ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Boston Red Sox have gone to arbitration with left-hander Fernando Abad, Major League Baseball’s first hearing this year and the team’s first since 2002.
Abad asked arbitrators Robert Herzog, Phillip LaPorte and Dennis Archer for a raise from $1.3 million to $2.7 million, and the team argued during Monday’s session that he should be paid $2 million. A decision is expected Tuesday.
The 31-year-old Abad was 1-6 with a 3.66 ERA last year in 57 relief appearances for Minnesota and Boston, which acquired him on Aug. 1 for right-hander Pat Light. Abad was 0-2 with a 6.39 ERA in 18 games for the Red Sox.
He can become a free agent after this season.
Boston’s previous hearing was when pitcher Rolando Arrojo was awarded the team’s $1.9 million offer instead of his $2.8 million request.
Twenty-one other players remain scheduled for hearings, which run through Feb. 17.
CARDINALS: St. Louis was stripped of its top two picks in this year’s amateur draft and ordered to give them to Houston along with $2 million as compensation for hacking the Astros’ email system and scouting database, the final and unprecedented step in an unusual case of cybercrime involving two Major League Baseball teams.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred also banned former St. Louis executive Christopher Correa for life as he ruled the Cardinals must give the 56th and 75th draft choices in June to Houston. They must pay the Astros the money within 30 days.
Correa, the Cardinals’ director of baseball development until July 2015, pleaded guilty in federal court last year to five counts of unauthorized access of a protected computer. He was sentenced to 46 months in prison and ordered to pay the Astros $279,039 in restitution.
Correa was employed by the Cardinals from 2009-15. When he was sentenced last July by U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes, Correa said he was “overwhelmed with remorse and regret for my actions” that cost him his career and his home.
“I violated my values and it was wrong. I behaved shamefully,” he said then. “The whole episode represents the worst thing I’ve done in my life by far.”
Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow told reporters in June 2014 the team had been the victim of hackers who accessed servers and published online months of internal trade talks. Astros general counsel Giles Kibbe said Correa accessed the Astros’ system about 60 times over two years.
INDIANS-DODGERS TRADE: Cleveland acquired right-hander Carlos Frias in a trade with Los Angeles for cash.
Frias has gone 6-6 with a 4.50 ERA in 33 games over the past three seasons for the Dodgers, who signed the Dominican Republic native as an amateur free agent in 2007.
The 27-year-old was limited to 471/3 innings last season for the Dodgers, Triple-A Oklahoma City and Double-A Tulsa after making two trips to the disabled list with an oblique injury. He made just one appearance for the Dodgers in 2016, pitching four shutout innings on July 7 against San Diego.
Frias has a career 3.50 ERA in 18 career relief appearances.
To make roster room for Frias, the Indians designated infielder Richie Shaffer for assignment.
TV: Retired catcher David Ross is joining ESPN as a baseball analyst.
Ross won World Series titles with Boston in 2013 and the Chicago Cubs last year.
The network said he will be part of the ESPN’s studio coverage and also will broadcast games. He was a guest analyst during the 2014 and 2015 postseasons.
Ross also is a Cubs special assistant to baseball operations. He played 15 seasons in the majors.
RAYS: Free-agent outfielder Colby Rasmus and Tampa Bay finalized a $5 million, one-year contract.
The 30-year-old has a .241 career average with St. Louis (2009-11), Toronto (2011-14) and Houston (2015-16). He hit .206 with 15 homers and 54 RBI in 107 games last year, reaching 15 homers for the fifth straight season, but his production dropped from a .238 average with 25 homers and 61 RBI in 2015.
BRAVES: Kurt Suzuki and Atlanta finalized their $1.5 million, one-year contract, giving the team another experienced catcher to share time with Tyler Flowers.
Suzuki, 33, hit .258 with eight homers and 49 RBI last season with Minnesota. His career average is .256.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
