One #RedSox official on the idea that Bradley playing too well to send down would be a problem: "No, that would be a good thing."Ahhh, sports journalism at its finest.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) March 26, 2013
If PeteAbe has any opinions about the Red Sox that differ from whatever the team tells him to write in the Globe, tweet, or say on NESN, then I'm certainly unaware of it. In the matter of Jackie Bradley Jr., a fan looking at this objectively would think that the logical reply to this Red Sox official's statement is "Why?"
At a very basic level, why would the team not want the best 25 men in the organization on its opening day roster? Going a little farther, why would placing a talented prospect, who's ready to play in the big leagues, on a farm team be, in any way, good? Is there a risk here of retarding a prospect's attitude when he plays as hard as JBJ has this spring training but Mike Carp is picked over him for a roster spot?
And, venturing into the realm of cognitive dissonance, for a team that has used its chosen mouthpieces in the press -- people like PeteAbe -- to say that they are changing the culture of the clubhouse, why wouldn't leaving one of the organization's best players off the 25 man roster effect the clubhouse culture? This shows that the Red Sox front office is more concerned about making money rather than winning games. If this is noticed by the players, how will it effect the attitude in the clubhouse?*
All of these are very reasonable queries that could open up some interesting discussions about the 2013 Red Sox. But don't expect anyone in Boston's esteemed sports press corps to open up this conversation. If they aren't just outright daft, then they're too busy making sure they don't say anything controversial since the team controls much of what they see in their paychecks.
* Afterthought - This situation isn't a hypothetical. In Toronto, they demoted Ricky Romero -- and the $5 million he's going to make this season -- off to their High A farm team. The example of the Dodgers not pinching every penny has been overused, but this Blue Jays move to essentially eat $5 million this season to keep a player who isn't good enough to play for the big club off the roster sends a message throughout the organization that they mean fucking business -- the objective is winning. So if the Red Sox don't leave camp with Jackie Bradley Jr. heading for Fenway, what does that say?
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