According to Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald, all three of the Boston Red Sox’ aces have chosen not to attend the tournament. Porcello had previously stated that he planned on skipping the event, leading Price and Sale to follow suit.
The news should be comforting to Red Sox fans that have seen the rotation thinned out in recent weeks. After trading Clay Buchholz and witnessing Eduardo Rodriguez suffer another injury, Sox fans across the nation should be applauding their star pitchers’ decisions. Sure, this move certainly hurts Jim Leyland and USA Baseball’s chances – but for those of us with a vested interest in the success of Sox, this is all positive.