Late on January 15, the baseball fans who were awake were taken aback, but not surprised that Kyle Tucker landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for an astronomical amount of money.
There were other big market, super rich teams in the race for his services, including the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets, but neither could beat the $240 million the Dodgers promised him over four years (and no one should, as his $60 million average annual value salary is the second-highest in the sport). The Blue Jays seemed like the likeliest candidate for Tucker based on the rumor mill in recent weeks, but LA swooped in at the last second to keep him out of the American League East.
The Dodgers have repeatedly shown that they'll go above and beyond to land top talent on the free agent market each winter and their two consecutive World Series titles speak for themselves. Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox won't even meet the market for their top priority players.
On January 10, the Red Sox let Alex Bregman leave for the Cubs over $10 million and a no-trade clause. He was the best free agent third baseman available and one of the most well-rounded players on the market. He was Boston's top target, but it refused to act like it.
This is not to say that the Red Sox need to spend like the Dodgers to be successful — very few teams have the capacity to spend at such a level. But Boston remains one of the biggest markets in MLB and one of the most profitable, but a small fraction of its revenue goes toward signing players.
Dodgers' Kyle Tucker signing puts Red Sox's Alex Bregman pursuit to shame
Money isn't everything and a key desire for Bregman when seeking his next — and hopefully final — club was security. However, the Red Sox's refusal to offer Bregman a no-trade clause, despite his status as a top player in this league and their No. 1 priority, goes back to finances.
The Red Sox refused to extend a five-year, $155 million deal to Pete Alonso because of his age. He's 31, and the organization views long-term deals for players over 30 as an unwise investment. But that's the age that many baseball players reach free agency for the first time, and that attitude wont win them any favor with players. Don't get it twisted — the Red Sox didn't offer Bregman a no-trade clause because they want the freedom to dump his salary if and when it becomes convenient for them.
Not only is that not a winning business model, as evidenced by Bregman's departure, but Boston has more than enough money to keep his salary money on the books for the duration of his contract, no matter how it plays out. The Red Sox haven't won a World Series without a payroll that ranks in the top four in MLB and the best teams take advantage of both the free agent and trade market.
Boston may now be forced to trade for another infielder to complete its roster after the 10 trades its already made to start this offseason — there's no need for the Red Sox to be prospect/player huggers, but being penny pinchers is just as bad, if not worse, for a team of their caliber.
Boston could learn a thing or two from LA. It may not have the same financial resources as the twice consecutive World Series champs, but they've shown that paying the right people produces results that get teams to the postseason. Bregman was the best fit with the Red Sox, and they'll feel his absence this coming season.