The point isn’t that Theo is a genius for signing Gonzales & Crawford, or that fans and sports journalists think they’ll play really well together, and that the Red Sox are now favored to win. Duh. The Red Sox offered the most money to both players, a galling amount, and now the organizational pride of San Diego AND Tampa Bay have been bought out by the power and greed of Boston. Can’t be good for baseball. Two years ago Steinbrenner & the Yankees did the same thing when they signed Sabbathia AND A.J. Burnett, and then surprise, won a final World Series for the ultimate sports tyrant. Winning corrupts? The problem with this type of strategy is that it undermines all of the most important qualities and integrity of the team game. How must Pedroia, Youkilis, & Lester feel? All three took hometown discounts with a strong nudge from management, that it would be best for the team. Soon they will feel like rubes. Other young players within the organization such as Papelbon, Ellsbury, & Bard know that to get paid fairly they must sign elsewhere. Victor Martinez took that route. Not now, but midway through the season, when the pressure is on, and they are in a foxhole of sorts, and it’s the little guys that are doing all the work, the slippery slope of resentment and envy will start corroding the Red Sox team and system.

It’s great that Adrian Gonzalez is a good baseball player, and likes to play baseball, but what about the propriety of his contract? It is expected to be a $22 million annual deal. That’s more than what Youkilis and Pedroia make, combined. It’s more than five times what Francona makes annually. Theo makes just $1.5 million. It’s probably more than what Tom Werner and even John Henry make per their ownership stake. Jonathan Papelbon, on the mound for the 2007 World Championship, perennial 35 game saver, and favorite of literally millions of Red Sox fans, is quietly being shown the door because he costs too much at roughly $11 Million this year. For 364 days of the baseball year, the Red Sox organization preaches teamwork and sacrifice in all aspects of the game, including contracts. Then, one day a year, they give Lackey $82 million, or JD $14 million, and now they have really gone Gonzo at $22 million per. How many times has Theo talked about the importance of a player willing to take a “reasonable” salary, and the implications that has for the entire team from the top down. Maybe Fenway is not so pure after all?