Boston Red Sox pursuing Josh Hamilton and Shane Victorino – MLB News
According to bostonherald.com, Boston Red Sox are pursuing Josh Hamilton for the upcoming season. Manager John Farrell and general manager Ben Cherington were reported to have a meeting with Hamilton on Monday afternoon, the source claimed.
In an interview, Cherington admitted that he had a face-to-face meeting with an unidentified player. It was later revealed by a Major League Baseball source that the unidentified player was “Josh Hamilton”.
The Red Sox had shown interest in former Texas Rangers’ outfielder as soon as the regular season ended. They had been monitoring the market before setting up a meeting.
Hamilton is one of the most productive hitters in the Majors right now. He averages 33 home-runs and 107 RBI’s over the last three seasons. However, due to his involvement in various personal issues, his demand has remained a bit low.
The Red Sox, who finished at the bottom of the American League East Division standings table last season, have been looking to add bats to their line-up for the last couple of weeks. Hamilton can provide them with some left handed power behind Mike Napoli
and Jonny Gomes. However, the Red Sox are likely to offer Hamilton a short team deal.
They are also worried about the outfielder Shane Victorino whose production level hit the lowest point in the past season. Some say that he was distracted by the looming free agency.
“He definitely started trying too hard,” Philadelphia Phillies’ manager Charlie Manuel told the Herald yesterday. “He’s always been what I call a high-energy, kind of nervous guy. He has nervous energy. I think (free agency) was on his mind. It was on his
mind too much.”
“I think he’ll do good,” Manuel said. “He had a real good career for us. He definitely played a part in what we’ve achieved, and once he got on the free agent market, he got a good deal.”
Multiple sources have confirmed that Red Sox are looking to sign a deal with him. However, it will be interesting to see if Victorino can find his lost from after agreeing to terms with the Red Sox.
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