Red Sox trio of aces to skip the World Baseball Classic
Rick Porcello, David Price and Chris Sale will all be in Fort Myers during the World Baseball Classic.
According to Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald, all three of the Boston Red Sox’ aces have chosen not to attend the tournament. Porcello had previously stated that he planned on skipping the event, leading Price and Sale to follow suit.
The news should be comforting to Red Sox fans that have seen the rotation thinned out in recent weeks. After trading Clay Buchholz and witnessing Eduardo Rodriguez suffer another injury, Sox fans across the nation should be applauding their star pitchers’ decisions. Sure, this move certainly hurts Jim Leyland and USA Baseball’s chances – but for those of us with a vested interest in the success of Sox, this is all positive.
It should be noted that each of the players made their decision on their own. Team president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, had this to say of his trio atop the rotation:
"“It really is up to them. They’re smart in their preparation, and I think those guys would only go if they felt they were ready to pitch at that level and ready to do so. So, no, it wouldn’t give me any hesitation in that regard (if they went).”"
There is an argument to be made that playing in the WBC does not provide a significantly heightened risk of injury. Players would, of course, be competing and playing daily in Spring Training. However, the extra preparation and training necessary to be ready for the tournament is a source of anxiety for many major league front offices.
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Then again, none of the teams can say that they’re opposed to the tournament outright. As Drellich notes, Dombrowski is well aware of the fact that all 30 MLB teams made a commitment to the Commissioner in support of the WBC. From a league perspective, the tournament is a great way to promote the game on a global scale. From a team’s perspective, it’s surely an unwanted risk.
Thankfully, the Red Sox’ exposure during the tournament will be limited. Xander Bogaerts (Netherlands) and Hanley Ramirez (Dominican Republic) are the only players committed to attending the 16-team tournament. That’s not to say that others couldn’t choose to attend down the road, but they’re the only ones that have made their desire to play public.
There is, of course, Eduardo Rodriguez, who had previously chosen to play for the Venezuelan national team before tweaking his right knee. The cause for concern has lessened since early reports on his situation came back positive, but the team should still seek to limit the strain he puts on his body before opening day.
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With the level of expectation placed on the 2017 Red Sox, there’s no doubt that management and the fans would prefer it if their entire roster were in Fort Myers to begin the season. While management can’t make their opinion known, the news that Porcello, Price and Sale will be going through their regular preparation instead of the WBC can only be painted in a positive light among Red Sox Nation.