Yeah, honestly something really strange is going on inside the Boston Red Sox organization. First, we were in on the top FA arms. Then we weren't - it was the next tier dudes the team could "afford." So, we got one (though maybe Giolito is actually tier 3 rather than tier 2), with the suggestion more was on the way - a tier 2 guy (Storman)? - nope. Another tier 3 guy (Paxton)?, nope. A trade using some of our redundancies? Nope. Then we'd get a RHH power bat (Teoscar, Soler). Nope, not that either, without moving some contracts, which hasn't happened.
Breslow and Werner said initially, no financial restraints. Then Kennedy says later, payroll will drop this year. That is a massive public 180 and suggests things are really confused inside that organization.
I mean - what the hell is going on???
My latest conspiracy-minded theory is not some financial scheme, but the John Henry is falling off his goddamn rocker, agreeing to spending one minute and then declining it the next, just an ever deteriorating crazy old man, our own modern day Howard Hughes. Or mad King George. And everybody's gotta dance around him and his irrational flip flops. I'm only mostly kidding.
Honestly, I don't think it's THAT hard to see what could very possibly be happening.
As to the "limitations", or lack thereof, I'd bet FSG told Breslow what they probably told DDski, and Bloom, and Breslow (and anyone else interviewing). Your annual budget is the same that it's always been, roughly $LTT. We'll greenlight going over, but your job is on the line with those kind of calls (based on results).
Breslow wanted to add two SPs, but thought that guys in the system might be valuable (FanGraphs thinks so) but outside of MAT, they're really nothing special and there is no pitching equivalent to Nick Yorke or whatever to add with him and get a pitcher. So that had to be crossed off.
*The mid tier's perplex me as well. I understand that they were waiting on Yamamoto, I've always said I thought that was a bad choice because there was no reason other than wishcasting to assume he'd come to Boston. But they made that call. I disagreed with it then, I disagreed with it after YY and I continue to disagree with it, but it is what it is.*
None of the one year deals matter. The team isn't good enough and wasn't going to be good enough with all those things falling through.
Hopefully now he actually does what should have been done a lot. Tear it down in terms of anyone and anything that won't be here in 2025+ (Jansen, Martin, if not extended Pivetta) and then sell all the other one years at the deadline.
It's not popular, but it's what should have been done in 2022 and 2023 and wasn't so finally someone is doing what should have done then, now. Hopefully now it will be. (If they reverse course and go sign Lorenzen, Soler and Ryu or some such, I'd agree with the "WTF" mindset).
Not worthy of it's own post, but I see no problem with what the Dodgers are doing. It's within the rules, and they're playing by them. The Sox manipulated the AAV mechanisms with extensions for years, Dodgers are doing something similar with the deferrals. It's extreme, sure, but it's well within the rules. Plus, they haven't won a "real" title in what, like 40 years, so I also get their desperation in that sense.