Purple Sox brass convened with followers and media at their annual Winter Weekend festivities. CEO Sam Kennedy chatted with reporters shortly earlier than the occasion this night.
Most notably, Kennedy mentioned the membership’s 2024 payroll “in all probability shall be decrease than it was in 2023” (hyperlink by way of Chris Cotillo of MassLive). Whereas he indicated that wasn’t a assure, it’s the most recent sign from Boston officers that they’re not anticipating one other main strike this offseason. Chairman Tom Werner hinted equally earlier within the week when he backtracked on his early-offseason proclamation the crew would go “full throttle” this winter.
From a uncooked payroll perspective, Boston’s projected wage isn’t far off final yr’s Opening Day mark. Roster Useful resource tasks the membership’s participant spending round $178MM. In line with Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Sox began final yr with a payroll narrowly above $181MM. Nevertheless, there’s a notable hole between the crew’s luxurious tax numbers. Roster Useful resource forecasts the Sox for a CBT determine within the $198MM vary this yr; Cot’s had their tax quantity approaching $226MM a season in the past.
That’s not an enormous distinction, as each are under the bottom threshold. This yr’s CBT markers start at $237MM. Boston isn’t near that mark and it doesn’t seem they’re significantly inquisitive about approaching it, a minimum of in the course of the winter. The aggressive steadiness tax quantity is finalized at yr’s finish, so in-season acquisitions rely towards it (albeit on prorated salaries at that time).
Boston narrowly exceeded the luxurious tax in 2022. That backfired, as they completed in final place within the AL East. The precise tax fee (roughly $1.2MM) was minimal, however staying above the edge decreased their draft compensation for the losses of Xander Bogaerts and Nathan Eovaldi in free company. The Sox dipped under the road final yr en route to a different 78-84 end and a second straight final place standing.
That disappointing run led possession to dismiss Chaim Bloom. They tabbed Craig Breslow to guide baseball operations. The primary-year chief baseball officer has performed issues cautiously to this point. Their solely important free agent signing was a two-year, $38.5MM rebound deal for Lucas Giolito. Boston took on a $5.85MM arbitration wage within the Tyler O’Neill commerce. They offloaded a part of Chris Sale’s wage within the commerce sending him to Atlanta for Vaughn Grissom, although the $10.5MM they saved in that deal would have been deferred for greater than 15 years anyhow.
With Sale leaving city not lengthy after Giolito signed, the Sox have the identical variety of beginning pitchers they did firstly of the winter. Breslow admitted earlier this week they’ve discovered it a “problem” to usher in rotation assist however famous they had been nonetheless evaluating free agent and commerce potentialities.
Rob Bradford of WEEI stories that Jordan Hicks was a type of rotation targets. The hard-throwing righty got here off the board final week on a four-year, $44MM pact to the Giants. Whereas Hicks has labored largely in reduction as an enormous leaguer, San Francisco will give him a shot within the rotation. In line with Bradford, the Sox would even have let Hicks battle for a beginning spot had he gone to Boston.
