Owner: Red Sox too reliant on analytics

AFTER THEIR new players added up to another last-place finish, the owner of the Boston Red Sox figured out the team's math was wrong.

"I think we were reliant too heavily on analytics," John Henry said Wednesday.

The Red Sox, with ace sabermetrician Bill James in their front office, have helped lead the majors-wide movement toward using advanced numbers to make decisions.

Henry reconsidered that strategy after Boston finished last in the AL East for the second straight year, and for the third time in four seasons.

"I spent at least two months looking under the hood and I came to the conclusion we needed to make some changes," Henry said. "One of the things we've done - and I'm fully accountable for this - is we have perhaps overly relied on numbers and there were a whole host of things."

"I was shocked at how bad we were last year," he said.

The Red Sox brought in two high-priced free agents before last season - Pablo Sandoval for five years at $95 million and Hanley Ramirez for four years at $88 million. Both had tremendously disappointing seasons as Boston went 78-84.

Henry said it was not one particular miscalculation the team made last year that bothered him. "I would say the more I looked from my own perspective, the more I found not to be happy about," he said.

He came to the conclusion that a change in philosophy was needed. "We were never as far toward analytics as people thought we were," Henry said. "And even now - I'm an analytics guy - I think we needed more of a balance."

* Baltimore signed righthander Yovani Gallardo to a restructured contract for two years and $22 million with an $11 option. He had agreed to a three-year, $35 million deal on Saturday, pending the results of medical tests.

* Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton will start the season on the disabled list because of an injured left knee. Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine said the five-time All-Star, bothered by swelling in the knee, received a stem cell and platelet rich plasma injection Monday, when he was examined by Dr. James Andrews. Hamilton is projected to need eight weeks of recovery time.

* Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said he found it "surreal" to see GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump "threaten" his mother on Twitter over her political contributions. Earlier this week, Trump posted a tweet that said: "I hear the Ricketts family, who own the Chicago Cubs, are secretly spending $'s against me. They better be careful, they have a lot to hide!" The reference was to a reported campaign contribution made by Ricketts' mother, Marlene, to an anti-Trump PAC. Marlene Ricketts is married to Joe Ricketts, the billionaire founder of T.D. Ameritrade.

* The Dodgers signed 41-year-old righthander Jamey Wright to a minor league deal.

* The suspension of New York Mets reliever Hansel Robles was cut from three games to two after he agreed to drop his appeal. He was penalized for throwing near the head of the Phillies' Cameron Rupp on Sept. 30 after both teams had been warned.