Change is becoming as routine as a pop fly for Shane Victorino.
Coming off a 2012 season in which the two-time All-Star was traded from his longtime Philadelphia Phillies to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the free-agent outfielder from Maui is on the move again.
Playing in the American League for the first time in a 10-year MLB career? Patrolling right field for the first time in years? Sign the Flyin’ Hawaiian up … for three years and $39 million with the Boston Red Sox. Victorino’s new deal, pending a physical on Wednesday in Boston, was first reported last Tuesday.
"I look at it as the game of baseball, and I love playing the game," Victorino said of his recent changes of scenery during a Sunday interview in Honolulu with the Star-Advertiser.
As a guy who made five straight trips to the postseason with the Phillies from 2007 to 2011 — including a World Series title in 2008 — missing out on the 2012 National League wild card by two games with the Dodgers was definitely new.
Meanwhile, clear across the country, Victorino heard all about the hashed and rehashed troubles of the Red Sox. Even during a playoff chase in another league. That’s the power of the BoSox brand.
The drama in the Sox clubhouse, revolving around manager Bobby Valentine, permeated Major League Baseball in 2012. It was capped off with Valentine’s termination after a single disappointing, controversial year. That, in turn, followed a late-season Boston meltdown in 2011 after which popular longtime manager Terry Francona was fired.
Now the speedy switch-hitter gets to be part of a rebuilt group tasked with turning Beantown around … and he couldn’t be happier.
"There’s been a lot of years where they haven’t been the team that they’re capable of being," Victorino said. "I’m sure it’s frustrating for them as fans, but you look at all the stuff that has happened, with the firing of Francona, the hiring of Valentine and now you let him go in a year … but ultimately I think it’s the franchise that I look at, and what the team is capable of with some of the guys. So I’m excited."
News broke of his deal as Victorino was just getting set for his annual charity golf classic, the participants of which included new teammate Clay Buchholz. He’s also familiar with second baseman Dustin Pedroia, having played alongside him in the World Baseball Classic.
In a new league, Victorino will have to learn new pitchers and tendencies on a nightly basis. But he said with today’s film and research equipment, he is up to the challenge. As for playing Fenway’s difficult right field, the three-time Gold Glover in center field shrugged it off, noting he spent a full year at right early in his career.
"I just want to go up there and focus on the game, and have fun," Victorino said. "I mean, there’s always going to be a lot of pressure and a lot of expectations. Especially with what has gone on (there) the last couple years. But you know, I’m not focused on that. I’m just ready to go."
Boston finished 69-93 in 2012, a whopping 26 games behind AL East champ and rival New York, leading Boston to hire Toronto manager John Farrell in the offseason.
The images of Boston conjured up in Victorino’s mind were less recent and more historical. As a Phillies player, he was impressed with the tradition during a handful of interleague games at Fenway Park.
"I’m excited for the opportunity to play for a storied franchise," said Victorino, who just turned 32 on Nov. 30. "A team that’s arguably one of the biggest franchises in baseball. You think about the Boston Red Sox and all the tradition, all the memories. Guys like Carlton Fisk to the Pedro Martinezes to the Manny Ramirezes. On and on and on. All the great players who have played there. Ted Williams, guys like that. I’m excited to put on the Red Sox uniform and to go to Fenway, it’s definitely one of my favorite fields being on the visiting side. I can only imagine what it’s going to be like as a home player."
Some analysts at major national media outlets reacted with surprise to the length and amount ($13 million a year, up from $9.5 million) of Victorino’s deal, which will take him into his mid-30s. He’ll be playing out of his traditional center field, which at present is occupied by Jacoby Ellsbury.
Victorino said Boston didn’t start out as the leader for his services, but emerged from the pack with the strong offer.
"They came along the way," he said. "They and a couple other teams. I had about seven or eight teams that were very interested. Ultimately it came down to where I’d be happy, where my family would be happy, where I would want to play."
Going into last season, the career .275 hitter was coming off a career year, with a WAR (wins above replacement) rating of 5.2 in 2011.
Victorino’s production in 2012 dipped to a combined .255 with 11 home runs and 55 RBIs between Philadelphia and L.A., but he stole a career-high 39 bases, which was third in the NL.
Philly, out of postseason contention, shipped him out in late July, ending an eight-year run there during which the energetic Victorino became a fan favorite.
With the Dodgers’ midseason acquisitions of him and Saint Louis School graduate Brandon League from Seattle, the Dodgers briefly seized the mantle of "Hawaii’s team."
Ultimately, the Dodgers finished 86-76, two games out in the wild card behind Atlanta and St. Louis. Victorino expressed a tinge of sadness that his stay there was a brief one.
"I loved my time in L.A. It’s close to home for me, a plane trip away from my family and my parents. A plane ride away from Vegas, where I make my offseason home. So many aspects that came into play. Great fan base again. A lot of excitement, ownership’s doing well, making the trades and signing free agents to make them the best possible team. All those things come into play.
"At the end of the day, it didn’t happen that way, unfortunately. Again, I’m just going to go on, play the game and focus on that."
