Pedro Martinez thinks Ortiz will return to Red Sox in 2017
David Ortiz is retired, at least for now, but a former Boston Red Sox teammate doesn’t think that will last. Pedro Martinez told WEEI’s “Trenni & Tomase” that he won’t believe Ortiz is retired until he sees the slugger sit out an entire season.“David says he’s retired,” Martinez said, via John Tomase of WEEI. “But I still believe David is going to give it another try. I don’t know why I have that feeling that David might want to do that. I just don’t see David, having the type of season that he had, and having the success that he was still having, sitting at home wasting it. David is too smart.
© Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona wears a cap with the block C logo as he talks to other coaches prior to a spring training baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Thursday, March 31, 2016, in Goodyear, Ariz. The Indians defeated the Reds 3-1. Terry Francona is known as one of baseball's nice guys, and on Tuesday he put his money where his mouth is. Literally. The University of Arizona announced that the Cleveland Indians skipper donated $1 million to his alma mater and their baseball program.
The money will go towards a new hitting facility for the school's baseball team, which will be named after Francona, and will be part of a multi-million dollar capital gains project to benefit the baseball program as a whole.
'Believeland' still has faith for 2017
No, it ain't the 1990s, when the Indians played in front of 455 straight sellouts.Terry Francona would be praised for what he did with two outs in that inning, when he brought in reliable relief ace Andrew Miller in an aggressive and early spot to maintain a 4-3 lead and then rode Miller through the sixth and into the seventh of what would turn out to be a 5-4 win.
Francona, who spends his off-seasons in Tucson explained the decision in a statement released by the school.
"Since I moved back to Tucson four years ago, it has been a priority of mine to give back to the University of Arizona," Francona said. "The reason I am doing this is because of the impact the University has had on my life. The people at the University of Arizona gave me an opportunity to go to the professional level, and not just survive, but be prepared. That's a big reason why I want to give back."
Long before Francona became a two-time World Series champion and one of the best managers in the game, he was one of the most accomplished players in the history of the Arizona baseball program.
He played three seasons at Arizona from 1978-80, leading the Wildcats to a national championship in his final season. He won the Golden Spikes Award as National Player of the Year in 1980 after hitting .401 with nine home runs and 84 RBI.
PECOTA Mania: Diving Into Projections
It's that time of year again in the world of baseball: The PECOTA projections are out! Click to expand Your browser does not support this video require(["binding"], function (binding) { binding("wcVideoPlayer", "#video_player_412a4f03-89fc-4ba1-991d-1b663cb4954e").
Construction of the Terry Francona Hitting Facility will begin this summer and the school hopes to have it completed by the fall.
PHOTOS: RANKING THE 20 BEST MOVES OF THE OFFSEASON
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We’re three weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting, so most teams are putting the finishing touches on their offseason shopping. Although a few notable free agents – Matt Wieters, Mike Napoli and Jason Hammel among them– remain on the market, most of the big Hot Stove deals are done.
And here are the top 20:
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1. Red Sox aquire Chris Sale from White Sox
One way to compensate for the loss of David Ortiz’s run production is to allow fewer runs, and adding a third ace should accomplish that. Ironically, Chicago might benefit more from this trade if Yoan Moncada develops as projected and Michael Kopech continues to throw 110 mph.
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2. Indians sign Edwin Encarnacion
Expected to bring back Mike Napoli, Cleveland shocked the baseball world by upgrading with the premier power bat on the free-agent market. Ideally, Encarnacion will join a stacked lineup that welcomes back Michael Brantley and provides plenty of support for a stellar rotation and bullpen.
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3. Mets re-sign Yoenis Cespedes
With arguably the NL’s best rotation – if healthy – the Mets plugged a potentially huge hole in their lineup by bringing back their biggest bat. Cespedes’ 130 RBI over the past two seasons lead the team and his 48 homers rank second, despite the fact that he played most of 2015 with Detroit.
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4. Cardinals sign Dexter Fowler
St. Louis needed a leadoff hitter, center fielder and charismatic clubhouse presence as it looks to get more athletic and less one-dimensional offensively, and it checked off all those boxes with Fowler. Plus, the Cardinals did it for more than $100 million less than the Cubs spend on Jason Heyward last offseason (over three fewer years).
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5. Cubs acquire Wade Davis from Royals
Despite losing Aroldis Chapman in free agency, Chicago didn’t have to throw big bucks at a replacement because it had Hector Rondon in waiting. However, the defending World Series champions dealt from their offensive depth (Jorge Soler) to acquire a lights-out reliever who has a 1.18 ERA and 47 saves over the past three seasons – and three homers allowed – while winning a ring of his own.
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6. Giants sign Mark Melancon
San Francisco led the majors with 30 blown saves last season – a big reason for the team’s second-half collapse and failure to extend its streak of even-year championships. Over the past two seasons with the Pirates and Nationals, Melancon leads the majors with 98 saves and has a 1.95 ERA and 0.91 WHIP.
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7. Dodgers re-sign Justin Turner
After Turner's career year (27 homers, 90 RBI, .493 slugging percentage), it was imperative that Los Angeles bring back the third baseman. Turner’s glove is nearly as valuable as his bat, and that total package would have been tough to replace in free agency or via a trade.
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8. Nationals acquire Adam Eaton from White Sox
Washington paid a steep price in prospects but acquired a center fielder with solid on-base, leadoff and defensive skills, moving Trea Turner back to shortstop in the process. As with the Chris Sale trade, time might prove that Chicago won this deal -- but the Nationals are better in the short term.
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9. Dodgers re-sign Rich Hill
Few teams were as snake-bitten as the Dodgers when it came to the rotation in 2016, as LA used 15 different starting pitchers and got 30 starts from only one (Kenta Maeda). Heck, even Hill was injured when he was acquired from the A’s, but he posted a 1.83 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in six regular-season starts with the Dodgers.
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10. Yankees sign Aroldis Chapman
With question marks in the rotation, New York again will try to shorten the game with a stellar bullpen -- as it did last season before trading Chapman and Andrew Miller. Chapman returns to form a solid 1-2 punch with Dellin Betances.
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11. Rockies sign Ian Desmond
It remains to be seen how successful his transition from center field to first base will be, but we said the same thing last season before Desmond made a successful move from shortstop to center field – a switch that was much more challenging. Desmond’s ability to hit for power and average only will be magnified at Coors Field.
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12. Dodgers re-sign Kenley Jansen
If there was any question about his value during a regular season when he saved 36 games, it was erased during the "Postseason of the Reliever" when Jansen was dynamic. He struck out 19 batters in 11.2 innings and was often extended past his comfort level in terms of innings and pitch counts.
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13. Orioles re-sign Mark Trumbo
In the end, the 2016 MLB home run leader needed Baltimore as much as it needed him. And his $37.5 million deal (over three years) was a steal for the Orioles, even if Trumbo reverts to his offensive production from the first five full seasons of his career – spent with three different franchises.
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14. Yankees sign Matt Holliday
After losing a ton of offense (Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, Alex Rodriguez), the Yankees needed to add a productive veteran bat to a young lineup. Not only is Holliday a great one-year fit – he hit 20 homers in just 110 games last season – the opportunity to DH should help keep him healthy.
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15. Mariners acquire Jean Segura from Diamondbacks
It isn’t often that an in-his-prime shortstop who just led the NL in hits and stole 33 bases becomes available. But that was the case this offseason for the busy Mariners, who have assembled an impressive lineup and now have a solid option atop it as their new leadoff man.
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16. Astros sign Carlos Beltran
Despite being past his prime – he’ll turn 40 in April – Beltran has plenty of pop, as evidenced by his 29 homers, 93 RBI and .850 OPS in 2016. The switch hitter should be comfortable in a familiar and hitter-friendly park, and he can give his body a break by getting the bulk of his at-bats at DH.
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17. Dodgers acquire Logan Forsythe from Rays
After re-signing three of its own players, LA turned its attention outward in an attempt to fill the second base void. There was the ongoing pursuit of the Twins’ Brian Dozier that ultimately proved too costly, leading the Dodgers to Forsythe. And the team didn’t settle: Forsythe can lead off, he plays solid defense and he brings a right-handed presence to a lefty-heavy lineup.
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18. Astros acquire Brian McCann from Yankees
McCann doesn’t want to be a full-time catcher at age 32, and he won’t need to be with Evan Gattis still on the roster. A 10th consecutive 20-homer season should be attainable, and his experience will be invaluable to a rotation looking for a collective bounce-back after a disappointing 2016.
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19. Blue Jays re-sign Jose Bautista
Joey Bats fell right back into Toronto’s lap, and it’s doubtful either side regrets it given the success Bautista has had there over the past nine seasons (and the past two postseasons). The 36-year-old slugger has millions of reasons to come out swinging after an injury-plagued 2016 season, and his return will help ease the loss of Edwin Encarnacion – as will the arrivals of Kendrys Morales and Steve Pearce.
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20. Braves sign Bartolo Colon
In the final stages of its rebuild, Atlanta added a veteran presence to its rotation with Colon, R.A. Dickey and Jaime Garcia. But it's Colon who should make the biggest impact – both on the mound and on the Braves’ enviable collection of young pitching.
First workouts underway for MLB pitchers and catchers .
Even for an accomplished veteran like Justin Verlander, the start of spring training can be special. "I usually sleep pretty well. I woke up early today," the Detroit ace said Tuesday. "On one hand, you want to appreciate everything as much as you can. It's not such a whirlwind anymore — you kind of know what to expect. But in the same aspect, every day is pretty much the same thing I've done for 12 years, so it also starts going faster.
David Ortiz is retired, at least for now, but a former Boston Red Sox teammate doesn’t think that will last. Pedro Martinez told WEEI’s “Trenni & Tomase” that he won’t believe Ortiz is retired until he sees the slugger sit out an entire season.“David says he’s retired,” Martinez said, via John Tomase of WEEI. “But I still believe David is going to give it another try. I don’t know why I have that feeling that David might want to do that. I just don’t see David, having the type of season that he had, and having the success that he was still having, sitting at home wasting it. David is too smart. 
No, it ain't the 1990s, when the Indians played in front of 455 straight sellouts.Terry Francona would be praised for what he did with two outs in that inning, when he brought in reliable relief ace Andrew Miller in an aggressive and early spot to maintain a 4-3 lead and then rode Miller through the sixth and into the seventh of what would turn out to be a 5-4 win. 
It's that time of year again in the world of baseball: The PECOTA projections are out! Click to expand Your browser does not support this video require(["binding"], function (binding) { binding("wcVideoPlayer", "#video_player_412a4f03-89fc-4ba1-991d-1b663cb4954e"). 
