Morning sports update: Red Sox have the highest payroll in the league, Yankees 7th
Jayson Tatum scored 23 points as the Celtics rolled over the Suns 102-94.
Red Sox have the highest payroll in the league, Yankees 7th
The Red Sox will top the major leagues spending charts this season with a payroll of about $223 million, according to projections by the Associated Press. It’s the first year Boston has been the highest spender since at least 1990.
The San Francisco Giants ($203 million), Chicago Cubs ($183 million), Los Angeles Dodgers ($180 million), and Washington Nationals ($180 million) round out the top five. The Red Sox ended the Dodgers’ four-year run in first place.
The Yankees are in the seventh spot on the list, at around $167 million, New York’s lowest payroll since 2003 and their lowest ranking since 1992. Hal Steinbrenner, the Yankees owner, vowed to get under the luxury tax threshold this year after the team paid $341 million in penalties over 15 years.
In February, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner said he was “absolutely” bullish on the team’s chances in 2018, pointing out that Boston would have “if not the highest payroll in baseball, one of the two or three highest payrolls in baseball.” (ESPN)
Josh McDaniels on changing his mind, returning to the Patriots: In his first public remarks since reversing course and returning to New England instead of taking over as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, McDaniels explained his decision to The Boston Globe‘s Jim McBride. The offensive coordinator said that a meeting with Bill Belichick and Bob Kraft after Super Bowl LII was the impetus for his change of heart.
“I wasn’t 100 percent sure what the future was. I just hadn’t had any clarity on that,” McDaniels said. “So, where did I fit in? Were there any plans? I just didn’t have much clarity on what my role was here moving forward.”
After Belichick and Kraft answered his questions, McDaniels informed the Colts that he would not be accepting the position. Then he had to call the assistant coaches that were hired in Indianapolis when he verbally committed to the job.
“I spoke to all of them that night right away, shortly after I talked to Chris,” McDaniels said. “They were professionals. Like I said, it wasn’t easy for anybody. I apologized to them if it put them in an awkward position… Again, it was never my intention to go into this and put anybody in an awkward position or do any harm to anybody or do anything to hurt anybody’s career. That certainly wasn’t a part of my thought process. I just felt like, once I knew the whole picture and I had the opportunity to make a decision, it was tough but I feel like I made the right one.” (Boston Globe)
Markelle Fultz returned to action. Here’s how he played: Fultz played the Philadelphia 76ers’ first four games of the season before he was ruled out indefinitely in October with a shoulder injury. He returned Monday night against against the Nuggets with 10 points and eight rebounds, but also an airball and three blocked shots. (Boston.com)
#GOATMadness: A bracket of Boston’s greatest-ever athletes: Boston.com’s 64-person bracket has been narrowed down to the Final Four. Who is Boston’s greatest athlete of all time? Take your pick between Brady and Bird, Russell and Orr. Vote now.
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