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The Boston Red Sox have taken the field for their final spring training game in Florida, which started an hour late as a result of a pay dispute for their upcoming trip to Japan.

A dispute with Major League Baseball about an appearance fee of approximately $480,000 per team to coaches, trainers and equipment staff of the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics for games in Japan had left in question the series in Japan and Wednesday's scheduled Grapefruit League game between the Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays.

Wednesday's game, scheduled to start at 12:05, was delayed over an hour after Red Sox players voted unanimously to not make the trip or play their final Grapefruit League game at City of Palms Park.

Team spokesman John Blake would not say how the dispute was settled.

"Everyone connected with the trip will be fairly compensated," baseball spokesman Rich Levin said.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona and his coaches - as well as the players - assumed they would receive the $40,000 stipend that each player will recieve for two games to be played in Japan. Francona, however, found out that was not going to be the case after a telephone conversation with members of the Athletics coaching staff. When he checked further, he was stunned to learn they would not be paid - although Red Sox's pitcher Curt Schilling, who was in on negotiations over the trip, maintained their had been a verbal commitment to do so.

"I did not have an off day yesterday. I had the phone glued to my ear because I was promised some answers and I haven't even received a phone call," Francona said Wednesday. "So I'm a little bit stuck. What I want to do this morning is get excited to play a baseball game and what I ended up doing is apologizing to the coaches and being humiliated."

Each team is taking a total of 12 coaches, trainers and equipment staff.

''When we voted to go to Japan, that was not a unanimous vote,'' Red Sox's third baseman Mike Lowell told the Boston Globe. "But we did what our team wanted us to do for Major League Baseball. They promised us the moon and the stars and then when we committed, they started pulling back. It's not just the coaches, it's the staff, the trainers, a lot of people are affected by this. I'm so super proud of this team, when we put it to a vote it was unanimous, we're all in agreement that we're not going to put up with this.''

Jason Varitek said players thought it was necessary to take a stand on behalf of the coaches and staff.

"They're the basis of what takes care of us," he said.

Oakland pitcher Alan Embree said he supported Boston's stance.

"I think we'll get together and talk about it. I was under the impression that everybody was taken care of," Embree said. "I don't care how they split it up, who's at fault, they just need to fix it."

He said a Boston player contacted him Wednesday morning. Oakland players planned to meet to discuss the situation before their exhibition game against a Chicago Cubs' split squad.

"For those guys to take that stance — they're veterans. They feel strongly about it, and they brought it to the attention of higher-ups," Embree said. "We have to fix it one way or the other. ... Coaches deserved compensation. They're going over there, too, and every little bit counts."

Red Sox's player representative Kevin Youkilis explained the issue to Blue Jays player representative Vernon Wells during batting practice.

Wells said the Blue Jays players would support whatever the Red Sox did, adding that he'd "carry a sign if they wanted me to." The 2 1/2-hour bus trip from Dunedin to Fort Myers is among the least favourite excursion for players.

Wells waited in the Blue Jays dugout while the Red Sox's players met after BP and closed their clubhouse. At 11:48, Jonathan Papelbon strode over to inform him no agreement had been made. An announcement was made over the stadium public address system that if the dispute was not resolved by 12:30, the game would be cancelled and the Red Sox's players would instead sign autographs.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox's scheduled starter, was told to go pitch at the teams minor league complex against the Minnesota Twins Triple-A Rochester affiliate.