11/15: The Red Sox Had To Do It
Posted by: Jason
If your team collapsed and finished 11 games behind your rival, wouldn't you do anything possible to prevent your rival from getting better, and quite possibly leaving you (even further back) in the dust for 2007?
The RS were forced to bid like a James Bond villain because it was their only option to try to maintain, as Henry Kissinger would say, a balance of power in the east.
Another benefit for Lucchino and friends: If the RS do sign DM for between $85-$100m (including the posting bid) that directly increases Zito's leverage and indirectly increases the leverage of any other FA starting pitcher on Cashman's board.
That is, if the Red Sox are actually serious about signing DM, IMO the probability of that is still roughly 0.5 a.k.a. a coin flip.
The RS were forced to bid like a James Bond villain because it was their only option to try to maintain, as Henry Kissinger would say, a balance of power in the east.
Another benefit for Lucchino and friends: If the RS do sign DM for between $85-$100m (including the posting bid) that directly increases Zito's leverage and indirectly increases the leverage of any other FA starting pitcher on Cashman's board.
That is, if the Red Sox are actually serious about signing DM, IMO the probability of that is still roughly 0.5 a.k.a. a coin flip.
