Red Sox turn to Shumpert
The Red Sox yesterday interrupted their talks aimed at completing multiyear deals with Trot Nixon, David Ortiz, and Byung Hyun Kim long enough to reach an agreement on a non-guaranteed minor league deal with journeyman infielder Terry Shumpert.
Shumpert, 37, whose signing is expected to be officially announced today, has hit .252 with a .315 on-base percentage over 14 seasons with the Royals, Red Sox, Cubs, Padres, Rockies, and Devil Rays. He will be invited to Boston's major league camp in spring training, giving him a chance to emerge as the team's 25th man.
The development underscores the front office's commitment to acquiring inexpensive bench players after the Sox pushed their budget over the $120.5 million luxury tax threshold with major investments in Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke. Shumpert would earn close to the major league minimum of $300,000, which he made last year while batting .190 in 59 games for the Devil Rays. He appeared in 21 games for the Sox in 1995 before he was optioned to Triple A Pawtucket.
A righthanded hitter who has played every position but pitcher and catcher, Shumpert would be a less expensive alternative to Damian Jackson or Lou Merloni, each of whom the Sox cut loose after the season. Shumpert lacks Jackson's speed, though he is considered a savvy base runner. If he were to make the team, his role most likely would be limited to serving as a late-game defensive replacement.
The Sox bench, which remains a work in progress, so far includes Doug Mirabelli, Gabe Kapler, Mark Bellhorn, and David McCarty, with Shumpert and Brian Daubach the leading candidates to join them.
Meanwhile, the Sox continued to work toward reaching agreements with Nixon, Ortiz, and Kim, their three remaining unsigned players who are eligible for salary arbitration. Teams and players were scheduled to exchange arbitration figures by today, and the Sox hoped to complete deals with Nixon, Ortiz, and Kim before the arbitration hearings begin Feb. 1. The Sox agreed with Scott Williamson on a one-year, $3.175 million deal Saturday, avoiding arbitration.
