Red Sox Run Very Differently Than Yankees

It's easy to group the Red Sox and the Yankees together. Heck, during the Rays' amazing run last summer the two ancient rivals almost became one word. ('Can the upstart Rays really hold off the YankeesandRedSox?'). And the rush to mash them into one Northeast superpower makes sense, at least on the surface.

Rabid fanbases that are more alike than they would like to admit. Century-old tradition. Deep coffers. Expectations of success that would seem ridiculous anywhere else. There's no doubt the franchises have plenty in common.

But from a baseball operations standpoint, it's getting harder and harder to see numerous similarities. Consider the players Boston has signed this winter: Brad Penny, Josh Bard, Rocco Baldelli and John Smoltz. CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett those guys ain't.

Of course, the Red Sox are still big spenders. They were something like $12 million short in the Teixeira sweepstakes, depending on who you believe, and they've given out a few whoppers over the years like the Daisuke Matsuzaka ($103 million between the posting fee and his contract) and J.D. Drew ($70 million) deals.

Perception doesn't quite match reality, though. Matsuzaka and Drew are the only free agents to receive deals worth more than $50 million since Theo Epstein took over as general manager. David Ortiz is the only other player to receive a deal in excess of that under the Epstein regime.

They've still spent quite freely -- $36 million for Julio Lugo, $37.5 million for an aging Mike Lowell, $8 million for a lost season of Curt Schilling -- but the point here is that they're not even in the same universe as the Yankees, some of it by design and some of it by necessity.

Excluding this year's glut of signings, the Yankees have crossed the $50 million threshold with four different players since 2006 alone. That's created a cycle in New York where big-money free agents are used to paper over weaknesses and holes left by other aging big-money free agents.

On top of it all, they very rarely let their own guys go and are willing to wildly overpay and/or bid against themselves to keep them -- that includes everyone from Jorge Posada to Alex Rodriguez. The Red Sox, conversely, allowed Derek Lowe, Pedro Martinez and Johnny Damon to walk away in their respective primes the moment their contract demands became too steep.

It's a game that no team other than the Yankees can afford to play. That isn't a value judgment, by the way -- the Yankees operate well within the rules -- but it is a reality for Boston and the rest of the AL East. The Red Sox have a financial advantage over the rest of their division, but they leverage it in a much different way.

They invest more in the draft than just about any other team and that filters through the rest of their organization. Because of it, they have exceptional depth (preventing them from signing a bunch of big ticket free agents every year just to compete) and flexibility (allowing them to extend the players they really value -- most recently Dustin Pedroia -- and to swing blockbuster trades without watering down the farm system -- think Josh Beckett and Jason Bay).

It also explains Boston's strategy in free agency. It will make exceptions for players like Teixeira, yes, but generally it avoids enormous financial commitments on the open market, settling instead for a series of short-term, high-dollar wagers.

The Red Sox can not afford to go dollar-for-dollar with the Yankees, but they can afford something that most teams -- including the Braves and Rays and Dodgers this winter -- can not, a $5 million bet on Penny here, another $5 million bet on Smoltz there and a $500,000 bet on Baldelli.

It's possible -- maybe even likely -- that at least one of those players will completely flame out next year in Boston. It might get very little return from all three. But the potential is there for any one of them to pay off in a big way. With the Red Sox as talented and as wealthy as they are, those gambles are well worth it.

The Yankees, well, they don't gamble in free agency, they go right out and buy the whole casino. Both teams have had plenty of success this decade, but it's time to realize that they've gone about it in very different fashion.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

1-08-2009 @ 9:48PM

Murph said...

great read

1-08-2009 @ 9:50PM

Rich said...

The Sox were able to trade for Beckett because they could take on Mike Lowell's then onerous $9 million per year contract. The Yankees couldn't. The Yankees' inability to make that trade is a primary reason why the Yankees had to sign CC and the Sox didn't.

Consequently, big bucks facilitates both franchises decisions. For example, the Sox will give Beckett a huge contract if he remains healthy when he becomes a FA, just as they gave Drew a ton of money., and will likely give Bay big bucks.

Where the Sox are superior (and I say this as a Yankee fan) is that they don't let sentiment guide their decision making process, unlike the Yankees. That's why the Yankees foolishly re-signed Posada for four years, and are endlessly waiting for Pettitte instead of signing Penny or Smoltz for less money, while the Sox said good bye to Pedro and Damon, and are holding the line on Varitek.

1-09-2009 @ 1:35PM

Barclay said...

I don't understand the 'Yankees couldn't afford Mike Lowell's contract" line. They couldn't take on a $9 Million contract?

1-09-2009 @ 2:48PM

Hit Dog said...

Yeah, I'm calling BS on this. The reason the Yankees didn't get Beckett is that there were never any serious discussions; the reason this was so is that the Yankee farm system is a barren cupboard with a half-eaten can of beans, three stale crackers, and a terribly hungry mouse slowly scurrying around. Nothing to offer, no chance to trade.

1-08-2009 @ 10:18PM

icy said...

For all the talk I hear about how Boston prefers to grow players rather than buy them, is it fact or fiction; perception or reality? The Yankees are more likely to have more players who have come through their farm system on the opening day roster than the Red Sox.

1-09-2009 @ 11:49PM

Wayne said...

It's 12-10 Sox as far as I can tell based on the 40-man rosters.

1-08-2009 @ 10:32PM

reality said...

if i recall, Jason Bay came back in the Manny Ramirez trade. a guy that was in the final months of a $160M contract. they didn't really make the trade from their farm system.

as for Beckett, it was absolutely their financial position that allowed them to make the trade. believe it or not, at the time, Mike Lowell and his $18M contract were considered an albatross, and part of the reason the Sox got Beckett, was because they were willing to take Lowell from the shameless Marlins.

the Sox are pretty much the only other team besides the yankees that could dump $100M on a pitcher that had never even pitched in the US before. that's a MUCH riskier cash outlay than Mark Teixeira is.

the Sox are rich. just because they like to play this BS underdog card and they have Gammons and the rest of ESPN in their pocket to push their agenda, don't believe the hype. Henry can cry poverty as much as he wants, but the truth is if you have $170M to spend on Teixeira, you have $180M.

if they hadn't overplayed their hand, they may have signed him. but then where would be all the outraged articles about that?

the Sox are well run PR machine, and their fanbase eats it up.

but hey, maybe they'll get some more white guys with facial hair that everyone will fall all over themselves to call gritty.

1-08-2009 @ 10:55PM

massapequa parking said...

You're aware that the RS did bid in the range of $160 and lost on Tex, or are we skipping the facts here? As far as "affording," goes, the RS can "afford" to do whatever they chose, it will just mean grossing less. And of course the $8M on Schilling (and the Lugo and Lowell money) is mentioned like it doesn't count. Count it, because it's in the $80M range. You're like the guys who want to throw a telethon for these multibillionaire owners who don't spend on players and then count their take until the wee hours when the Yanks visit (and then cry for a salary cap).

I don't think you understand the argument, and you're ignoring things that were stated in the article. What Johnson seems to be stating is that the Yankees are far more willing to commit to lengthy contracts combined with big money for free agents (or to retain players who are approaching eligibility for free agency), whereas the Red Sox are more inclined (Colon and Smoltz as premier examples from this and last years offseasons) is invest in one year reclamation projects that have the possibility of huge payouts. If Tex is a bust, that is a FAR greater waste of time and money to the Yankees than if Smoltz is a bust.

And Johnson specifically made reference to the Sox bidding on Tex, which was indeed exactly what the Yankees were doing, but that was the third big money, big time length contract New York handed out this off-season. The Red Sox have signed exactly 0 contracts in that fashion. Unless you count Pedroia's deal as big money.

1-09-2009 @ 2:56AM

Junior said...

Julio Lugo and JD Drew were total busts, Penny and Smoltz will follow suit. By the way, great job Epstein.

The Yankess will decimate Boston this season!

1-09-2009 @ 12:06PM

K Moore said...

Epstein runs it well, but he definitely has more room for mistakes. Losing Ramirez will probably show up more this year than last, especially if Drew and/or Lowell don't bounce back from their late season injuries.

1-09-2009 @ 9:53AM

Ben said...

"the Yankees will decimate Boston..."

What, they'll win 1 of every 10 games? Works for me :-)

("decimate" doesn't mean what you think it means)

1-09-2009 @ 4:36PM

Adam said...

i'm pretty sure it means exactly what he thinks it does. from dictionary.com:

1. to destroy a great number or proportion of: The population was decimated by a plague.

1-09-2009 @ 11:50AM

TJ said...

ICY you must be a complete moron... the sox will twice the amount of starters.first base, second base, shortstop, center field, bull pen, theres no comparison

1-09-2009 @ 3:50PM

KingGreat said...

Nope...you're the one who's wrong. Off the top of my head, I have a minimum of 10 players (2B, SS, C, 2 OF, 3 SP, 2 RP) on the possible opening day roster, who were brought up by the Yankees and haven't played a day out of the organization. This is NOT incuding the possible addition of Pettite, or the reacquisition of Marte. Get YOUR facts straight before you start calling names.

1-09-2009 @ 11:48PM

And the Sox have at least 12 players on their 40-man roster from their organization. 12 > 10. Get your facts straight.

1-10-2009 @ 12:34PM

Wayne, you're so cute. You happen upon a conversation regarding the 25 man starting rosters, playing on opening day, and inject something completely off the topic. So, since you've taken it upon yourself to look foolish, I'll help you further in your endeavor. If we're going to talk about the 40 man roster then, the Yankees, as of this writing, have 15 men who are locks to be part of THEIR 40 man roster, that have never played out of the Yankee organization. This STILL does NOT include the possible addition of Pettite, the reacquisition of Marte, or such "luminaries" as Wilkin De La Rosa, or Steven Jackson, etc., as they are not locks. Please do not belabor the point any longer and, like I told the other guy, get YOUR facts straight. By the way, 15>12, and KingGreat>Wayne. Keep up the shoddy work pumpkin.

1-09-2009 @ 4:47PM

"I'm pretty sure it means exactly what he thinks it does..."

I was referring to the actual meaning of the word:
"kill one in every ten, as of mutineers in Roman armies "

granted, "destroy great numbers of" has become the common usage, but I still like the original. I imagine the season would be _far_ more exciting if the last place team were actually decimated ;-)

1-13-2009 @ 1:09PM

ok king heres the final count according to redsox.com the redsox have a total of 16 current players on their 40 man roster that have been grown through the system but i was talking about starters. how many top draft picks did you lose this year during the offseason and if the sox dont resign vtek were looking at a positive number....you cant build a farm system with out draft picks