McAdam: Mitch Moreland makes some concessions to age

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Mitch Moreland won't kid himself. He's older now and battled a series of nagging knee and back injuries the last few years, so the notion that he's still an everyday player at 34 is probably not a realistic one.

Still, Moreland isn't above performing some mental gymnastics as he slips past baseball's middle age bracket.

"It's kind of like you're tricking your mind a little bit,'' said Moreland. "I try to tell myself every day -- we play 162 games and I'm going to be ready to play 162 days. That's what I'm telling myself. Whether I'm coming in off the bench and getting two at-bats or playing the whole game, whatever they need me to do. That's always been my mindset and that's the way I'm going to keep it. I'm going to prepare every day. Maybe I'll mix in a recovery day every now and then, for sure.''

But Moreland can do the math and see the numbers. In each of his last two seasons with the Sox, the number of games he's played and the at-bats he's claimed have diminished. After playing in 149 games in 2017, he dipped to 124 in 2018 and then to 91 last year.



It's impossible to ignore that trend, and even if you did, there was the matter-of-fact statement from Ron Roenicke this week, acknowledging that Moreland is no longer someone who's going to play 140 games.

That wasn't meant as a shot at Moreland or a reflection of a lack of confidence in him. It was just the realization that Moreland can best serve the club by being part of a platoon, giving him time to recover from the beating his body takes over the course of a season, while still making himself invaluable as a late-inning defensive replacement or a potent bat off the bench.

So Moreland has quietly come to terms with the reduced playing time. But he's intent on staying ready and making himself available when called upon.

"I know what my job is and I know what I'm supposed to do,'' Moreland said. "That's the way I prepare every day. But as far as the preparation goes and the mindset goes, I keep the mindset that I'll be coming in to play. Maybe I don't start, but I've got two big at-bats late in the game that I need to be ready for and if you shut off in the beginning, it's hard to crank it back up. I understand (my workload is diminishing), but at the same time, I keep the mindset I've had since I started playing.''

Moreland can still be a fearsome offensive performer, especially against righties, against whom he compiled an .887 OPS last season. But he can still make contributions when he's not in the lineup. He can work with Michael Chavis around the first base bag, or he can put Rafael Devers in touch with Moreland's former Texas teammate, Adrian Beltre.

As he took his seat on the bench the Red Sox PR staff reserves for the team's stars in their first-week media sessions, Moreland remarked that this was the first time he had been afforded the honor.

At 34 -- he'll turn 35 late this season -- Moreland is, with current absence of Dustin Pedroia, the oldest Red Sox player in camp, and the owner of the most major league service time.

In part because of his age and in part because the Red Sox were, until recently, watching every dollar as they attempted to reduce their payroll, Moreland spent much of the winter uncertain of where he would be this year. Finally, in late January, the Sox extended a $3 million contract for 2020 with an option for 2021.

Like other 30-something free agents in recent years, Moreland had to be patient.

"It doesn't get any easier to go through it,'' Moreland. "It was a little tougher this year. Going through it as a family, probably more than anything, was a little bit tougher. But at the same time, I've kind of been through a little bit of (the waiting) before, so I wasn't completely surprised. I wasn't caught off-guard by it. It seemed like it wasn't going to happen (with the Sox) early. I talked to a few other teams that seemed pretty interested, then it seemed like it kind of shifted back around.

"It's definitely not something that's easy to go through as far as the family aspect of it. When you have a wife and kids and you're trying to figure out where you're going to live, where you're going to be. I'm thankful it did (work out). Like I said, this is where I wanted to play.''

Even if, by now, he knows that he won't be playing as often.