Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has played his last game
The fiery and fierce Dustin Pedroia manned second base for the Boston Red Sox on a daily basis from 2006-17. During that time, Pedroia won the 2007 Rookie of the Year, the 2008 AL MVP, multiple trips to the All-Star Game, and plenty of hardware to add to the trophy case.
A steady career came to a grinding halt when a dirty slide by then-Oriole Manny Machado derailed the remainder of Pedroia’s 2017. Since that time, Pedroia has managed to take the field just nine times between 2018-19, undergoing multiple surgeries in an attempt to correct his ailing knee. His long-awaited decision regarding this coming season as a player might be unveiled soon.
Unfortunately for both parties involved, Pedroia’s inability to take the field and his current contract situation have put the second baseman and the Red Sox in a tough spot. While an active roster spot on the 26-man roster is not an issue, Pedroia’s name still takes up a slot on the 40-man roster. This has time and time again proven to be an issue considering the team has seen numerous names who could prove serviceable come and go in favor of keeping Pedroia on the roster.
This is by no means reason to discredit Pedroia for his inability to take the field and Boston’s unwillingness to boot the longtime franchise icon from the team. Many negative comments have been thrown in Pedroia’s direction since his recurring injuries have cost him so much time. People have gone as far as to call him selfish for not retiring and leaving his guaranteed money for this upcoming season on the table. The contract extension was signed and the money owed to Pedroia was guaranteed. For the past three years, he did nothing but work as hard as possible to try to get into good physical shape to continue playing through the remainder of his contract.
Unfortunately, he has not had the success in making the comeback that his commitment to the Red Sox franchise should reflect. Per The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham, his playing days for the Red Sox are almost certainly behind him.
Did some checking. Pedroia is not planning a comeback and a resolution could come this month. Given Dustin's status, they'll want to do this correctly Also fair to say they haven't dropped anybody off the 40-man they saw as having an impact. But they're running low on those
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) January 18, 2021
Given the great relationship between Boston and Pedroia, there is likely to be a resolution to the remainder of Pedroia’s salary that would see him retiring as a player in favor of taking on a role within the organization. Given the veteran’s leadership in the clubhouse throughout the years, it would come as no surprise to see him take a more hands-on approach in assisting the players in some capacity.
Considering the Red Sox are still in a position to add talent to their roster, there will likely be another roster crunch to come in the next few weeks and the team cannot afford to continue tossing potentially useful pieces off the roster as castaways. It should also be noted that if Pedroia does indeed retire and his salary is used in an off-the-field scenario, his money will still count towards the team’s CBT threshold for the 2021 season, so his potential retirement will not free up money for Boston to spend.
As Abraham notes, the team is “running low” on expendable players who currently occupy 40-man roster spots, so the decision regarding Pedroia’s status as a player will likely come soon. If this is truly the end of Pedroia’s tenure as a player, many would likely agree that he played a pivotal role in Boston’s success over the course of his 14-year presence on the team’s roster and will not soon be forgotten for his dirt dog mentality on the field.