Tell me again how the Red Sox are different from the Yankees?
Their still below the luxury tax level and have $54 MM coming off the books next year? This is their first FA contract over $100 MM since 2000? That's two ways.
Look, I know they've used ability to pay to take on A-Gon and eat bad contracts like Lowell, Lugo and Rentawreck. Anyone lingering to the scrappy underdog image is hopelessly behind the times. Yes, they do have to a bit more careful with their contracts than the NYY, but they are using their financial strength when they have to.
Of course, everything that the Red Sox have done in terms of financial muscle flexing could have been done by NYM, LAD, LAA, Chi-NL, PHI, and a few other teams. They are a well run organization.
From reading Boston sites, some of the analysts say tthe two moves were really about replacing Drew and Ortiz a year early. There will not be comparable OF talent next year as FAs, and they had 2 holes in the OF for 2012. The line-up looks unbalanced for this year, which will be tough against the Matusz -Cecil - Romero, even before you get to Price, CC, and likely Lee. Lots of good lefties in that division. It will be interesting to see what else they do. Downs now becomes more attractive after the first Type A, but Feliiciano or even Mahay might be good enough.
