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Twins Spoil Red Sox Home Opener, 8-4

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BOSTON – Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan made his second start of the 2022 MLB season – just his seventh career appearance – and spoiled the Boston Red Sox home opener by throwing six innings of five-hit baseball to anchor the Twins’ 8-4 victory over Boston.

Ryan allowed only one run (earned), struck-out seven Sox batters and walked none. He passed the ball to the Twins bullpen with a 6-1 lead with only a home run to Boston LF Alex Verdugo as his lone blemish. Ryan is (1-1) on the season and he lowered his ERA to (2.70) with the outing.

Boston’s starting pitcher, Nick Pivetta, didn’t fare as well. The Twins scored four runs on five hits over the first two innings to knock Pivetta out of the game after throwing 54 pitches in two innings and leaving on the wrong side of a 4-1 score. Minnesota 1B Miguel Sano did the most damage with a two-run homer off Pivetta in the second inning.

The Red Sox would go on to use six pitchers throughout the game and Minnesota scored a pair of insurance runs in both the fifth and ninth innings, hitting-up RP Hirokazu Sawamura for two runs in the fifth and Matt Barnes for another pair in the top of the ninth, sealing the Twins’ victory.

After rallying for three runs in the eighth inning, including two off the bat of Rafael Devers who homered off reliever Jhoan Duran, the Sox bats went limp in the bottom of the ninth. Both newly acquired infielder Trevor Story and veteran first baseman Bobby Dalbec struck-out to end the game in a whimper before a sellout crowd of 36,266 at Fenway Park.

 

It’s Opening Day at Fenway Park

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BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox face the Minnesota Twins in their home opener at Fenway Park after a six-game road trip to open the season. Boston split the six games and meet a Twins team that is (2-4) over their first six contests of 2022.

Between the fact it’s Opening Day, along with MLB’s league-wide tribute to Jackie Robinson, the 75th anniversary of NY/MLB’s first game at Ebbets Field, The Hub’s “ONE Boston” day to memorialize the victims of the April 15, 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and a home opening tribute to longtime Red Sox second baseman and TV commentator Jerry Remy, there’s a lot going on at the ballpark.

The Red Sox are in the midst of a stretch of six consecutive games when they play afternoon baseball. Eight of the Red Sox first 10 games of 2022 are scheduled for day games, including this Monday’s 11:10am (ET) start to celebrate Patriots’ Day in the Commonwealth and the running of the Boston Marathon.

The next time Boston plays a night game will be Monday, April 19th vs Toronto.

Boston will be playing games on 17 consecutive days (April 15-May 1)

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHERS: Twins: Joe Ryan (0-1, 4.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, four strikeouts); Red Sox: Nick Pivetta (0-1, 6.35 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, four strikeouts).

 

 

Red Sox Head to Motor City

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox will depart New York after the first ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game against the Yankees, can chill-out in Detroit for a three-game set against the Tigers Monday to Wednesday (two afternoon games) before heading home Thursday for the Friday, April 15, 2:10pm (ET) home opener against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park.

This Friday, Minnesota’s SP Sonny Gray is scheduled to throw against Boston SP Nick Pivetta unless the weather forecast throws a change-up. The four-game set against the Twins concludes with the 11:10am (ET) start on Patriots’ Day, Monday, April 18th – the holiday in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts known best at the day of the famed Boston Marathon.

Reading the Boston Red Sox Tea party leaves this early in the season is nearly as impossible as forecasting the weather. After all, when the Red Sox were playing the New York Yankees on Saturday, Boston saw sunshine and spring-like settings turn to ominous skies, snow, hail, thunder and rain before returning to a beautiful spring evening.

That unpredictable weather pattern might equate to the Sox pitching roster, once again, as Nathan Eovoldi, Pivetta, Tanner Houck, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill could prove to be a formidable staff which can be super-sized if Sox star Chris Sale can return to form at some point mid-season. Currently, Sale is on the 60-day Injured List with rib injuries. He’ll begin throwing next week.

James Paxton, acquired by Boston for a single year deal for a lofty $10m, is recovering from Tommy John surgery last April when he was a member o0f the Seattle Mariners.

One-time Sox closer Matt Barnes is already banged-up as the season begins but could return soon. Until then, it’s bullpen by committee with newly extended four-year contract holder Garrett Whitlock carrying the load with Ryan Brasier and Hansel Robles. Matt Strohm andJake Diekman round out the relievers from the southpaw side. Josh Taylor, a 61 game reliever last season, has been out on the IL with a bad back but could return within weeks.

If you’re scoring at home, that pans out to create uncertainty every time Eovaldi, Pivetta, Hill, Wacha, Barnes and eventually Sale and Paxton take the pitching mound to start a game, whether it be at Fenway or on the road.

Of course, pitching is the key element for all teams to contend in the American League East as the Toronto Blue Jays, Yankees, and Tampa Bay Rays are all worthy to compete for playoff berths while the Baltimore Orioles are likely to hold up the rear in the division but are fast improving.

Lets take a look at the Vegas odds for the American League title as of Opening Day:

  • Toronto Blue Jays | +400
  • Chicago White Sox | +500
  • Houston Astros | +500
  • New York Yankees | +500
  • Tampa Bay Rays | +850
  • Boston Red Sox | +1000
  • Los Angeles Angels | +1000
  • Seattle Mariners | +1000
  • Minnesota Twins | +1700
  • Detroit Tigers | +2300
  • Cleveland Guardians | +4200
  • Texas Rangers | +4800
  • Kansas City Royals | +5000
  • Oakland Athletics | +6000
  • Baltimore Orioles | +16000

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | April 10

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox will depart New York after tonight’s first ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game against the Yankees, then chill-out in Detroit for a three-game set against the Tigers Monday to Wednesday (two afternoon games) before heading home Thursday for the Friday, April 15, 2:10pm (ET) home opener against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park.

Minnesota’s SP Sonny Gray is scheduled to throw against Boston SP Nick Pivetta unless the weather forecast throws a change-up. The four-game set against the Twins concludes with the 11:10am (ET) start on Patriots’ Day, Monday, April 18th – the holiday in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts known best at the day of the famed Boston Marathon.

Reading the Boston Red Sox Tea party leaves this early in the season is nearly as impossible as forecasting the weather. After all, when the Red Sox were playing the New York Yankees on Saturday, Boston saw sunshine and spring-like settings turn to ominous skies, snow, hail, thunder and rain before returning to a beautiful spring evening.

That unpredictable weather pattern might equate to the Sox pitching roster, once again, as Nathan Eovoldi, Pivetta, Tanner Houck, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill could prove to be a formidable staff which can be super-sized if Sox star Chris Sale can return to form at some point mid-season. Currently, Sale is on the 60-day Injured List with rib injuries. He’ll begin throwing next week.

James Paxton, acquired by Boston for a single year deal for a lofty $10m, is recovering from Tommy John surgery last April when he was a member o0f the Seattle Mariners.

One-time Sox closer Matt Barnes is already banged-up as the season begins but could return soon. Until then, it’s bullpen by committee with newly extended four-year contract holder Garrett Whitlock carrying the load with Ryan Brasier and Hansel Robles. Matt Strohm andJake Diekman round out the relievers from the southpaw side. Josh Taylor, a 61 game reliever last season, has been out on the IL with a bad back but could return within weeks.

If you’re scoring at home, that pans out to create uncertainty every time Eovaldi, Pivetta, Hill, Wacha, Barnes and eventually Sale and Paxton take the pitching mound to start a game, whether it be at Fenway or on the road.

Of course, pitching is the key element for all teams to contend in the American League East as the Toronto Blue Jays, Yankees, and Tampa Bay Rays are all worthy to compete for playoff berths while the Baltimore Orioles are likely to hold up the rear in the division but are fast improving.

Lets take a look at the Vegas odds for the American League title as of Opening Day:

  • Toronto Blue Jays | +400
  • Chicago White Sox | +500
  • Houston Astros | +500
  • New York Yankees | +500
  • Tampa Bay Rays | +850
  • Boston Red Sox | +1000
  • Los Angeles Angels | +1000
  • Seattle Mariners | +1000
  • Minnesota Twins | +1700
  • Detroit Tigers | +2300
  • Cleveland Guardians | +4200
  • Texas Rangers | +4800
  • Kansas City Royals | +5000
  • Oakland Athletics | +6000
  • Baltimore Orioles | +16000

In the National League, there’s rarely a bar room argument that the LA Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres all have an edge and the New York Mets could contend if starters Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer can combine for 35-40 wins. Meanwhile, while last year’s surprise club, the San Francisco Giants, have slipped.

Here are the Vegas Opening Day odds for the National League title:

  • Los Angeles Dodgers | +175
  • New York Mets | +500
  • Atlanta Braves | +550
  • Milwaukee Brewers | +750
  • San Diego Padres | +750
  • Philadelphia Phillies | +1000
  • San Francisco Giants | +1000
  • St. Louis Cardinals | +1400
  • Miami Marlins | +3400
  • Chicago Cubs | +4800
  • Cincinnati Reds | +6500
  • Washington Nationals | +6500
  • Colorado Rockies | +11500
  • Arizona Diamondbacks | +18000
  • Pittsburgh Pirates | +25000

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: As long as the odds are laid out so nicely, there’s no reason not to make early season predictions for Divisional Winners, Wild Cards, League Championship Series contenders and the winner of the 2022 World Series.

Here now, the picks:

American League:

Divisional Winners: Toronto Blue Jays*, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros*

Wild Cards: New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, LA Angels.

ALCS: Toronto vs Houston with the Astros advancing to the World Series.

National League:

Divisional Winners: Atlanta Braves*, Milwaukee Brewers, LA Dodgers*.

Wild Cards: San Diego Padres, New York Mets, SF Giants.

NLCS: LA Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves with the Dodgers advancing.

World Series: LA Dodgers over Houston Astros, 4-games-to-2.

THE MASTERS: There are a few sporting events which take on a “Carnegie Hall” level of prestige in the sports world.

They are:

  1. The Masters
  2. Wimbledon
  3. The Kentucky Derby
  4. The Ryder Cup
  5. The Boston Marathon
  6. The Breeders’ Cup
  7. Tour de France
  8. Monaco Gand Prix

This week’s Masters is living up to its rightful place in sports. The headline-grabbing storyline is the return of Tiger Woods to competitive PGA TOUR golf. While Woods has been both impressive and competitive, his rivals are atop the leaderboard heading into the final round.

The Leaderboard:

Scottie Scheffler – (-9)

Cameron Smith – (-6)

Sungjae Im – (-4)

Shane Lowry – (-4)

Charl Schwartzel – (-4)

Tiger Woods is T-41 at (+7)

Scheffler has won three times in his last five starts on Tour.

IT’s JUST A FANTASY: For this column, rarely do I delve into Fantasy Sports and share my fantasy team ups and downs, whether it be NFL Football or MLB Baseball. And, while we’ve been known to play every kind of fantasy sport imaginable, from Olympic Basketball and Ice Hockey to World Cup to NBA to NBA Playoffs to NFL Playoffs to PGA TOUR Golf to NBA Summer League to – well, you get the idea, the completion for NFL regular season, PGA Golf and the long run of MLB Baseball are the three I’ve settled for over the past five or six years.

The Baseball fantasy league is called the “Teddy Baseball League” to honor the great Ted Williams and its weekly winner is crowned the “Dean RosenTeam of the Week” in memory of one of the league’s former team owners who passed away all too soon. The Teddy is a hybrid of fantasy baseball with the first 17 players for each team picked in “auction” style of bidding, then the final 14 players are picked in snake-draft order to fill-out a 31 player roster for 11 teams.

The standings are rotisserie style, not head-to-head, so it is a long marathon of a season.

The franchise, worth billions – I am sure, is the Chathams, named after one of my favorite places on earth in Chatham, Massachusetts – on The Cape. We are often tagged as “The Cape Codders.” And, that’s alright with me. The Cape Cod Baseball League is a favorite for sure and there will be more on that this summer.

The Chathams have an active owner and a seasoned veteran of a General Manager and head of Analytics in Craig Glazer. The league competition is tough. No team misses a beat, nor a prospect, nor a mistake of a cut. Line-ups are set weekly, on Monday when there’s five minutes before the first pitch of the first game of the week. It’s great.

Our strategy – which has been no secret to our fellow league franchise owners – is to go heavy on offense, grab at least one stud or semi-stud Starting Pitcher, one formidable Reliever for saves and then do our best to fill-out the rest of the line-up. In taking this road to the Teddy Title, we need to thread the needle, acquire a couple up & coming stars who pan out and pray to the heavens our top offensive gems stay healthy.

That was not the case last year when Ronald Acuna Jr. was injured in mid-season and with his injury, so were the days of our Teddy triumph to be. We were also sunk when Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger, a superstar level player, had his worst season EVVV-AHHH.

That was last year, this is this year. Here is the line-up and I’ll not the bidding numbers for a few of the top players. (A side-note, the most expensive player in the auction was our very own $42 bid for Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals. That came out of a $202 budget).

Here’s our club:

  • Shohei Ohtani LAA, DH – $23 (a surprise that he went for under $30-$40).
  • Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Tor, 1B – $35
  • Juan Soto Wash, RF – $42
  • Gerrit Cole NYY, SP – $35
  • Rafael Devers Bos, 3B – $33
  • Jacob deGrom NYM, SP – $6 (deep discount with 60+ day IL)
  • Marcus Semien Tex, 2B – $17 (shocked he didn’t get more bidding)

That’s where the budget kicked-in and we were left to fill nine players at $1 and one player at $2.

That resulted in the rest of the roster consisting of:

  • Edwin Diaz NYM, RP
  • Taylor Rogers SD, RP
  • Tyler Stephenson Cin, C (a target going into the draft)
  • Austin Meadows Det, LF (shocked he was still available)
  • Amed Rosario Cle, SS
  • Ty France Sea, 1B
  • Jeimer Candelario Det, 3B
  • Eduardo Rodriguez Det, SP
  • Lance Lynn ChW, SP (currently on IL)
  • Josh Bell Wsh, 1B

The snake-draft portion of the night brought:

  • Luis Severino, SP, NYY
  • Andrew Benintendi, OF, KC
  • Jordan Montgomery, SP, NYY
  • Ian Happ, OF, CHC
  • Randal Grichuk, OF, COL
  • Marcus Stroman, SP, CHC
  • Corey Kluber, SP, TB
  • Matt Brash, SP, SEA
  • David Bednar, RP, PIT
  • Reid Detmers, SP, LAA
  • Nick Senzel, OF, CIN
  • Seth Beer, 1B, ARI
  • Josh Rojas, 2B, ARI
  • Kendall Graveman, RP, CWS

A rare, pre-opening day trade sent Senzel, Meadows and Bednar outbound while we filled a weak middle infield position with Dansby Swanson, along with outfielder Anthony Santander of Baltimore and 1B Eric Hosmer.

That’s the club – for now – as transactions have and will continue each and every week of the season. Next update?

How about the 4th of July and then September 1 and October 1?

Red Sox Make Roster Cuts

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FORT MYERS – The Boston Red Sox optioned right-handed pitcher Eduard Bazardo and left-handed pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez to Triple-A Worcester while right-handed pitcher Kaleb Ort, left-handed pitcher Derek Holland, outfielder Christin Stewart, and infielder Yolmer Sánchez were reassigned to minor league camp, announced Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom.

With three days remaining in Spring Training the Red Sox have 34 active players remaining in training camp, including 28 members of the 40-man roster and six non-roster invitees.

Red Sox Ink Story – Officially

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – A week after news broke of the acquisition, the Boston Red Sox officially signed infielder Trevor Story to a six-year contract through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028. To make room for Story on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox designated outfielder Jeisson Rosario for assignment.

Embed from Getty Images

Story, 29, was named a National League All-Star in 2018 and 2019, winning the Silver Slugger Award at shortstop in each season. He finished in the top 12 in NL Most Valuable Player voting in three consecutive years from 2018-20, including a career-best eighth in 2018. In 745 games for the Colorado Rockies (2016-21), the right-handed hitter has batted .272 (768-for-2,822) with 158 home runs, 450 RBI, 100 stolen bases, and an .863 OPS. Among active major leaguers with at least 500 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers, he ranks first in slugging percentage (.621) and third in OPS (1.002) while batting .308 (242-for-786).

In 142 games for the Rockies last season, Story batted .251 (132-for-526) with an .801 OPS, 24 home runs, 75 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. The Texas native has hit at least 20 home runs in each of his five 162-game seasons and stolen at least 20 bases three times. He is one of only two players to hit at least 20 home runs and steal at least 20 bases in each of the last three 162-game seasons (2018-19, ’21), joining Cleveland’s José Ramírez. In 2018, he became the first shortstop in major league history to record at least 40 doubles, 30 home runs, and 25 stolen bases in a season. Story joins Alex Rodriguez as the only shortstops ever to hit at least 30 home runs and steal 20 bases in multiple seasons.

Originally selected by the Rockies in first round (45th overall) of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Irving (TX) High School, Story totaled six home runs in his first four major league games in 2016 and went on to finish fourth in Rookie of the Year voting. According to FanGraphs, his 69 defensive runs saved from 2016-21 ranked third among major leaguers at shortstop, trailing only Andrelton Simmons (99) and Nick Ahmed (73). In five career Postseason games, Story is 7-for-22 (.318) with two doubles and one home run.

Red Sox Add Two Pitchers

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Red Sox added left-handed pitcher Derek Holland and right-handed pitcher Hansel Robles to the team’s 2022 Spring Training roster as non-roster invitees. The Sox have now invited 27 players to Major League Spring Training camp as non-roster invitees.

Holland, 35, went 3-2 with a 5.07 ERA (28 ER/49.2 IP) in 39 appearances (one start) for the Detroit Tigers in 2021, posting a 0.64 ERA (1 ER/14.0 IP) and 0.79 WHIP in his final 11 outings. Over his 13-year Major League career, the left-hander owns an 82-83 record and 4.64 ERA (753 ER/1,466.0 IP) in 346 appearances (228 starts) for the Texas Rangers (2009-2016), Chicago White Sox (2017), San Francisco Giants (2018-19), Chicago Cubs (2019), Pittsburgh Pirates (2020), and Tigers (2021). Selected by Texas in the 25th round of the 2006 June Draft, Holland is 3-1 with a 5.02 ERA (21 ER/37.2 IP) in 14 Postseason appearances (five starts). In Game 4 of the 2011 World Series, he earned the win with 8.1 scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals. He launched the 60 Feet 6 Foundation in 2015, a non-profit organization that helps raise awareness and offer direct support for debilitating pediatric diseases.

Robles, 31, appeared in 72 games between the Minnesota Twins and Red Sox last season, recording 14 saves with a 4.43 ERA (34 ER/69.0 IP) and 76 strikeouts. After being acquired by Boston on July 30, the right-hander made 27 appearances and finished with a 3.60 ERA (10 ER/25.0 IP), four saves and 33 strikeouts for the Red Sox. From August 30 to October 2, he appeared in 15 games and did not allow a run (13.2 IP), holding opponents to a .111 batting average (5-for-45) with a 0.73 WHIP and 11.20 strikeouts per nine innings in that time. Originally signed by the New York Mets as an international free agent in 2008, Robles has pitched in 385 major league games (one start) with the Mets (2015-18), Los Angeles Angels (2018-20), Twins (2021), and Red Sox (2021), going 27-23 with 41 saves and a 4.00 ERA (179 ER/402.2 IP).

Maverick Carter Joins Sox Foundation

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BOSTON – (Staff report from Official News Release) – The Red Sox Foundation added entrepreneur Maverick Carter to its Board of Directors. In his role, Carter will help develop and achieve the Foundation’s strategic goals and mission of improving lives throughout New England in the areas of health, recreation, and education. The new board appointment builds on a longstanding relationship between Carter and Fenway Sports Group that began in 2010 through a strategic partnership with LRMR Ventures. That relationship further deepened when Carter – through his relationship with NBA superstar LeBron James – became a member of FSG’s ownership group in March 2021.

“For the past decade, I have had the privilege of working closely with Mav and have seen firsthand how he incorporates community and service into every aspect of his work,” said Red Sox Foundation Chairman Tom Werner. “In addition to his incredible business acumen, his experience in sports philanthropy and athlete empowerment will be invaluable in how we continue to grow the programs and vision of the Red Sox Foundation. We are fortunate to have his talent and wisdom and look forward to deepening his connection to the Red Sox and FSG family.”

Throughout his career, Carter has significantly impacted the sports and media landscape and helped usher in a new era of athlete empowerment through his longtime business partnership with LeBron James and as CEO of The SpringHill Company, which owns notable brands including athlete empowerment brand UNINTERRUPTED and its More Than movement, the trailblazing hit show for leading cultural conversations, The Shop, and their blockbuster family film, Space Jam: A New Legacy.

Carter has channeled his passionate curiosity and determination to uplift others into building brands that develop authentic, award-winning content spanning several platforms, all with a common thread of empowering others. With an extensive background in marketing and business development, Carter was instrumental in building LRMR Ventures and in securing James’ lifetime deal with Nike, the first in the company’s history.

Carter also lends his time, experience, and strategic insights to leading companies and nonprofit organizations, starting as a founding Board Member of the LeBron James Family Foundation that is committed to creating generational change in his hometown of Akron. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Live Nation Entertainment and Equinox Group as well as the Advisory Council for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and Walmart’s Opportunity Leadership Council, among others.

“Empowerment is at the center of everything I do, whether that be in business, family or philanthropy,” said Maverick Carter. “It’s an honor for me to join the Red Sox Foundation’s Board of Directors and have the opportunity to help inspire and empower families and communities in Boston and beyond.”

Sox Reacquire Jackie Bradley Jr.

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Red Sox Nab Bradley Jr, Two Prospects From Milwaukee for Renfroe

BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Red Sox today acquired outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. along with minor league infielders Alex Binelas and David Hamilton from the Milwaukee Brewers, in exchange for outfielder Hunter Renfroe. The Red Sox’ 40-man roster is now at 39 after Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the trade.

Bradley, 31, has played in 1,007 major league games with the Red Sox (2013-20) and Brewers (2021), batting .230 (755-for-3,286) with 104 home runs. A 2016 All-Star, he earned the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for center field in 2018 and was a finalist for the award in three other seasons (2014, ’16, ’19). Bradley helped the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series, as he was named Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series. In 2021, he appeared in 134 games for the Brewers, making 79 starts in center field, 11 in left field, and nine in right field while hitting .163 (63-for-387) with six home runs.

Selected by the Red Sox in the supplemental round of the 2011 June Draft, Bradley has made 752 starts in center field for Boston, sixth most in franchise history. He made six Opening Day starts for the club, including one in left field (2013) and five in center field (2016-20). In 2020, Bradley set career highs in batting average (.283) and on-base percentage (.364), also committing zero errors and leading major league outfielders with seven outs above average (Source: Statcast).

Bradley has been recognized by the Boston Baseball Writers as the Red Sox’ Defensive Player of the Year (2017, ’18, ’19), Comeback Player of the Year (2015), and Minor League Player of the Year (2012), also earning a Special Achievement Award for his 29-game hitting streak in 2016. An active member of the community along with his wife, Erin, Bradley served as captain of the Red Sox Scholars program from 2016-20 and supported the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. He and Erin have a daughter, Emerson, and a son, Jax.

Binelas, 21, was selected by the Brewers in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of the University of Louisville. A left-handed hitter, he is ranked by MLB.com as Milwaukee’s No. 17 prospect. Binelas split his professional debut between the Rookie-level ACL Brewers and Low-A Carolina, hitting .309 (43-for-139) with 33 runs scored, 11 doubles, nine home runs, 29 RBI, and a .973 OPS in 36 games. He made 20 starts at third base and four at first base. The Wisconsin native was also selected by the Washington Nationals in the 35th round of the 2018 June Draft.

Hamilton, 24, was selected by the Brewers in the eighth round of the 2019 June Draft out of the University of Texas at Austin and made his professional debut in 2021. A left-handed hitter, he is ranked by MLB.com as Milwaukee’s No. 16 prospect. Hamilton hit .258 (104-for-403) with 66 runs scored, 19 doubles, 11 triples, eight home runs, and 43 RBI in 101 games between High-A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi in 2021, making 87 starts at shortstop and 13 at second base. Following the 2021 season, he played in 14 games for Salt River in the Arizona Fall League.

Renfroe, 29, appeared in a career-high 144 games for the Red Sox in 2021, also setting career bests in batting average (.259), on-base percentage (.315), OPS (.816), runs scored (89), doubles (33), extra-base hits (64), and RBI (96). He made 138 appearances in right field and tied for the MLB lead with a career-high 16 outfield assists, which were the most at the position by a Red Sox in the Expansion Era. Selected 13th overall by San Diego in the first round of the 2013 June Draft, Renfroe has hit .237 (465-for-1,966) with 128 home runs and 322 RBI in 576 major league games over six seasons with the Padres (2016-19), Rays (2020), and Red Sox (2021).

Red Sox Acquire Hill, Paxson

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Red Sox went the veteran route to shore-up their pitching rotation and in doing so, signed left-handed pitcher Rich Hill to a one-year contract for the 2022 season. In addition, the Red Sox signed left-handed pitcher James Paxton to a one-year contract for the 2022 season, with a two-year club option for the 2023-24 seasons. In the event the club does not exercise that option following the 2022 season, Paxton would have the right to exercise a conditional player option for the 2023 season. The Red Sox’ 40-man roster is now at 39 after Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the additions.

Hill, 41, has pitched for 11 major league teams over 17 seasons, going 74-52 with a 3.80 ERA (479 ER/1,134.2 IP) in 324 appearances (195 starts) with the Chicago Cubs (2005-08), Baltimore Orioles (2009), Red Sox (2010-12, ’15), Cleveland Indians (2013), Los Angeles Angels (2014), New York Yankees (2014), Oakland A’s (2016), Los Angeles Dodgers (2016-19), Minnesota Twins (2020), Tampa Bay Rays (2021), and New York Mets (2021).

In 2021, Hill made 19 starts for the Rays and pitched in 13 games (12 starts) for the Mets, posting a 3.86 ERA (68 ER/158.2 IP) with 150 strikeouts, a 1.21 WHIP, and a .235 opponent batting average. In five starts against American League Postseason teams, he was 4-0 with a 1.75 ERA (5 ER/25.2 IP), having made three appearances against the Yankees, one versus the Red Sox, and one against the Houston Astros.

Born in Boston, Hill graduated from Milton High School before attending the University of Michigan. He last pitched at Fenway Park on September 25, 2015, when he threw a two-hit shutout against the Orioles, striking out 10 batters and walking one. In 25 career appearances at Fenway (one start), Hill is 2-0 with a 1.65 ERA (5 ER/27.1 IP). In 2019, he earned the Tony Conigliaro Award, presented annually by the Red Sox to a major leaguer who has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage.

Hill has made 13 Postseason appearances (12 starts) for the Cubs (2007) and Dodgers (2016-19), going 1-2 with a 3.06 ERA (18 ER/53.0 IP).

Paxton, 33, is 57-33 with a 3.59 ERA (301 ER/754.2 IP) in 137 major league appearances—all starts—with the Seattle Mariners (2013-18, ’21) and New York Yankees (2019-20). After making a career-high 29 starts and going 15-6 for the Yankees in 2019, he missed a majority of the 2020 season due to injury. In 2021, he made one start for the Mariners before undergoing Tommy John surgery on April 13 and missing the remainder of the season.

A native of Vancouver, Paxton pitched at the University of Kentucky from 2007-09 and was selected by the Mariners in the fourth round of the 2010 June Draft. He posted a sub-4.00 ERA in each of his first seven major league seasons (2013-19), including a 2.98 ERA (45 ER/136.0 IP) over 24 starts for Seattle in 2017. On May 8, 2018 at Rogers Centre, Paxton threw a no-hitter in a 5-0 win over the Blue Jays. Since the start of 2016, he has averaged 10.61 strikeouts and only 2.53 walks per 9.0 innings, having struck out 695 batters and walked 166 during that time.