John Henry’s loser energy – Over the Monster

By any goal measure, signing Alex Bregman was a baseball good transfer for the Red Sox, even on the considerably preposterous — and considerably phony — sticker value of $40 million a yr over three years, supplied Bregs, together with his a number of opt-outs, stays that lengthy. I’m normally the primary particular person to remind others to keep away from sticker shock, however my mind and coronary heart are in battle on this one, given my extreme dislike, to this point, of Alex Bregman, the player.

Can I modify? Can this outdated canine study new methods? Possibly. Is that this deal price celebrating? I assume it’s, however the interminable negotiations, resulting in a particularly player-friendly contract on the eve of Spring Coaching, raises my hackles. Reporting means that Boston’s deal was at $10 million extra in AAV than anybody else’s, solely the newest entry within the occasional saga of “John Henry bids closely in opposition to himself.” First it was Cube-Okay. You may depend Carl Crawford. Extra lately it was Masa Yoshida. Now it’s Bregman. It will be an understatement to say that, out of context, these names don’t precisely encourage confidence.

In context, it makes much more sense. Bregman’s signing pushed the Sox to the second-best projected file within the American League, per FanGraphs, behind solely the Yankees. That New York is at 87, and Boston is at 85, takes the joy down a bit, however you gotta be in it to win it, and the Sox are plainly again in it. (Until you favor Baseball Prospectus, which has Boston nonetheless ending in final within the division at 80-82, however let’s stick to the ‘Graphs for narrative functions.)

Possibly that’s why, having as soon as once more been fleeced by Scott Boras, Henry lit a stogie by the fireside to commemorate the Bregman deal and, critically, allowed a photograph of it to be posted to Instagram by his spouse. Henry desires folks to know, or to assume, he’s again within the profitable recreation:

That is loser shit. If signing Alex Freaking Bregman on the greenback quantity of his selecting is price cheering for within the smoky rooms which have future this sport, it’s no surprise the Dodgers are capable of run roughshod over everybody else. Barring a 2013-like miracle — which is feasible! — the Sox are nonetheless a wild card group at finest and one Garrett Crochet harm away from catastrophe, which wasn’t helped by Nick Pivetta signing with the Padres yesterday.

We’ve seen Henry vacillate wildly on the subject of paying gamers or letting-slash-making them stroll, and we’re clearly now again from the Chaim/Mookie-driven fallow interval. I wouldn’t say it’s too little, too late, however this appears much more determined than it ought to given Bregman’s match. Sure, you may win whereas making loser strikes, and you may lose whereas making profitable strikes, however when you have loser DNA, you have got loser DNA. Celebrating a deal of this measurement is actually normal apply, however when it’s bloated as a result of you made it so, the air tends to return out of the room, if just for some time.

Anyhow, benefit from the cigar, John. Simply don’t burn the place down once more when Bregman’s invoice comes due.