Nearly two weeks after signing an 11-year, $280 million contract with the Padres, longtime Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts took to Instagram to thank fans for his decade in Boston.
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“Dear Red Sox Nation – Thank you for an incredible ride (and what a ride it was)!” Bogaerts wrote on Instagram on Monday. “It was an honor to wear the Red Sox uniform and play in front of the best and most knowledgeable fans in baseball. There were some highs and lows but two World Series trophies during my time to celebrate with you all was absolutely incredible. Thank you to the Red Sox for taking a chance on a young kid from the island of Aruba. Thank you to all the coaches, athletic trainers, managers and front office folks who I have crossed paths with over the course of 14 years. Every single one of you impacted my life in more ways than one and helped me develop into the player I am today. And lastly, to every player that took the field with me in a Red Sox uniform, I say thank you. Thank you for being great teammates and friends. So many of you taught me what it means to be a professional on the field and off the field.Thank you Boston. Until we meet again.”
Bogaerts signed with the Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 2009, then debuted with the club in 2013. He then played 1,264 games over 10 seasons with the club, setting a franchise record for most appearances at shortstop. He left for San Diego after contract negotiations with Boston failed to result in a deal over the past year or so.
“He’s a really important person to everyone here and he’s important to the organization. From that standpoint, the fact he’s not going to be here anymore is hard,” chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said earlier this month. “And that’s sad. I think anybody who sugarcoats that is being dishonest. Just because there are business decisions everyone has to make doesn’t mean that the emotional side or the personal side is any less.”
OBIT: Tom Browning, an All-Star pitcher who threw the only perfect game in Cincinnati Reds history and helped them win a World Series title, died on Monday. He was 62.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office in Kentucky announced Browning’s death on Twitter, saying he died at his home in Union, Kentucky. No cause was given.
Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Browning’s home about 1 p.m. after receiving a report of a man found not breathing. They discovered him unresponsive on a couch, and efforts by deputies and EMS personnel to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. Browning was pronounced dead at 1:13 p.m. Foul play is not suspected, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The Reds issued a statement after being in contact with a member of his family, team spokesman Rob Butcher said.
“The entire Reds family is stunned and deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Tom Browning. Affectionately referred to as “Mr. Perfect,” Tom was a true Red who after his playing days made the Cincinnati area his home and remained heavily involved with the organization,” the club said.
“A fan favorite, the Reds Hall of Famer touched fans’ hearts at team events, Reds Hall of Fame festivities and Reds Community Fund activities. We join Reds Country in mourning the loss of one of our all-time greats, who created so many memories and magical moments for us all. Our deepest condolences to Tom’s family during this difficult time.”
Known as a colorful character, Browning once bolted from the Wrigley Field bullpen and sat in full Cincinnati uniform with Chicago fans atop a rooftop across the street during a Reds-Cubs game in July 1993. He was fined $500 for that stunt, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.
The left-hander’s biggest individual moment on the mound, however, came when he retired all 27 batters he faced in a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Riverfront Stadium on Sept. 16, 1988.
Following a two-hour rain delay, the game started at 10:02 p.m. and took only 1 hour, 51 minutes. It came a little more than three months after Browning lost a no-hit bid in San Diego in the ninth inning on a one-out single by Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.
Browning’s gem against the Dodgers was one of just 23 perfect games in major league history and the only one for the Reds, baseball’s oldest professional franchise.
TELEVISION: National League champion Philadelphia will play at Texas on April 2 in the first ESPN Sunday night telecast of the 2023 season. The Houston Astros will host the Phillies in a World Series rematch on April 30.
ESPN announced its Sunday night schedule for the first month of the season on Monday, also picking San Diego at Atlanta on April 9, Texas at Houston on April 16 and the New York Mets at San Francisco on April 23.
The network also selected Philadelphia at Atlanta on May 28, the New York Yankees at the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 4 and at Boston on June 18.
PHILLIES: Philadelphia gave General Manager Sam Fuld a contract extension that will take him through the 2025 season.
The National League champion Phillies also extended the contracts of assistant general managers Ned Rice and Jorge Velandia through the 2025 season.
The 41-year-old Fuld has been with the Phillies since November 2017 and spent the last two seasons as general manager.
“The Phillies have been nothing short of first class in my time here,” Fuld said. “I’m thrilled to continue to work for such a tremendous organization in a city that my family and I love so much. We have an exceptional group of players, staff and employees that I’m excited to grow with over the next few years.”
The Phillies have spent the offseason trying to keep the core of their front office for at least a few more seasons. Team President Dave Dombrowski previously had his contract extended through the 2027 season.
CUBS: The Chicago Cubs and right-hander Jameson Taillon finalized a four-year contract worth roughly $68 million.
The announcement comes nearly two weeks after the sides agreed to the deal. The Cubs also have added All-Star shortstop Dansby Swanson and 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger this offseason.
BLUE JAYS: Chris Bassitt didn’t need the Toronto Blue Jays to sell him on what they were building. The All-Star right-hander already had done his research and decided which teams he was willing to engage in free agency.
“I kind of stopped everyone,” Bassitt said on a video call of the suitors he spoke with. “I don’t need to be sold. Like, if I’m talking to you, I want to be there, kind of thing, and I definitely wanted to be in Toronto. I knew the players, I understood the living situation. I love the city. I’m three and half hours from my family in Ohio. I’ve got all the boxes checked, so you don’t need to add to anything.”
Toronto showed serious interest from the start of the process, Bassitt said, and kept in touch as he considered his options. The team finalized $63 million, three-year deal on Friday.
“Really excited about the person, the teammate,” Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said of Bassitt during a video news conference. “The competitiveness has always stood out to us as being elite.”
Bassitt, 33, hit the market after going 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA for the New York Mets in 2022, setting career highs with 30 starts, 181 2/3 innings and 167 strikeouts. He’s 46-34 with a 3.45 ERA in eight major league seasons.
METS: Kodai Senga hardly hesitated when asked who he is most looking forward to facing when he pitches for the New York Mets.
“The Phillies’ lineup,” the Japanese right-hander said in English.
The Mets are excited for that showdown with the reigning National League champions, too.
Senga was officially introduced at a press conference at Citi Field after finalizing a $75 million, five-year contract with the Mets, who will introduce Justin Verlander on Tuesday morning.
The outgoing 29-year-old opened his first press conference with a message in English to fans: “Hi, I’m Kodai Senga of the New York Mets. I’m very excited and happy to be in the Big Apple and join such a great team. Let’s go Mets.”
“He’s got a nice spirit to him,” GM Billy Eppler said.
Senga will wear No. 34, which was previously worn by Noah Syndergaard from 2015 to 2022. He wore 41 – the number retired in Queens for Hall of Famer Tom Seaver – when he pitched for the Pacific League’s Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. He used social media to engage with fans and get input on a jersey number.
“I really felt the burning passion of the fans in New York, a lot of messages came through about the number as well,” Senga said through translator Mako Allbee.
Senga was 11-6 with a 2.25 ERA in 23 starts last season. He is known for his “ghostfork” pitch, described as a forkball that drops down to hitters like a split-fingered fastball at times. Senga has been compared to Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was known for his “gyroball” when he joined the Red Sox in 2007.
BRAVES: The Atlanta Braves signed veteran outfielder Jordan Luplow, who has a .213 batting average in six seasons, to a $1.4 million, one-year contract.
The 29-year-old Luplow hit .176 with 11 homers and drove in 28 runs in 83 games with Arizona in 2022. The right-handed hitter had eight homers against left-handers last season.
Luplow made starts at all three outfield positions, including 25 in right field and 18 in left field for Arizona last season. He also can play first base.
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