Daily Red Sox Links: Joe West, Red Sox Farm System, MLB Lockout

John Tomase takes a look at the recently released Baseball America Farm System rankings. Ranked number 11 overall, the Red Sox are the highest they’ve been since 2017. (John Tomase; NBC Sports Boston)

Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association are still at a complete standstill. With neither side seemingly willing to blink first, the March 31st Opening Day at Fenway is officially in jeopardy. (Khari Thompson; Boston.com)

The Player’s Union officially rejected MLB’s proposed help from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. MLB still claims that the goal is an on-start time and for fans to be in seats, but with each passing day, that goal seems to be just a pipe dream. (Tom Verducci; Sports Illustrated)

After a record 5,460 MLB games called behind home plate, and 46 seasons, umpire Joe West has retired. (Mike Chiari; Bleacher Report)

Major League Baseball wants to use the statistic, Wins Above Replacement, more commonly referred to as WAR, as a means to evaluate player bonuses. (Jack Baer; Yahoo! Sports)