A_K wrote:Don't see why he'd be made available. Even after the Gonzaez/Crawford/Beckett trade, the Sox are hardly in the sort of full-scale rebuilding mode where they'd be expected to make every player on the roster available. They're still in a position to go into next season as a potential playoff team who will be picked to finish among the three best teams in the AL East by virtually every expert.
Frankly, I saw this trade as
addition by
subtraction and think the Sux record will actually improve this year.
Crawford was just a salary dump, but Gonzalez and Beckett were unhappy and needed to move on. The effect in their clubhouse was corrosive and only getting worse. Lackey would have been off loaded, too, by now if wasn't having his arm surgically reattached.
The core of that team is still strong and their farm system will help fill some of the holes. You can bet that Boston will be spending some
SERIOUS money on their domestic and international scouting efforts to re stock their farm system. They also have the money to take on some bad contracts that need a change of scenery; however, I would be surprised if they simply tried to be the highest bidder again for players that don't meet a specific need or project to blend well with the other 24 players.
The day the Dodgers and Red Sox made that trade agents all over the country called their mommies and cried. The Sux were probably off of the list of "sucker" teams and LA has to carefully consider any new contract the give out because almost
every additional dollar they spend over the next few years will be subject to luxury tax. Players like Josh Hamilton and Edwin Jackson were probably salivating over getting Boston and L A in the bidding wars this winter. I now doubt that will happen.