Red Sox: Three ways to dip under luxury tax while still contending
By Sean Penney
Non-tenders
The easiest way to cut payroll is by letting go of expendable players. Considering the team’s payroll constraints, we can start with the players hitting free agency. We shouldn’t expect to see Rick Porcello, Brock Holt, Mitch Moreland, or Steve Pearce return. Each has provided value in the past but they are either coming off down seasons or don’t have a clear path to playing every day. The Red Sox can replace them with cheaper options.
Next, we have the arbitration eligibles. These players aren’t signed yet to contracts for 2020 but they remain under team control. They can’t negotiate with other teams as a free agent – unless the Red Sox let them leave. The team could decline to tender them a contract, allowing them to hit the free-agent market.
From the list of 12 arbitration-eligibles on the Red Sox roster, we can find a few expendable pieces.
Chris Owings (projected $3 million) and Gorkys Hernandez ($1 million) are seldom used options the Red Sox added for depth late in the season but neither performed well enough to entice the team into bringing them back.
Sandy Leon is solid behind the plate but his anemic bat makes him a liability in the lineup. His value stems mostly from being Chris Sale‘s security blanket, which isn’t worth the $2.8 million he’s projected for. Boston can find a cheaper backup catcher.
Between injuries and suspension, Steven Wright ($1.5 million) was limited to 6 1/3 innings this year. He didn’t perform well in his limited time, posting an ERA north of 8.00 for the second time in the last three years.
Heath Hembree is a solid middle reliever but easily replaceable for less than $1.6 million.
Non-tendering those five players would shave nearly $10 million from Boston’s projected budget. They would need to replace their roster spots with pre-arbitration players making close to the minimum. Let’s conservatively say that cutting these five players saves the Red Sox $7 million. That puts the payroll projection at $221 million.