Boston Red Sox’s Ben Cherington in no hurry to resolve matters – MLB Update
Team management at Boston Red Sox is in no hurry to make an offer for free agents David Ortiz and Jonathan Papelbon. These views were expressed by general manager Ben Cherington, who added that he wants the free market to determine a tag price for both his
leading free agents.
It will be essential to clarify that all teams, irrespective of League, are allowed exclusive negotiations with their players before 12:01 am ET on Thursday, November 3.
Cherington faces a few tough challenges during the offseason, including the appointment of a manager for the team after Terry Francona resigned after the regular season. Boston crashed out of the regular season on the last day, failing to hold on to the
Wild Card advantage after having led the American League East for the major part of the season.
Ortiz and Papelbon played a crucial role in keeping the Red Sox in contention for the division title, but controversies in the dugout led to the team losing focus in the campaign and thus losing out after dominating the circuit.
Another deadline that looms Cherington is to reach an agreement on the compensation that Boston will receive for Theo Epstein, the former GM of Boston who moved to Chicago Cubs as President, before Tuesday, November 1. If a deal is not reached, MLB Commissioner
Bud Selig will step in and that possibility now seems inevitable.
Cherington said, "It's possible. We've always felt like that was a possibility," Cherington said. "As I think I mentioned in [my introductory] press conference, it's a difficult deal to work out. It's hard to quantify the value of Theo Epstein. I have an
idea of it, and Theo doesn't think he's worth as much as I do. We haven't been able to bridge that gap yet. It's possible we could. Both sides are comfortable with that outcome if it works that way."
The general manager added that both clubs have a good understanding and thus will do everything in good spirit. He continued that Ortiz and Papelbon have expressed their desire to continue playing for the Red Sox and it is up to management to decide how
to deal with them.
With deadlines looming, it will be interesting to see how things shape up.
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