With the news breaking on Tuesday that former all-star Dustin Pedroia has suffered a major setback with his knee, will he finally listen to his body or will he keep risking further injury for no guarantees?
We have all heard and examined the case why Pedroia should have hung the cleats up by now. He has earned this right to keep trying to come back. However, it looks unlikely he will be ready for opening day. It feels like Eli Manning won’t be the only player having a retirement conference in the near future.
Everyone knows about the salary cap space it would save the Red Sox. Even though the main course of the offseason has switched to finding a new manager, this move could help fix a bullpen which already will have new faces in 2020. It could also help bring Brock Holt back to Boston, as he has shown a desire to stay with his former team. He has had a quiet offseason thus far, but his name has been mentioned more within the last couple of weeks.
He is still valuable to this team. His knowledge has helped him coach the youngsters Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers, as well as Holt. As we all know, he would rather be in the infield, but being in the dugout is just as helpful for the future of this organization.
While it seems unfair for him to go out due to a bad slide which caused a lingering injury (thanks, Manny Machado), he can still go out on his own terms. Regardless, he will always be beloved by the city of Boston, their fans, and respected throughout the league.