You guys move fast. I was trying to sift through, thinking someone like the Nationals, Dodgers, Angels (if they loose out on the "A" guys and feel pressured to do *something*), or Reds (loosing Cordero) shouldn't spend that kind of money, but might be silly enough to. Particularly if they see Madson as a bargain they can't resist.I fear that you might be right about Madson, HSF, getting more than the Bell contract, but from whom?
So, when you look at all 30 situations, absent the Orioles, Reds, White Sox or Dodgers doing something pretty obviously ill advised given where they are in the success cycle, it's hard to see against whom the Red Sox would be bidding.
You may well be right, but when has an accomplished free agent signed a deal that made you think - 'wow, what a bargain!' Rarely at best, and regardless, it looks a lot like the Papi situation in reverse - no matter what we would be willing to spend on him, it's very likely someone else will value him just enough more that he goes elsewhere. Even if he signs Bell's deal here, which would be more than fair, I'm really skeptical that the Sox will effectively lock themselves into going over the tax cap. Hopefully they feel the pressure of the '11 train wreck and 3 years of playoff drought and open their coffers - for Madson or Darvish. But given what Cherington has said about tinkering around under the hood, I'm not optimistic.
