Report: Red Sox told free agent they must shed payroll before ‘aggressively’ pursuing him
The Red Sox are reportedly more $36 million under the first CBT threshold of $237 million.
Craig Breslow and the Red Sox finally stoked the flames of the hot stove this weekend.
After signing starting pitcher Lucas Giolito to a two-year, $38.5 million contract on Saturday, Breslow pulled off a stunner of a trade the following day — dealing oft-injured southpaw Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves for infielder Vaughn Grissom.
But Red Sox fans hoping that this recent flurry of deals opens the floodgates for a spending spree in Boston might be in line for disappointment.
In his latest piece on MassLive.com, Chris Cotillo offered up some sobering reports about the Red Sox’s offseason approach — especially when it comes to the franchise’s willingness to spend following a third last-place finish in the last four seasons.
If Boston wants to add additional talent in the coming months, Cotillo reported that the team might have to subtract from the roster first.
“According to a baseball source, the Red Sox have told at least one free agent target that they need to shed more payroll before pursuing him as aggressively as they want to,” Cotillo wrote.
Such a strategy seems to be validated by Breslow’s previous moves this winter, such as swapping out Alex Verdugo’s contract for outfielder Tyler O’Neil in a separate deal. Based on arbitration estimates, Boston is expected to save a little under $4 million once those respective contracts are settled.
Even though Boston also reportedly sent along $17 million to the Braves to cover a majority of Sale’s contract in 2024, the Red Sox are still saving around $9 million in that deal.
But in the same offseason where teams like the Dodgers have flexed their fiscal might to the rest of the league, Boston has yet to show a willingness to get back to the first competitive tax threshold of $237 million.
Boston currently has a projected payroll of a little over $200 million — with close to $36 million available to spend before hitting that first threshold. The Red Sox could feasibly still hand out a hefty contract to a proven starter like Jordan Montgomery and remain under that threshold, without having to dump contracts in a corresponding move.
But based on Cotillo’s report, the Red Sox reportedly don’t seem to have a willingness to assert themselves as one of the top spenders in the league.
Cotillo offered up another interesting nugget in his story, especially as it pertains to that $237 million CBT threshold. While exceeding that limit usually stands as a barrier for most teams in terms of offseason spending, Boston reportedly may not view that number as the true ceiling for its spending parameters.
“According to baseball sources, the front office went into last winter with a mandated budget of $225 million, which was significantly under the first CBT threshold of $233 million,” Cotillo wrote. “Boston did not come close to paying the luxury tax in 2023, when the club finished last; estimations had Boston’s payroll just a hair over that $225 million mark by the end of the year.”
Despite Red Sox chairman Tom Werner’s claim of the team going “full throttle” this offseason, Boston’s spending habits have reportedly befuddled the rest of MLB, as well as several free agents.
“I’ve talked to a lot of agents this week and I made it a point to … talk to rival executives, talk to agents to see what the Red Sox were doing,” Chris Cotillo said on his “Fenway Rundown” podcast on Friday. “A few of them were just very clear – [the Red Sox] are acting like a small market team. ‘They like my player, but they are not going to be the aggressive bidders.’”
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