The 2013 Boston Red Sox were characterized by their chemistry and team-first mentality. They were probably not the most talented team in baseball. Actually, they definitely were not the most talented team in baseball. They caught lightening in a bottle and won a World Series a few years before they were expected to be a championship contender. However, can a team have continued success relying on chemistry to win ball games, especially when the players may not actually be as team-oriented as they like you to believe?
In 2012, Designated Hitter David Ortiz stated that all he wanted was a two-year deal with the same salary he was currently making. Following the 2012 season, the Boston Red Sox gave Ortiz that multi-year deal. However, after playing through his first year of that two-year contract, Ortiz has yet again started to complain about his contract. Not only does Ortiz want another year, he is now expressing his desire to make $20 million per year, a $5 million raise. The only reason for Big Papi to be pursuing another year would be the fact that he believes he is nearing the end of his career and looking to get a free year out of it. If he has another good year, the Red Sox would absolutely bring him back. They want him back and he wants to be back. In addition to the mutual desire for Ortiz to stay in Boston, there is not much of a market for the slugger. There would be a maximum of 14 other teams that would be interested in Big Papi. Of those 14, many of them already have at least one designated hitter on their roster. In the Yankees’ case, they have five. Furthermore, many teams prefer to have flexibility at the designated hitter spot, like the Yankees do, than to have a player who is limited to just hitting. Ortiz said he felt “disrespected” that people believe he is greedy and only wants to talk about his contract. He should not feel disrespected, and he knows that. I am willing to guarantee he does not feel disrespected; he just wants to see how far he can push the Red Sox. He knows that if he goes public, the majority of the fans will be putting pressure on the front office to give their beloved Ortiz what he wants. Why else would he go public? It makes him look like a fool. There are no haters, David, we just do not like the constant bickering about your contract. Yes, he puts on the leadership and team-first face when he wants to, but his main concern right now is his contract, and he would be more respected if kept it to the privacy of Fenway instead of going straight to the media. And to counter Ortiz’s comment about only wanting to talk about his contract, I know that is not true. He also wants to talk about his stats. While Ortiz demands another year, Jon Lester has also spoken on his contract status. At the Boston Baseball Writers’ Association of America awards dinner, Lester stated that he wanted “to be here until they rip this jersey off my back.” He went on to say, “it’s like Pedey. He left a lot of money on the table to stay here…I understand that to stay here, you’re not going to get a free-agent deal.” During the 2013 season, Dustin Pedroia agreed to an eight year, $110 million deal, a deal that will exceed $15 million per year only once. Lester’s original comments made it seem as though he would be willing to take well below market value, like Pedroia, to stay in Boston. In an interview with WBZ’s Dan Roche, Lester took a step back from his hometown discount comments by saying, “everybody’s hometown discount is a little bit different” and that “mentally you have to prepare yourself for [walking away] as a possibility.” So much for wanting to be here until we ripped the jersey off his back. During the interview, there were a few numbers thrown around; the only number Lester said was $23 million, making it seem as though that is what he is looking for. Last week on CBS Radio’s “Felger and Massarotti,” Roche said he believes Lester will be looking for a seven-year deal worth around $150 million. That does not sound like a hometown discount to me; that would make him one of the ten richest pitchers in baseball. Is Lester a top ten pitcher in the Major Leagues? Absolutely not. Lester is not even an ace. In an eight-year career, the lefty has won 16 or more games only twice. Lester has been heralded as a postseason pitcher, but you do not pay $25 million per year for postseason games, something that you are not even guaranteed to reach. In reality, there is even an argument to be made about how good of a postseason pitcher Lester really is. He pitched well in the 2007 World Series and the entire 2013 playoffs; however, Lester was miserable in the 2008 playoffs and only mediocre in his only playoff start in 2009. Lester’s contract rumblings are not on the level of David Ortiz’s. I know that players are looking to get paid and I understand that; it is their career, how they make money. However, I do not like how he tells Red Sox Nation that he would be willing to take a hometown discount, and then mentions numbers comparable to the best in the game. One of the most egregious and selfish comments from this team had nothing to do with money or contracts and, ironically, it came from Mr. Team himself, Jonny Gomes. Right after the Red Sox had clinched their first World Series title at home in 95 years, Jonny Gomes had an interview with Ken Rosenthal in which he instructed the Fox Sports reporter what to ask him. He wanted Rosenthal to ask him about the team being 10-1 with Gomes starting in the postseason. That is as selfish as it gets. Jonny, the team went 10-1 with you starting, but you did not do much to help. Yes, you hit a big three-run home run in the World Series, but you only hit .167 in the playoffs. Baseball is absolutely a team sport, and yes, the Red Sox won with you in the lineup, but it was more the other players that had an affect on the games. He tooted his own horn even after having a dreadful time at the plate. Come on, Jonny. So, are the Red Sox really all that team oriented? No, they are not. The players want to do what is best for them. Will this be a downfall of the team? No, it will not be; they will still compete for another title. This is not 2012. Every team has players who are all about getting money or their personal stats, not everybody is like Dustin Pedroia. While all these things are irritating, they are all part of the game. Red Sox players are no different from the rest of the league. I am sick of hearing about how this team is different and they are all about the team. Yes, they have chemistry, but they are not as team-oriented as many like to believe.
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SAMUEL PERICOLOSam is a graduate of Assumption College where he studied History, Marketing, and Political Science and was a Co-Producer on a weekly sports talk television show. Archives
March 2018
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