Red Sox prevail over Fernando Abad in arbitration hearing

An arbitration panel ruled in favor of the Boston Red Sox after a hearing to determine the 2017 salary for reliever Fernando Abad.

The Boston Red Sox must be relieved to learn that they have a bit of extra breathing room in their budget.

The team announced that they won their case in an arbitration hearing with Fernando Abad to determine the left-handed reliever’s salary for the upcoming season.

This marks the first time that the franchise has gone before an arbitration panel since 2002, when they won their case over Rolando Arrojo.

Abad was seeking a raise in his third year of arbitration eligibility from the $1.3 million he made last year. He’ll receive a generous bump in salary, but not as…