The Boston Red Sox said they wouldn’t
raise ticket prices for 2012 after the team lost a nine-game
lead for a playoff spot in the final month of the Major League
Baseball season.

“Many in Red Sox Nation have experienced economic
difficulties, and every fan has gone through some trying times -
- particularly at the end of the 2011 season — as the team fell
short of our goal of reaching the postseason,” team President
Larry Lucchino said in an e-mailed statement. “The
decision to hold ticket prices next season is just one of many
ways we hope to show our gratitude.”

The team parted ways with manager Terry Francona, who led
Boston to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007, after the season
and let General Manager Theo Epstein leave the team for a job
with the Chicago Cubs.

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

Major League Baseball will announce the 2011 American League MVP Award Nov. 21. Here are five candidates to watch based upon their regular season performances.

Jacoby Ellsbury(notes)

Jacoby Ellsbury of the Boston Red Sox had a .321 batting average to go along with 39 stolen bases and 32 home runs. Ellsbury was one of four Red Sox players with an average above .300 in their vaunted lineup. The outfielder has spent all five years of his career in Boston and had a career high with 105 RBIs in 2011.

Curtis Granderson(notes)

Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees led the American League with 119 RBIs on 41 home runs. He also had a great all-around performance with 25 stolen bases. The center fielder had his most productive Major League season in his eight-year career in 2011 despite having just a .262 average. Granderson had 11 more home runs than his previous best seasonal mark and over 30 RBIs more than his 2007 season with the Detroit Tigers.

Adrian Beltre(notes)

Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers had one of his best seasons ever. He only played in 124 games but his stats belie a meteoric season had he played in all 162. Beltre had 105 RBIs, 32 home runs and a .296 batting average. What is most amazing is that he had only 53 strikeouts to go along with 25 walks.

Adrian Gonzalez(notes)

Adrian Gonzalez of the Boston Red Sox had a .338 batting average in 2011 along with 117 RBI and 27 home runs. Although he didn’t lead the league in any of these three categories, Gonzalez was the best hitter on a team full of them. Three of his mates were on his trail batting above .300 with over 20 home runs.

Jose Bautista(notes)

No one dominated the American League’s batting categories more than Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays. All of his stats were above and beyond for one person despite playing on a team that finished with a .500 record. Bautista had 43 home runs to lead the AL. He had 103 RBIs, good enough for 10th place. His most amazing stat was that he did all of this despite league-leading 132 walks and 111 strikeouts. Bautista finished with a .302 average but led the American League with an on base percentage of 1.056. This past season was Bautista’s best overall.

William Browning was born in St. Louis and is a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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Read More: Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs

The Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig have agreed Wednesday to grant the Red Sox and Cubs a one-week extension as they work to come to an agreement regarding the compensation the Red Sox will get in exchange for their former general manager, Theo Epstein, who took the same job with the Cubs on Oct. 26.

The teams were originally given a Nov. 1 deadline and Selig had said earlier that if a deal were not cemented by that date, he would intervene. Clearly, he has changed his mind.

“We’re going to have a little more time to work it out,” Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said, according to ESPN Boston. “I’m not sure exactly how much, at least a week, I would guess. I think this is just a practical decision, with everything going on, Theo in Chicago, for us here with a managerial search and whatnot, just haven’t had a lot of time to spend on it. So we got a little more time and hopefully will have a little more time to talk about it.”

For Cherington, coming to an agreement is difficult because there is not much precedent as far as what a team should be compensated in exchange for its general manager.

“Because of that, our position has been we have to look at this particular circumstance,” Cherington said. “There was an understanding, again, at the very beginning the Red Sox would get significant compensation if Theo left to go to Chicago. That’s been the challenge, agreeing on what significant means.

“But I think again, in Theo’s case, if we rewind the clock this was not someone who ownership was looking to push out the door in any way and we were still in a position of having a really good team in 2012. He was under contract, and then we had a manager leaving, we had a manager search going on, so there were a lot of things going on at the time that made him leaving perhaps challenging. I think that’s where our ownership feels we need to be compensated for that.”

Visit Over the Monster for complete Red Sox coverage all offseason and our team page for schedules, statistics, news and more.

Departing Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein did some of his best work for Boston in the amateur draft. Epstein and his staff worked wonders on rebuilding a minor league system that was top-heavy and shallow entering the 2003 season. During Epstein’s tenure, the Red Sox have integrated a wealth of young talent including several Major League stars. He leaves the Red Sox having drafted four players who have earned All-Star invites so far, plus a very deep system with a great deal of potential down the road.

Dustin Pedroia(notes):

Boston’s second round pick in 2004 and Epstein’s best pick, Dustin Pedroia has developed into the franchise player for the Red Sox. The Red Sox drafted Pedroia out of Arizona State where he won a national Defensive Player of the Year award and twice hit .400. Two years later, he made his Major League debut. Pedroia owns an MVP, a Rookie of the Year award, a World Series ring and three All-Star selections. Through 715 games in the majors, he has a career .305 batting average with a .373 on-base percentage, 479 runs scored, 344 RBI, 75 home runs, 82 stolen bases and 24.5 wins above replacement (WAR).

Jonathan Papelbon(notes):

In 2003, the Red Sox drafted All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon in the fourth round of Epstein’s first draft as GM. After working out of the bullpen at Mississippi State, Papelbon started for the next two-plus seasons in the minors. He debuted in the majors as a starter in 2005, but when Boston needed bullpen help he returned to his familiar role and never looked back. Over the last seven seasons, he has posted a 2.33 ERA with 509 strikeouts and 17.1 WAR in 429.1 innings. He owns Boston’s all-time saves record with 219 having recorded more than 30 per season every year since 2006.

Jacoby Ellsbury(notes):

2011 American League MVP candidate Jacoby Ellsbury was Boston’s top pick in the 2005 draft. The speedy Oregon State center fielder hit at least .298 at every stop in the minors en route to his 2007 Major League debut. He played so well during his initial call-up that he displaced Coco Crisp(notes) as the starter and was a key player in Boston’s 2007 World Series Championship. After missing most of 2010 with a lingering rib injury, Ellsbury broke out with an incredible 2011 season that included a .321 average, 32 home runs, 105 RBI, 119 runs scored and 39 steals.

Clay Buchholz(notes):

All-Star starting pitcher Clay Buchholz joined the Red Sox in the supplemental first round in 2005. Buchholz mowed down minor league hitters and climbed two levels per year until bringing his outstanding four-pitch arsenal to Boston in 2007. He made an early splash with a no-hitter in just his second MLB game before having to learn to cope with his first struggles in the pros. Since permanently joining the Red Sox rotation in mid-2009, he has posted a 3.10 ERA with a 9.2 WAR in 348.1 innings.

Daniel Bard(notes):

Fireballing relief pitcher Daniel Bard was Boston’s second selection of the 2006 draft. Bard overcame control problems as a starter and became a full-time reliever in 2008 when he began bolting up the minor league ladder. Since joining the Red Sox in 2009, he has proven himself to be an excellent setup man with stretches where he is virtually unhittable. Bard has a career 2.88 ERA with 213 strikeouts in 197 innings out of the Red Sox bullpen.

Honorable mentions: Justin Masterson(notes), David Murphy(notes) and Jed Lowrie(notes).

Sources:

Boston Red Sox Team History and Encyclopedia, Baseball-Reference.com

SoxProspects.com

William Menna is a native New Englander and longtime Boston sports fan.

More from this contributor:

Top five free agents signed by Theo Epstein

John Lackey’s future with the Red Sox is up in the air

Red Sox playoff hopes rest on health of pitching staff

Five things to watch for in the Bruins 2011-12 season

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The Boston Red Sox initially wanted Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Matt Garza to be included as compensation for general manager Theo Epstein, but the Cubs refused, according to major league sources.

Talks began a week ago, after Epstein and the Cubs agreed in principle to a five-year deal worth between $15-20 million, sources said.

Recently the teams have been discussing minor leaguers as compensation, according to the sources.

Aside from compensation, another hold-up in the negotiations is believed to be which front-office personnel Epstein can bring to Chicago, according to ESPNBoston.com, which reported that the Red Sox were not going to allow Epstein to take any members of his inner circle. That could have changed, however, during negotiations.

Major League Baseball rules state a club has seven days to sign a person under contract to another team. This goes into effect after the team was granted permission to meet the employee. Teams can ask for an extension if the conversation appears to be ongoing, according to a major league source.

Epstein was still in Boston on Monday morning, according to a source.

Major League Baseball prohibits major announcements during the World Series, which starts Wednesday. However, there have been exceptions. In October, 2009, the Cubs were able to announce the purchase of 95 percent of the team from Sam Zell and Tribune Co., by the Ricketts family for $855 million. The announcement came between the second and third games of the World Series between the New York Yankees and Phillies on a travel day.

Bruce Levine covers baseball for ESPNChicago.com and ESPN 1000.

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It has now been a week since word first broke that Theo Epstein was on the verge of signing with the Chicago Cubs. And it has been five days since Epstein agreed a five-year $15 million contract with the Cubs.

And yet here we sit, a week later, and Epstein is still the general manager of the Boston Red Sox, as both sides continue to negotiate compensation. Epstein still has one year remaining on his Red Sox contract.

One report says that the negotiations between the Cubs and Red Sox have grown increasingly contentious, and that Red Sox president Larry Luccino is trying to make it difficult for Epstein to take his “dream situation” with the Cubs. Another report states that the Red Sox want two top prospects from the Cubs system, something that would handicap Epstein’s job right out of the gate.

But at this point, can the two sides walk away from a deal? And is there any way Epstein can remain GM of the Red Sox for the 2012 season?

Not likely.

At some point, Bud Selig and Major League Baseball will have to get involved. The Red Sox have already named Epstein’s replacement, and the relationship between Epstein and the Sox would appear to be irreparable.