten Brewer.

The other members of the eight-man pen are: Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Heath Hembree, Tyler Thornburg, and Brian Johnson.

The Red Sox sent Marcus Walden and Bobby Poyner to Pawtucket and Darwinzon Hernandez to Portland. Cora says Hernandez, ranked as Boston's #4 prospect by MLB Pipeline, likely will be with the big club at some point this summer..

He made it tough on us. ... This is a guy, we know at one point during the season, he's going to contribute. ... One thing we found out towards the end, that although the people outside our world think we're short on pitching, we're not, and we're going to be fine.

The other big question in camp - which of the three catchers (Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon, or Blake Swihart) would not make the team - was answered on Sunday when Leon was put on waivers. Leon is due to make almost $2.5 million this year, so the chances are good he will not be claimed. If that is the case, he could then be assigned to the minors, traded, or released outright. To avoid having to pay his entire salary, which becomes guaranteed on Thursday, the Red Sox will likely released him.

Steve Pearce injured his left calf more than a week ago and is recovering slowly. He may not be ready for Opening Day, but the team is not concerned.

This week:

Tonight: Red Sox vs Cubs in Mesa, Arizona, 9 PM: Rick Porcello makes his second spring start. The Cubs scored 24 runs on 27 hits on Sunday.

Tuesday: Red Sox vs Cubs in Mesa, Arizona, 3 PM: David Price, who has been ill and has not pitched since March 12, will start. He threw an extended bullpen session last Thursday.

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: Opening Day: Red Sox at Mariners, 7 PM (Chris Sale/Felix Hernandez): Mariners are 2-0, having beaten the Athletics 9-7 and 5-4 (12) last week in Tokyo.

Don't forget to enter this year's W-L contest.

Chris Sale Close To Signing Contract Extension (The Deal Is Done: 5/145)

Second Update: Sale pitched five shutout innings yesterday in his second and final spring start. His numbers: 9 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 13 strikeouts, 29 batters faced. ... He seems ready.

Update: The deal is done. Five years (2020-2024) and $145 million, with a possible opt-out after three years.

2020 - $30.0M
2021 - $30.0M
2022 - $30.0M
2023 - $27.5M
2024 - $27.5M

The Red Sox and Chris Sale are close to an agreement on a contract extension, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. Sale, who turns 30 years old on March 30, could be a free agent after this season.

ESPN's Jeff Passan tweeted that "league sources" tell him the deal "is likely to be in the five-year, $150 million range".

Sale makes his second and final spring training appearance tonight; he threw four shutout innings with seven strikeouts last Saturday.

In two years with the Red Sox, Sale has a 2.56 ERA in 59 starts and has averaged 1.9 walks and 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings. In 2017, Sale led the American League with 214.1 innings pitched, but threw only 158 innings last year, missing time in August and September.

Top 10 Career Home Run Leaders Since 1900, By Year

This is pretty awesome... Top 10 all time @mlb home run leaders since 1900 by year. pic.twitter.com/whDTWIdjGc

— Daren Willman (@darenw) March 18, 2019

Also: All of the players in baseball history with a higher career OPS+ than Mike Trout (175):

Babe Ruth     -  206
Ted Williams  -  190
Barry Bonds   -  182
Lou Gehrig    -  179

Mookie Turned Down A $200 Million Extension After The 2017 Season

After the 2017 season, the Red Sox offered Mookie Betts an eight-year, $200 million contract extension. Betts said no, thanks - and then went out and posted one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history, winning the American League MVP Award and leading Boston to a franchise-record 108 wins and a World Series championship.

On Wednesday, Betts said he does not "expect anything to happen until I'm a free agent" (after the 2020 season), but he also would not rule out the chance that he and the Red Sox would agree on a deal.

You should definitely keep your ears open and see what is said. But that doesn't mean you necessarily have to agree on or take whatever is given. Like I said, I love it here. I think this is great place to be to spend your career here. But that doesn't mean you should sell yourself short. I'm under no pressure to do anything. It's OK for two sides to disagree. It's perfectly fine. It's normal. Like I said, I've got two more years. I'm going to make the best of them. I've got to work on year one right here, go out and do my best to help the team win. Also next year, it's one of those things where it's all right to disagree.

Betts signed a $20 million deal for this season in his second year of arbitration eligibility.

The regular season began early on Wednesday morning - in Tokyo, as the Mariners beat the Athletics 9-7.

It's a good bet Blake Snell will not remain in a Rays uniform one second longer than he absolutely must. After leading the majors in ERA and winning the AL Cy Young Award, Snell received a raise of $5,500. (Snell also benefited from a $10,000 league-wide minimum salary hike.)

From Inside the Empire: The True Power Behind the New York Yankees, by Bob Klapisch and Paul Solotaroff, out next Tuesday:

[Brian] Cashman, like the three or four masters of his craft, is one part diplomat to two parts pickpocket. He can politely boost your watch and wallet and leave you thinking the heist was your idea. [Derek] Jeter's style, by contrast, is to dictate terms and expect you to glumly accept them. His first act after buying the Marlins was to pointlessly freeze out Stanton. ...

A thousand miles north, the Yankees looked on, appalled. "Derek's done a good job of pissing everyone off," said a member of the team's administration. "I'm sure the guys at MLB now are scratching their heads, thinking, 'What the fuck did we do by selecting him?'" ... [B]aseball's bosses got a celebrity who didn't seem to understand how relationships work at the executive level. ...

While Cashman insists that he liked Jeter as a player, it isn't entirely clear that he means it. ... Treated like a civic institution in New York — worshiped by the faithful ... and protected by the tabloid scolds who trolled other stars on Page Six — [Jeter] somehow remembered every slight and provocation. Jeter grew distant from writers who dared to notice that he couldn't get around on a good fastball. His initial coldness toward Alex Rodríguez was as stark as it was cruel: there was that graceless moment in 2006 when a routine pop fly somehow fell between them. Jeter, hands on hips, glared daggers at A-Rod, emasculating him on national TV. ...

Nonetheless, Jeter wanted to get paid like the player he'd been in his middle twenties. In the fall of 2010, he became a first-time free agent at the age of thirty-six. He'd had a bad year at the plate and a worse one in the field, but he demanded a max contract into his forties. Cashman pushed back, declining to bargain against himself. The terms he set and stuck to — $51 million for three years — pricked Jeter's damaged pride. "Jetes sent messages through his agent that we were fucking him when no one was willing to pay what we offered," says Cashman. "I'm like, 'How much higher do we have to be than highest?'" He invited Jeter and his agent, Casey Close, to go out and shop the deal. Jeter returned to the table smarting; no one had come close to the Yankees' bid. ... "At the meeting, Derek said, 'What other shortstop would you want playing here?' and I started rolling off names," says Cashman. "I got, like, three names down and Casey said, 'Stop, this isn't productive.'" ...

The Globe's 2019 Predictions

The Boston Globe's six baseball writers offer their predictions for 2019.

Two of the four writers who have the Red Sox in the ALCS also picked them to repeat as World Series champions. Only one of the six picked the Yankees to make it as far as the ALCS.

                      ALE  ALC  ALW  NLE  NLC  NLW  ALWC     NLWC     ALCS          NLCS          World Series
Alex Speier           BOS  CLE  HOU  WAS  CGI  LAD  NYY/TBR  NYM/SDP  CLE def. NYY  WAS def. LAD  Nationals
Peter Abraham         NYY  MIN  HOU  WAS  CHI  LAD  BOS/CLE  STL/PHI  BOS def. HOU  CHI def. PHI  Red Sox
Chad Finn             BOS  MIN  HOU  PHI  CHI  LAD  NYY/TBR  ATL/SDP  BOS def. HOU  CHI def. PHI  Red Sox
Tara Sullivan         BOS  CLE  HOU  WAS  CHI  LAD  NYY/OAK  NYM/SFG  HOU def. BOS  LAD def. CHI  Dodgers
Christopher L. Gasper NYY  CLE  HOU  NYM  CHI  LAD  BOS/MIN  WAS/MIL  CLE def. HOU  LAD def. CHI  Cleveland
Dan Shaughnessy       NYY  CLE  HOU  PHI  CHI  LAD  BOS/OAK  STL/SFG  HOU def. BOS  CHI def. LAD  Astros

Shaughnessy should have his face on a stamp, because he continues to mail it in. For the (approximately) 266th time since 2004, CHB asks: "What Happened To The Bad Old Days Of The Red Sox?" (no link; "sorry") ... The only people in New England who even remotely give a shit are Shaughnessy and a gaggle of Yankee fans.

Pedroia Will Start Season On Injured List; Sale To Start G1; Trout Signs 10/360 Extension

Manager Alex Cora hoped to have Dustin Pedroia at the top of the Red Sox's Opening Day lineup, but the 35-year-old second baseman will begin the regular season on the injured list. While Pedroia believes he would be ready by March 28, he understands the team's caution regarding his left knee.

No one has ever come back from something like this. They want me to make sure I follow the right steps to do that and make sure everyone is 100 percent confident that when I come back, I come back and stay back and not have any issues. ... If it's being smart for a week and we make sure I respond great to everything thrown at me, then it's a good decision. ... [I]t's probably a good thing. If this wasn't me and it was one of my teammates going through this, I'd be like, hey man, relax, take the extra week.

Manager Alex Cora announced that (no spoiler alert needed) Chris Sale will start on Opening Day in Seattle, giving him the honour of throwing Boston's final pitch of 2018 and the team's first pitch of 2019.

There are only six games remaining before Opening Day and the team's top three starters have each made only one spring start: Sale (4 IP), Rick Porcello (3 IP), and David Price (3 IP).

A slimmer Rafael Devers is batting .395 (with a .974 OPS) in 14 spring games. Cora challenged Devers to be in better shape this spring:

He made a commitment. He got a strength-and-conditioning coach in the Dominican, a nutritionist in the Dominican. He's doing the same thing here in Fort Myers, so he understands. You see the guys around him, how they go about their business, J.D., Mookie, Jackie, and you learn from them. He's only 22. Sometimes we take him for granted. He's still a kid, and he's still learning.

Mike Petriello (MLB.com) takes a look at the Red Sox's outfield trio of Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley, and Mookie Betts and compares them to the best outfields in baseball history. In Wins Above Replacement, the 2018 outfield ranked 15th all-time. The last outfield to have a higher WAR than the 2018 Red Sox was the 1990 Athletics - almost 30 years ago.

Also: Mike Trout has signed a 10-year, $360 million contract extension with the Angels. Coupled with the $66.5 million due over the next two seasons, Trout will make roughly $426.5 million by the end of the 2030 season. His average annual salary of $36 million will be the highest in professional sports. If anyone deserves the cash, it's Trout. He has more Wins Above Replacement through his age-26 season (64.3) than anyone in baseball history. Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Rogers Hornsby, and Alex Rodriguez round out the Top Five. Trout's career fWAR (64.7) is higher than the combined totals of Bryce Harper (30.7) and Manny Machado (30.2). Trout - in only eight seasons - is already among the Top 100 players in career WAR. He's an obvious Hall of Famer if he retired today. And he turned 27 last August.

I'm going to try extremely hard to not think about "free agent Mookie Betts" until I absolutely have to.

Everybody Loves A Contest #24: 2019 Red Sox W-L

Opening Day is less than two weeks away (Thursday, March 28), so it's time for this year's Red Sox W-L Contest!

The person who correctly guesses Boston's 2019 regular season W-L record will win a copy of Jason Novak's Baseball Epic: Famous and Forgotten Lives of the Dead Ball Era.

Coffee House Press, which will publish Baseball Epic in April (and generously provided the contest copy), describes the book as "an offbeat and witty history of the scrappy beginnings of modern baseball told in 101 sketches and 101 miniature biographies".

Contest entries must be emailed to me and include the following two items:

1. Predicted 2019 W-L record
2. Tiebreaker: Jackie Bradley's OPS

As always, the winning W-L prediction must be exact. The tiebreaker, if needed, will be the closest guess, either over or under.

Deadline: Wednesday, March 27, 11:59 PM (Boston time).

Good luck to everyone ... and fuck the Yankees.

MLB To Institute A Three-Batter Minimum For Pitchers, Starting In 2020

The Office of the Commissioner will implement an amended Official Baseball Rule 5.10(g) requiring that starting pitchers and relief pitchers must pitch to either a minimum of three batters or the end of a half-inning (with exceptions for incapacitating injury or illness). The Players Association has agreed that it will not grieve or otherwise challenge the Office of the Commissioner's implementation.

And so we begin sliding down the slippery slope.

Beginning with the 2020 season, Commissioner Rob Manfred has decided that - rather than have umpires enforce a rule that has existed in some form for almost 120 years - he would rather introduce new rules to limit a manager's strategy options, in the hopes of shaving a few minutes off the time of games.

The Players Union did not formally agree to the three-batter minimum rule, but it will not challenge MLB's plan to implement it in 2020.

For 2019, the commercial time between innings will be reduced by five seconds for local broadcasts and 25 seconds for national broadcasts. (A local broadcast won by the home team in nine innings will be at least 80 seconds shorter. What will I do with all that extra time?)

The maximum number of mound visits per team per game will be reduced from six to five and the waiver trade period will be eliminated. The All-Star Game will continue its slide into irrelevance. Every extra inning will begin with a runner on second base and players who have left the game will be allowed to re-enter as runners. While this only applies to an exhibition game, it is troubling that it has been introduced at all.

Also in 2020, rosters from Opening Day through August 31 will be expanded to 26 players (27 for doubleheaders). From September 1 through the end of the regular season, rosters will be 28 players. The number of pitchers a team can have on its active roster will be capped at a to-be-determined number.

A team will designate each of its players as a pitcher or a position player before that player's first day on the active roster. The designations cannot be changed during the season. Position players will not be allowed to pitch except in the following scenarios: (a) extra innings, (b) any game in which his team is losing or winning by more than six runs when he enters as a pitcher, and (c) if he is designated as a "Two-Way Player" (a player who has pitched at least 20 major league innings and has started at least 20 major league games as a position player or designated hitter (with at least three plate appearances in each of those games) in either the current or the prior season).

I do not have much to say about the big changes, except: I hate them, they are unnecessary, and I'm seriously wondering what year it will be when I say I am through with baseball.

What's Up With "The Mookie Snarl"?

Chad Jennings (The Athletic) talks to various Red Sox players about the Mookie Snarl.

Jennings writes that "if you watched his debut season with the Red Sox, you might have noticed it before Mookie himself ever did. ... [I]n moments of concentration, determination or occasionally celebration, Betts' upper lip will curl on the left side."

Mookie:

Nobody ever really said anything about it until, I think, 2014 when I got called up. I got some texts from my fam that was watching the game saying I snarled. That's when I became aware of it. ... If you told me to do it, I don't know how to do it. It just kind of happens. ... I'm assuming I've done it for a long time. I'm not aware of it, though. I guess it's like a concentration face? ... I didn't realize people paid that much attention to that kind of thing.

Brock Holt: "We've all tried to imitate it. But none of us can do it, so it's his deal."

Kynlee Betts, Mookie's daughter, seemed to be doing it when she was only one day old.

David Price:

I used to feel like every time I looked at Mookie, he was doing that. ... My wife said the same thing. And my wife's mom, the first time she saw Mookie, she was like, "Is his lip stuck? What's going on?"

Also: Knox Kelly (three-year-old son of former Red Sox and current Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly) was asked what his favourite team was. ... It's "Mookie Betts".

Dustin Pedroia's Debut Goes Well; Darwinzon Hernandez Adjusts, Continues Scoreless Inning Streak

Dustin Pedroia reached base in his lone plate appearance on Thursday, singling off the glove of the shortstop. He raced to second on a wild pitch and came around on Rafael Devers's double, Boston's only run in a 12-1 loss to the Twins.

The guys the last couple of days were like, "You better swing at the first pitch." I haven't seen a pitch in a game since May. I really wasn't going to swing at it, but I saw it up there and am like, "Might as well let it fly."

He swung and missed Kohl Stewart's 93-mph fastball, but later rapped a single.

I was more happy running around the bases and moving around. That was cool. ... You kind of have to be [confident in yourself], you know. ... If I'm not confident about it, it's not going to happen. ... I'm going to play good if I'm out there. That's the bottom line. The only thing holding me back is my knee. If we get that fine, I'll be good.

Pedroia had one fielding chance at second, a routine grounder that he fielded cleanly. Today, Pedroia said he felt "pretty good", reminding the media that his workday had extended beyond the two innings on the field.

While you were at Hooters eating clam chowder with no clams in it, I was still here.

Pedroia is scheduled to play tomorrow against the Mets.

Darwinzon Hernandez pitched three shutout innings this afternoon, but the Red Sox managed only two hits and lost to the Orioles 4-2. (Tzu-Wei Lin doubled in a run in the second inning and Eduardo Nunez singled in the sixth.)

Hernandez issued a walk and hit two batters in the first inning, but escaped trouble thanks to two strikeouts and a caught stealing. After a chat with catcher Christian Vazquez, Hernandez pitched a clean second and, after giving up a hit to start the third, got two ground balls for a force and a double play.

In the first inning, I was a little fast. My mechanics were a little off. When I came into the dugout, Christian Vazquez talked to me and so did the pitching coach. They told me [to] calm down and not be so fast. Thanks to those guys, I was able to lock in and control my tempo.

Manager Alex Cora was impressed:

He slowed down and his delivery was a lot cleaner in the second inning. For a young kid, he let the stuff play in the strike zone and did a good job. ... [H]e looks like he belongs.... This is a guy that is going to contribute. I'm not saying March 28 or in September; in between that, he's going to be a part of this and he's going to make an impact.

Hernandez has thrown seven shutout innings this spring, with four hits, four walks, and 10 strikeouts.

On Wednesday, Triston Casas, 19 years old and the Red Sox's first-round draft pick last year, took batting practice against Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, and Matt Barnes.

I saw 20 pitches, I swung at probably 12 or 13. I didn't make contact once. ... I'm not sure if [Sale] was just trying to groove the first one. But at first I was like, "Man, this doesn't look too bad." But then he brought the next one with a little two-seam grip and it almost hit my back hip, and I was like, "Oh, OK, now we're getting somewhere." Then he flipped me a slider, and I almost came out of my shoes taking it. ... Man, I've got a lot of work to do if I want to get to that level to be able to hit those guys. ... I'm definitely a little taken aback. 

Nick Northcut, a 19-year-old third baseman, was amazed by Eovaldi's splitter.

[Eovaldi] came right at us. The split, I don't know how guys pick that up. It just comes out of his hand, and it's literally like it just stops right in front of you and drops straight to the ground. I'd never seen a split-finger like that before. Ever.

Steven Wright Suspended For 80 Games After Testing Positive For GHRP-2

Steven Wright tested positive in the off-season for Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide 2 (GHRP-2), a performance-enhancing substance, and has been suspended by MLB for 80 games.

Wright said he found out about the positive test sometime after Christmas and filed an appeal. He told the Red Sox a suspension might be coming. Wright was told late on Tuesday night that his appeal was denied. He will be eligible to pitch for Boston on June 24 (but is ineligible for the postseason).

Wright started the 2018 season with a 15-game suspension after MLB investigated a heated argument between Wright and his wife.

I feel all right because I know the truth. And that's the biggest thing. I went through it last year, and it was hard last year because I'm a private guy, and all of a sudden my life goes public. With this, I know the truth, and people close to me know I wouldn't intentionally do this to try to get an upper hand. ...

I turned over everything. It was a pretty rigorous investigation as far as figuring out where it came from. I don't think it's from any of the doctors. I know for a fact it wasn't from the doctors. It somehow got in there, but it's such low levels that it could have come from anything.

Sean McAdam (Boston Sports Journal) wrote that the news "won't do much" to alter the Red Sox's pitching plans.

Wright underwent an arthroscopic procedure last November ... [and] wasn't going to be ready to start the season with the team. ...

Over the winter, Wright's name was mentioned a number of times by president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski as a potential late-inning bullpen candidate, but that never seemed realistic, given Wright's chronic unavailability for the last few seasons. ...

There are plenty of candidates for the bullpen spot and with Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez, the Sox have candidates to fill in as spot starters.

But the larger question might be Wright's future with the organization.

Schadenfreude 245 (A Continuing Series)

George A. King III, Post:

Luis Severino was stuffed into the Carl Pavano Memorial MRI tube before he could make his first exhibition start on Tuesday, and thanks to inflammation in his right rotator cuff, the Yankees ace won't be available to face the Orioles on Opening Day in The Bronx.

Eleven days into the spring-training schedule, the Yankees don't exactly know when Severino will reappear on a mound, which is uncomfortable.

While throwing in the bullpen before the Braves-Yankees game at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Tuesday, Severino unleashed his first slider of the day and felt something in right shoulder ...

Boone believed the MRI exam went well, but when your ace walks off a bullpen mound in early March and the test shows something wrong in the dreaded rotator-cuff area, there is a level of concern.

Bill Madden, Daily News:

The one area of vulnerability on this otherwise potentially deepest Yankee team in memory just got a little more vulnerable Tuesday when, after cracking off his first slider in his pre-game bullpen session, Luis Severino felt a sudden sharp pain in his shoulder.

It was enough for the burgeoning Yankee ace to turn to pitching coach Larry Rothschild and declare: "No Mas!" — his first spring training start abruptly cancelled.

From there, it was off to the nearby hospital for an MRI, which revealed inflammation, and nothing more the Yankees are at least acknowledging, in the rotator cuff. Just the same, it's the dreaded rotator cuff. ...

Tear or no tear, however, this is not good. ...

So the Yankee rotation to start the season is now down to three sure things: Masahiro Tanaka (who is always good for at least one trip to the disabled list), J.A. Happ and James Paxton. ...

[F]or the foreseeable future, the Yankees are going to be without the one player they could least afford to lose.

About that possible balance of power shift in the AL East? Not so fast.

Kristie Ackert, Daily News:

This will stretch the Yankees' starting pitching, already thin, to start the season.

The Bombers were already planning to start the season without CC Sabathia, who is behind in his preseason work because of offseason knee surgery and then a heart procedure this winter. Sabathia will also have to serve a five-game suspension for throwing a retaliatory pitch during a game at the Rays last September. ...

[The possible replacements] "are all guys who have come in throwing really well," Boone said. "I would throw Domingo into that, I would throw Loaisiga in that and (Tommy) Kahnle and Cessa ... we're really excited" ...

After a bout with right shoulder inflammation, Loaisiga struggled in five appearances out of the pen, pitching to a 10.80 ERA. ...

German started 14 games for the Yankees last season, posting a 5.57 ERA and a 1.331 WHIP. ...

Cessa made five starts last season going 1-4 with a 6.50 ERA, striking out 13 and walking seven in 18 innings pitched.

George A. King III, Post:

Aaron Hicks says his back is feeling better, but he doesn't know when he will return to the lineup.

The switch-hitting center fielder missed his second straight game Tuesday ... because of lower back discomfort. ...

"I've dealt with back pain before, but it wasn't like this" [said Hicks, who signed a seven-year, $70 million deal this winter].

Eno Sarris, The Athletic:

"They had me throw more breaking balls than I ever had before," [Sonny] Gray said of New York.

It's just they had him throwing the wrong breaking ball.

"I can't command my slider that well," the new Reds starter admitted. "I want to throw my slider in the dirt with two strikes, and that's about it. ... When I try to throw sliders for a strike, I get around it and it's just a shitty spinning pitch. ... I'm at 2-0 and I'm throwing a slider, and either I'm throwing a shitty slider in the zone, or I'm yanking it into the dirt and it's 3-0 and I'm screwed either way.

"They love sliders," he said of the Yankees. ... "[B]ut you might not realize how many shitty counts you're getting in while throwing all those sliders."

The MFY set a major league record last season by hitting 267 home runs last season.

Brett Gardner: "We're going to hit more this year."

Aaron Judge: "Oh, definitely. You get this whole team healthy, we're going to crush the record that we set last year."

Joel Sherman, Post:

Everyone knows the 2018 Yankees didn't win it all despite their prodigious power, and the champion Red Sox wielded a better all-around offense, with fewer strikeouts and a higher batting average.

Other off-season back pages:

Cora On Rodriguez: "He Needs To Get Better. I'm Going To Be Hard On Him."

Eduardo Rodriguez pitched into the seventh inning in only two of his 23 starts last year.

In five of six starts from May 15 to June 12, Rodriguez could not give the Red Sox six innings, but still threw between 98 and 110 pitches:

May  15 - 5.0 IP,  98 pitches
May  20 - 5.2 IP, 110 pitches
May  25 - 5.2 IP, 101 pitches
May  30 - 6.2 IP, 100 pitches
June  6 - 5.2 IP, 107 pitches
June 12 - 5.2 IP, 109 pitches
June 17 - 6.0 IP, 113 pitches

For several seasons, we have been told Rodriguez has amazing stuff - and there have been exciting flashes (17 scoreless innings last July before being sidelined with an injured ankle) - yet his starts are often frustrating. He would get ahead of batters, but then start nibbling around the edges of the strike zone, perhaps trying to be too fine, in the way that Daisuke Matsuzaka (and Jon Lester before him) used to do.

On Monday against the Mets, Rodriguez allowed three hits in two scoreless innings, with two strikeouts - a pretty bland spring line, really - but manager Alex Cora was not pleased:

There were two at-bats there, the one against (Amed) Rosario and the Dominic Smith one, there were two outs, Rosario, he got ahead right away and then it became a long at-bat, then Smith with two outs, a lefty, he falls behind on 3-0 count. For him to go deeper into games, he needs to attack guys. His stuff was good, he got some swings and misses but those are things we need to get better and he knows it. ... He needs to get better. The stuff is really good, we saw it, threw a slider to (Michael) Conforto, struck him out, swing and miss, good change-ups but we have to be more efficient.

In both innings, Rodriguez retired the first two batters, then gave up singles, one in the first and two in the second, before recording the third out. He needed 41 pitches to get through the two innings (25 strikes, 16 balls).

The next day, Cora elaborated:

[H]e knows what I expect out of him, what we want ... You push guys in different way. He knows I'm going to be hard on him because I know the ceiling. This guy, he's a stud. ... I'll keep pushing him to be great.

Nathan Eovaldi (like many pitchers) has suffered from the same issue:

I'd get ahead of guys, and I'd try to make that perfect pitch, and then I'd leave it up, and it's either a hit or it's a foul ball, (then another) foul ball, and then you end up working an 0-2 count on two pitches into an eight-pitch at-bat. That's something that just can't happen.

Dustin Pedroia is penciled in for his first spring game on Thursday (a game that will be broadcast by ESPN). "I feel good. I feel like I'm just preparing for another season. ... I don't want to get too excited."

Beast Mode

David Ortiz has a "good vibe" about the 2019 Red Sox:

I have an even better feeling this year than the feeling I had last year and I told you guys how good I felt about the ball club last year. You can see on the players' faces the experience that they went through during the playoffs, what they learned and how confident you feel about what you did. As a player I can tell you that plays a big role the following season. ...

Repeating is hard. But I also believe it depends on who comes on board and how tight you keep your ball club. Teams have a tendency to make moves. I also noticed last season, with the Houston Astros, that injuries play a big role with teams also. Everybody's healthy here, thank God. Everybody's good to go. Everybody's in unbelievable shape. That's not an issue here. So, why not? The confidence level is better than last year. They're in beast mode and it's beautiful. I love seeing it. ...

These guys are locked in. I was listening to their conversation [at the batting cages] for about half an hour. I didn't say anything. I just heard them talking about mechanics, hands, approach, and this and that. What that tells you is these guys are not trying to miss a beat. They're not trying to waste time. ... Mookie doesn't want to be good. He wants to be perfect. That's what makes him so good. That kid, I don't know if he learned a lot from me but I learned more from him. ... [J.D. Martinez is] the one who everybody getting tips from. He's a psychopath. This dude is at another level of being good and wanting to be better.

It's Going To Take A Lot Of Money To Keep Mookie Betts

Mookie Betts, when asked for his comments on Bryce Harper's 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies.

He deserves it — that and more. He's a great player, so good for him. ... We're all different players. We all have different things that are important. ... I'll just continue to worry about what's going on now.

WAR (Last Four Seasons)

               2015   2016   2017   2018    4-Year Total
Bryce Harper   10.0    1.5    4.7    1.3       17.5
Mookie Betts    5.9    9.7    6.4   10.9       32.9

Mookie is nine days older than Harper.

Fun Fact: When Harper receives his final paycheck from the Phillies in 2031, Bobby Bonilla will still be four years away from his final paycheck from the Mets!

In three games, Jackie Bradley is 6-for-8, with a double and two home runs giving him a (ho-hum) 2.375 OPS. ... Rafael Devers is 6-for-11. ... Three of Michael Chavez's four hits have been three-run homers. He has nine RBI in six games. .. Bryce Brentz has scored six runs in five games.

Alex Cora was asked what he has "learned about Boston, about baseball, about himself, as manager of the Red Sox that he didn't learn as a player with the Red Sox":

People in Boston actually listen to what the manager says. It's hard to detach yourself from the job. It's very hard. Anywhere you go, you have to answer for the team. ... When I was playing I was able to have dinner and ... relax. But it's there every time . . . every time . . . every time. We had expectations as players, but now, and I don’t know if it's me, or the territory, or the time, but it just seems the expectations are way high all the time. Non-stop. Non-stop. ...

I turn it [sports radio] on, yes, I turn it on. Sometimes I'll laugh and say, "Come on, man, that's not true." ... But I listen more now than I used to. I want to hear what's being said. I know how it works in this city. I know there are powerful voices in this city. It's not that I really care about what they say, but you want to have a pulse of what’s going on. I don't do it on a daily basis.

Jen McCaffrey, The Atlantic:

This time last year, Ryan​ Brasier​ hadn't even​ signed​ a minor-league deal​ with the​ Red​ Sox. ...

Over six relief appearances last spring, Brasier impressed enough that when the Red Sox needed an extra arm in July, they turned to the right-hander, who'd started the year on fire at Triple-A Pawtucket — with a 1.34 ERA over 34 appearances. Brasier had last pitched in the majors in 2013. The right-hander never returned to Pawtucket, solidifying Boston's bullpen over the summer with a 1.60 ERA in 34 appearances in one of the more unpredictable stories of last season.

Now, the Red Sox are searching for the next Ryan Brasier. His out-of-nowhere success lends credence to the notion that no reliever, no matter his path, should be dismissed.

The Salem Red Sox will have the first all-female broadcasting team in professional baseball history, with Melanie Newman joining Suzie Cool. Newman: "The timing could not have been more perfect; the ability to finally work with Suzie, after bonding over social media, the way most of us women in sports have ... The cherry on top is working in the farm system of the team that my family is rooted in." (Newman grew up as a Red Sox fan in Atlanta.) There are now eight women broadcasting in professional baseball.