News and notes from around Red Sox Nation.
Thanks to MLB’s relatively new practice of announcing awards finalists in advance, we knew he wasn’t going to walk away with the hardware. But last night made it official: Wilyer Abreu is not the American League Rookie of the Year. Luis Gil of the Yankees narrowly edged out Colton Cowser of the Orioles to take home the trophy. Abreu, whose 4.2 bWAR led all American League rookies, finished in sixth place and did not receive a single first-place vote. This man is destined to be underrated for the rest of his career. (Manny Randhawa, Paul Casella, MLB.com)
Also underrated? Dustin Pedroia, who is now officially on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
Pedroia is a borderline Hall of Famer. Free agent target Juan Soto, on the other hand, is on track to be a first ballot inductee. He’s already broken the record for most seasons with an OPS+ above 140 before the age of 25. The previous record-holders were four guys named Ty Cobb, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, and Mike Trout. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
As for how the Soto pursuit is going, while financials still have not been discussed, Soto was reportedly impressed with what he heard from the Sox. (Jason Ounpraseuth, NESN)
Unfortunately, the Dodgers, who did not meet with Soto last week, are now confirmed to be in the running. Moreover, some baseball executives are convinced that no one outside of the Yankees or Mets has a chance at landing Soto. (Mark Feinsand, MLB.com)
The Red Sox will not sign Juan Soto today, if they do at all. But they will add some names to the 40-man roster in order to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. Here’s a rundown of who those protectees may be. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)