Dice-K ready to rejoin Sox; Wakefield to bullpen - MLB

dice-k and wakefield.png Daisuke Matsuzaka has looked fairly impressive in three minor league rehab starts at Triple-A Pawtucket. The next time he takes a mound, he will be donning a Red Sox uniform, and will be a member of Boston’s starting rotation.

Of course, that means one of the current members of the Red Sox’ five-man rotation must be bumped to the bullpen, and WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford heard from a source Thursday evening that it’s going to be Tim Wakefield.

Wakefield, a veteran knuckleballer, has posted a 6.38 ERA and 1.64 WHIP through three starts this season. Clay Buchholz, also considered for a demotion, has compiled a 1.50 ERA through his first three stats. Despite what Red Sox manager Terry Francona may tell the Boston media, the decision was almost certainly an easy one.

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres and Xander Bogaerts agreed to a blockbuster $280 million, 11-year contract Wednesday night, adding the All-Star slugger to an already deep lineup.

A person familiar with the negotiations confirmed the contract to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it was pending a physical.

The Padres already had Fernando Tatis Jr. at shortstop, but he missed the entire season because of injuries and an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

San Diego also met with Aaron Judge and Trea Turner before the big stars opted for different teams. The Padres reached the NL Championship Series this year before losing to the Phillies.

“From our standpoint, you want to explore and make sure we’re looking at every possible opportunity to get better,” general manager A.J. Preller said before the Bogaerts deal surfaced. “We’ve got a real desire to win and do it for a long time.”

The 30-year-old Bogaerts was one of the headliners in a stellar group of free-agent shortstops that also included Turner, Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson.

Bogaerts, who’s from Aruba, terminated his $120 million, six-year contract with Boston after the season. The four-time All-Star forfeited salaries of $20 million for each of the next three years after hitting .307 with 15 homers and 73 RBIs in 150 games.

Bogaerts is a .292 hitter with 156 homers and 683 RBIs in 10 big league seasons – all with Boston. He helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2013 and 2018.

Bogaerts becomes the latest veteran hitter to depart Boston after the Red Sox traded Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in February 2020. Rafael Devers has one more year of arbitration eligibility before he can hit the market.

Bogaerts had his best big league season in 2019, batting .309 with a career-best 33 homers and 117 RBIs. He had 23 homers and 103 RBIs in 2018.

In 44 postseason games, Bogaerts is a .231 hitter with five homers and 16 RBIs.