Where will the 2014 Payroll sit?

[Balta1701]

I know I'm in the minority but I think the better move at catcher is AJ Pierzynski.

AJ could make sense if the team thinks Phegley is a long-term solution and AJ is willing to play about 50 games. I don't know if either of those are true.

[Balta1701]

Instead of paying dearly for a player who's production has already starting dwindling, we get a cheap temporary replacement with offense that is just a step down from McCann.

This simply isn't the case at all. 115 OPS+ for McCann last year, 94 for Pierzynski. The .722 OPS AJ put up last year was right in with his career norms. And if you're going to worry about McCann's production "already dwindling", come on, AJ is 5 years older.

[Marty34]

But...if the opening day payroll comes in around $100 million...the people who have been screaming for years that the Sox are cheap will actually have a point for once. (That number chosen because they also get over $10 million to spend on kids next year...that would bring them roughly to the total amount they spent last year when you account for the trades...and they get the extra TV money on top of that).

 

Exactly. This is where the organizational philosophy to not spend money on the draft comes home to roost. Digging out of this hole will be done faster by spending money in the short-term. This has probably been the emergency plan all along. Put a representative team on the field for the next couple of years while the farm system has time to grow.

 

A step to infusing the farm system with talent would be to eat Ramirez remaining contract, get the Braves to give up something for Dan Uggla's contract, and trade Beckham. After all that the payroll sits at $73M, Uggla and Semien are 2b and SS, you have the prospects from those deals, and $24M comes off the books for 2016.

[Jake]

You don't spend just because you feel bad if you don't spend $X. Our available money will determine how much we can spend, but not how much we will. Hahn isn't going to hand out/take on crap contracts just to make sure we hit our budget ceiling. It just gives him the flexibility to spend the maximum appropriate amount on a given player.

[ShandyMan]

I'd say 90-100.

 

I see one more decent FA signing along with some extensions/added payroll through trades.

[Eminor3rd]

You don't spend just because you feel bad if you don't spend $X. Our available money will determine how much we can spend, but not how much we will. Hahn isn't going to hand out/take on crap contracts just to make sure we hit our budget ceiling. It just gives him the flexibility to spend the maximum appropriate amount on a given player.

 

This!

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

I think there could've been one more rung on your payroll possibilities ladder. What's wrong with thinking with the extra $25M that payroll will actually increase ? I haven't seen the Sox books. I have no idea how bad attendence hurt the bottom line.

 

Maybe the Sox will take serious looks at McCann ,Ellsbury or Choo. Maybe Hahn has grandiose ideas. He's gotta know that signing a mystery like Abreu, though sparking interest ,won't put butts back in the seats. It'll take a more recognizable name or two. Maybe you can trade the current crop of semi disapointees like DeAza , Beckham and Vicideo for prospects , avoid the arbitration raises and use the extra cash to sign some good players.

 

I think anythings possible at this point. Hahn may shock us all.