FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Red Sox owner John Henry calls talk of collusion in free-agent negotiations “ridiculous.”
About half the 166 players who exercised free-agency rights in November remain unsigned.
“There are a lot of factors, I think, driving it, and I think they’ve all been identified,” Henry said Monday as Boston began full-squad workouts. “There’s a lot of factors that have driven this offseason, and you just can’t expect every season to be a feeding frenzy, so to speak.”
J.D. Martinez, Jake Arrieta and Mike Moustakas are among the players still looking for a place to play.
“This one, it’s surprised me,” he said of the slow pace of agreements. “I think it’s surprised all of us in baseball.” “But, I think probably next year will be quite different.”
Next year’s free-agent class includes Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Josh Donaldson, plus possible Clayton Kershaw.
(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)