Roy Halladay or Dan Haren or Victor Martinez or Adrian Gonzalez, here we come.
It was clear that Ortiz’s teammates rallied around him after the news broke. Moving forward, there will be even more attention, and not the good kind. There’s never a good time for a revelation such as this, but a massive trade could certainly divert attention from the story.
It may not be the sole reason to make a big deal, perhaps giving up a little more than they want to, but it’s an opportunity to acquire an immediate positive reinforcement as the Sox go on the road to Baltimore, Tampa Bay, and New York, where there will b e no mercy.
After yesterday’s dramatic win, the Sox were three games behind the Yankees (who were at the White Sox last night) and fending off the Rangers for the wild card. The Yankees had to go through this sideshow with Alex Rodriguez in spring training and upon his return to the lineup after recovering from hip surgery, but they had a lot of time early in the season to recover from the news. The Red Sox will not have that luxury.
The news about Ortiz came a day before the trading deadline, with fans wondering if the team can make the playoffs and waiting on the edge of their seats to see whether Epstein will make a move.
“It’s disappointing,’’ Epstein said. “I’ve known him for a long time. I respect him as a person. We care about him. He’s meant a lot to us so we support him. Secondly, we admire his approach to this, which is he’s not gonna run from it, or hide from it.
“The first thing he had to find out was whether he tested positive. He found out this afternoon after talking to the union. And now he needs to find out what he tested positive for. He needs to get answers and then he’s going to stand up and answer everyone’s questions. I admire that courage.’’
Epstein said the story could be a distraction “if we allow it to become a distraction. But David’s approach is he’s not gonna hide, find out the facts, and then answer questions, and that should help prevent it from becoming a distraction. The organization supports him. His teammates support him.’’
