FanShot

A Case Study: Red Sox

5

We've had a lot of talk about whether AA should sign that big FA or go after Yu Darvish or taking a lot of prospects and blowing the bounty on Tulo (?) or Felix (both trades extremely unlikely.) I'm of the viewpoint of "If the FA or trade costs are unreasonable and for too long a term (cough, Boras, cough) then I'd pass" and I think that the Jays are maybe one year away from really becoming a regular playoff contender in the AL (B)East. I believe that many a potential contender ruined themselves by "going all in" prematurely. Any sane Leafs fan or sad faced Orioles fan can tell you that. It took Pat Gillick 5 years (3 of which ended in major heartbreak) of "standing pat" (aside from relatively small trades for the likes of Al Oliver, Tom Candiotti and Phil Niekro) before he made the big moves and FA signings that put the Jays on top. This article makes a lot of my case for me from a Red Sox perspective as in what happens when you lose financial flexibility and drain the Farm System (yes, the Red Sox can smile about the 2 WS wins, but I suspect the Red Sox won't have much to celebrate for a while.) 1) They're tapped out money wise thus have no ability to "reload" on FAs to fix an injury riddled pitching staff. 2) The team has gotten older (especially key players) 3) Few prospects in the high minors to replace injured players or be used in a trade for MLB quality replacements 4) On the verge having to make a Sophie's Choice... letting go of Ellsbury so they can pay Pedroia and Lester, etc. 5) Uncertainty in the FO