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| (Michael Ivins/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) |
Red Sox third baseman
Will Middlebrooks probably just made the worst PR decision of his young career. Despite the urging of the team for him to play in Winter Ball,
Middlebrooks has decided to spend the off-season healing from his multiple injuries. The 26-year old missed 99 games this year with an assortment of maladies (the most troublesome being his right hand/wrist) and the team was eagerly anticipating how he'd do with an extended number of games under his belt this Winter. GM
Ben Cherington reacted thusly,
"...ultimately offseasons belong to players, and they need to do what they think is in their best interests, He gave it consideration. He thought about it. I think he understood where we were coming from. I think he just feels like it’s in his best interests to focus on an offseason without playing, to get strong, get ready for spring training." Methinks we detect a note of irritation in Ben's comments. It now seems more likely that Middlebrooks will be sent elsewhere in a trade (unfortunately at less than face value) after this decision.
