According to ESPN.com, the Red Sox players are preparing for a boycott the opening series of the MLB season in Japan.

According to the report, the players are being paid $40,000 in order to go on the lengthy 18 day trip, and the coaches were originally set to receive the same amount. However, word came that the coaches wouldn’t be paid, so there will be a players-only meeting on how to handle the situation.

According to the report, the money isn’t as important to Terry Francona but other coaches who are going on the trip. For other coaches besides Francona, $40,000 could be up to two-fifths of their salary.

Update: 12:15pm

According to ESPN.com, the Red Sox players unanimously voted to skip their final spring training game and skip boarding their plane to Japan, scheduled to depart this afternoon. This is all in protest of MLB stiffing the Red Sox coaches of $40,000 they should be owed for going on the trip to Japan.

In the article, Jayson Stark writes how the players are doing the right thing by standing up for their coaching staff, while in the end they will ultimately have to board the plane due to the potential international ramifications.

Update: 1:10 pm

An hour after the scheduled start of 12:07 pm, the Red Sox seem prepared to take the field and the speculation is that the situation has been resolved and they plan to board the plane to Japan later today.

Can’t say I’ve seen anything quite like this before. They definitely have the right to be angry, because according to the report it was originally agreed that the coaches would be getting paid. If this is true, and the MLB is just revoking the money–not cool MLB.

Update 7:30pm Dan

Its now being reported by multiple sources that the dispute has been resolved. According the the AP, the league will pay $20,000 to the Boston coaches, trainers, etc while the Red Sox will pay the difference to bring them up the $40,000. There is no word if a similar deal will or has been reached for the coaching staff of Oakland.