Red Sox News & Links: David Ortiz Is Being . . . Extorted?!?!?

So the Red Sox season probably ended this week, after they were swept by the Houston Astros, one of their direct competitors for the final Wild Card slot. Things probably can’t get much worse in Red Sox Nation, right? Not so fast! David Ortiz is, uhh, being extorted(!!), as nefarious criminal elements have hacked into his phone. It’s been an interesting retirement for Papi, huh. (Bob Hohler, Boston Globe)

So I guess Papi’s not going to be around to give any advice to Rafael Devers any time soon, which is too bad, because he’s struggling to go the other way right now and Alex Cora has acknowledged that he’s been battling his mechanics for much of the season. (Julian McWilliams, Boston Globe)

Speaking of the potential need for mechanical tweaks, Marcelo Mayer has hit a speed bump in AA, while Roman Anthony is striking out a bit too much in high-A. But both prospects were named in Jim Bowden’s top 50 list, along with Ceddanne Rafaela. (Jim Bowden, The Athletic)

Ceddanne was all the way up at #19 on Bowden’s list, but he’s completely missing the cut on other top 100s. What he does over the next month could have a big impact on his status inside the game, and he started with an RBI yesterday. (Greg Dudek, NESN)