Red Sox News: Leadoff spot in flux, Xander Bogaerts comments on extension talks, more
By Eric Cole
The Boston Red Sox got on the board on Sunday as they successfully took down the Rays by the score of 7-6. Several of the lineup regulars got playing time with Masataka Yoshida connecting for a double and Matthew Lugo getting two extra base hits and driving in five runs. This game also didn't end with an automatic strike call, so that was good at least. Red Sox fans also got a glimpse of the future with a trio of young pitching prospects, and that future is bright.
In terms of Red Sox news stories, the biggest one of the day seemed to be that manager Alex Cora is not sold on the idea of Masataka Yoshida leading off for the Red Sox this season. While Yoshida's skillset seems to lend itself to being an ideal leadoff hitter, Cora doesn't want to move Rafael Devers out of the two spot, and he's leaning towards batting Yoshida in the middle of the order (which is in-line with what he had always done in Japan).
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Elsewhere in Red Sox land, Xander Bogaerts decided to sound off on the ill-fated extension talks with Boston. While he harbors no ill will (at least publicly) with the front office or the team as a whole, it is safe to say that when he received Boston's extension offer, it was decidedly underwhelming to the point where it actually helped drive him to opt out of his original deal with Boston early. He would have done that anyway probably, but it definitely drove home how far apart the two sides were.
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Manny Machado got paid...again. Earlier this offseason, Machado made it clear that he was planning on opting of his existing deal with the Padres at the end of the season. While that deal was lucrative, we can't say we blame him given what guys got paid this past offseason. However, San Diego is not messing around and they worked out a deal for an 11-year, $350 million extension with no opt-outs and a full no-trade clause.