The offseason hot stove is barely aglow, but there are still some stories for Red Sox fans that are worth your time. Here is the latest roundup:
- Former Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo was formally announced as the new manager of the Diamondbacks on Monday. In describing the kind of culture he’d like to create in Arizona Lovullo cited John Farrell, Sparky Anderson and Terry Francona as his strongest managerial influences.
- WEEI’s Rob Bradford reports, among other things, that Jason Varitek isn’t a candidate to replace Lovullo as Red Sox bench coach.
- Rick Porcello and Mookie Betts earned nominations for the American League Cy Young and MVP Awards, as voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. One-time Red Sox Terry Francona, Jon Lester, and Dave Roberts also earned nominations in their respective leagues and categories.
- The Red Sox are playing their cards close to the vest early in the offseason, but it seems likely they’ll be interested in the offensive production offered by free agent Edwin Encarnacion, particularly now that the David Ortiz era has come to a close. That said, don’t expect the Blue Jays to simply let him walk away. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet says Toronto is making a “significant push” to keep him.
- And speaking of Ortiz, toss in one more honor. JetBlue Airlines climbed about the bandwagon, albeit a little late, saying they’ll rename Gate 34 at Terminal C of Boston’s Logan Airport Terminal C to honor the retired slugger. What could possibly be next?