BoSox Injection
Fansided

Red Sox free agent moves for FanSided’s faux GM simulation

By Sean Penney

BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 18: Dave Dombrowski the President of Baseball Operations of the Boston Red Sox stands at home plate before a game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on September 18, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox won 5-4. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 18: Dave Dombrowski the President of Baseball Operations of the Boston Red Sox stands at home plate before a game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on September 18, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox won 5-4. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 15: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals waits for the pitch from the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on September 15, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo by Kelly Kline/GettyImages)
ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 15: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals waits for the pitch from the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on September 15, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo by Kelly Kline/GettyImages) /

Rules and Strategy

Before we break down the moves I made in this simulation, let me first explain my strategy. As the reigning World Series champions, the Red Sox already have a loaded roster that doesn’t need any drastic changes. This isn’t the year to make a splashy free agent signing or a blockbuster trade. My goal was to bring as much of the band back together as possible, which led me to focus on retaining our own free agents.

I also aimed to be realistic. Sure, it would be fun to pretend I had a limitless budget and make a play for Manny Machado or Bryce Harper. Maybe I could have emptied what’s left of the farm system for another elite starting pitcher. That’s never going to happen though, which in my mind defeated the purpose of the exercise.

Boston had MLB’s highest payroll in 2018 and will be hit with a hefty luxury tax bill, in addition to draft pick ramifications, to penalize them for their free-spending ways. Ownership can’t say it wasn’t worth it when the end result was a championship but it’s not a sustainable strategy every year. The Red Sox will almost certainly be a tax team again next year but they will want to keep the payroll from rising $40+ million above the threshold again in order to avoid the steepest penalties. I was mindful of this when making free agent decisions, ensuring the signings I made wouldn’t result in the budget getting out of control.

The Red Sox have seven players hitting free agency and I managed to bring back three of them. Let’s take a look at who I brought back and why.

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