Red Sox Spring Report: Will schedule devolve into chaos because of coronavirus fears?

Three things you need to know out of Fort Myers:

1. Coronavirus could play havoc with the Red Sox' early-season schedule.

Like all other leagues and conferences, Major League Baseball is taking a wait-and-see approach to dealing with the coronavirus. But in short order, there may have to be some decisions made and some could impact the Red Sox in the first few weeks of the season.

Following their first homestand, which concludes on Wednesday, April 8, the Red Sox will travel west for a seven-game West Coast trip with four games scheduled in Seattle (April 9-12) followed by three in Oakland (April 13-15).

The state of Washington has been one of the hardest hit by the virus to date and Gov. Jay Inslee has banned gatherings of more than 250 people in several counties, including King County, home to Seattle and T-Mobile Field, the Mariners' ballpark.



Things are similarly troublesome in the Bay Area, where Santa Clara County has also banned gatherings of 1,000 or more at least through the end of March. Oakland, where the A's play, is not yet affected, but it's close enough that similar bans could come in Alameda County, home to the A's. Also, the ballpark is owned by Alameda County and they could declare the Oakland-Alameda County Stadium off-limits even if MLB doesn't cancel games.

There are numerous possibilities in play here. Games could be shifted to Arizona spring training sites, or played in other neutral sites. It's also possible that the Red Sox could end up hosting those games at Fenway.

A lot can happen in a short period and perhaps the games will go on as scheduled. But there also exists the possibility of chaos to the early-season MLB schedule.

2. Red Sox now open to carrying three catchers

For much of the early Grapefruit League, the competition between Kevin Plawecki and Jonathan Lucroy for the backup catcher's spot was one of the most interesting job battles of the spring.

Now, it would seem, there's a way for both to make the team -- in part because of the advent of the 26-man roster.

Earlier in camp, manager Ron Roenicke said the club likely wouldn't keep three catchers. But with Plawecki enjoying a strong spring and Lucroy, having undergone offseason neck surgery, finally starting to look like the catcher who played for Roenicke for more than four seasons in Milwaukee, that possibility exists.

"Because our catchers are good offensively, it allows us to maybe carry three,'' Roenicke told reporters. "I think ideally, you always think about two. But the 26th man really allows you to go to three.''

That's especially true since Lucroy could also get some playing time at first base, where he's played 56 games over his career. Lucroy, especially if he hits like he once did, could either be the righthanded-part of a platoon at first with Mitch Moreland or someone who could at least play an occasional game there, while also serving as a right-handed bat off the bench.

Taking a third catcher would seem to make it tough for Rule 5 pick Jonathan Arauz to make the club. With four bench spots available, two would go catcher, another to a utility infielder (Tzu-Wei Lin?) and a fourth to Michael Chavis. Lin can also play the outfield and Roenicke has talked about taking a look at Chavis there, too.

That would squeeze out Arauz, who has to be kept on the 26-man roster (or the IL) for the entire season or be offered back to the Houston Astros.

2. Renewing Rafael Devers doesn't make sense.

Earlier this week, the Red Sox announced the signing of the remainder of the 40-man roster, including those players who don't yet qualify for salary arbitration (generally, players with a year or two major league service time). The list was unremarkable other than this: the team renewed third baseman Rafael Devers at a figure of $692,500.

Some background: players with limited service time don't have much leverage in contract negotiations. Teams usually determine what a player will be paid, though often, there is some haggling with agents over a few thousand here or there.

When a player is "renewed,'' however, it's a sign that the player (and his representatives) didn't agree with what was offered. It can poison the relationship between player and club, with ramifications down the road.

The practice isn't exactly rare -- the St. Louis Cardinals just did with top pitcher Jack Flaherty, much to his displeasure -- but it's hardly commonplace, either.

The Red Sox did it with Mookie Betts three winters ago, and who knows how that impacted future negotiations. Devers said he was unaffected by the contract. "It's not going to change how I approach the game or how I work,'' he told reporters.'' Betts had said essentially the same thing in 2017.

Teams hold the hammer in the early years of a player's service time before the player gains more power and control, and it's natural for a team to take advantage while it can.

But with some additional give and another $10,000 or $20,000, perhaps Devers would have been happier and a foundation could be laid for a contract extension.

Was saving that figure that important for the Red Sox?