Not all news is good news for the Red Sox this offseason.
The Tampa Bay Rays are expected to sign Felipe Lopez to a minor league deal before the end of the week, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. If Lopez does sign with the Rays, then the Red Sox, who signed the middle infielder after his release from the St. Louis Cardinals last season, would lose out on their sandwich pick — a pick that would come somewhere in the 55-60 range — for the Type B free agent.
Signing a Type B free agent such as Lopez doesn’t cost a team a pick, but it does net the team losing the player a sandwich pick, assuming the player was offered and declined arbitration. However, if the player fails to sign a major league deal with another team, his prior team is not compensated with a pick.
Lopez hit .233 last season with a .311 OBP and a .656 OPS. In four games late last season with the Sox, Lopez went 4-for-15 (.267).
