According to various rumors and reports the Boston Red Sox have signed Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez to five-year contracts in a free agent binge today.
This morning Jon Heyman reported that the Red Sox have inked Pablo Sandoval to a 5-year $100 million contract. Last night Ken Rosenthal was the first to report that Hanley Ramirez will sign with the Boston Red Sox for an estimated 5-year deal worth around $90 million.
The Red Sox are also believed to be the front runners in the Jon Lester sweepstakes. Rosenthal reports that the Cubs, Braves, Cardinals, Royals, Blue Jays, and the Giants are also believed to be in the mix. This is good news for both Lester and the other big gun on the market, Max Scherzer. Lester has supposedly received a 6-year deal worth between $110-120 million, but his bounty is bound to rise. Scherzer rejected a Tigers’ extension offer for six years and $144 million. Both Lester and Scherzer could be standing over barrels of cash worth close to, or over $150 million.
The Red Sox have staked their claim as the biggest free agent market bully. It will be fascinating to see how Lester and Scherzer react. Are they going to join the Beantown bullies, or are they going to create their own legacies in other towns?
Remember that money might buy free agent love, but not necessarily World Series rings. From 2009-2014 the Yankees spent more than $1.2 billion on payroll. During that same period the Red Sox spent over $900 million. The Dodgers have spent almost $900 million; and the Giants have spent just over $700 million. The Giants have three rings; the other three teams have two.
The Red Sox dream team could have a completely new projection and trajectory. 2015 should look something like this everyday:
Mookie Betts CF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Hanley Ramirez SS
Yoenis Cespedes LF
David Ortiz DH
Pablo Sandoval 3B
Mike Napoli 1B
Rusney Castillo RF
Christian Vazquez C
That is an embarrassment of riches for any town, especially when we consider that Allan Craig isn’t even an everyday player on the team. Time will tell what will happen with Lester and Scherzer, but make no mistake the Red Sox have already paid to win it all in 2015.
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