Sunday, October 16, 2005
15 DAYS
A few of the details regarding Theo’s negotiations with the Red Sox have leaked.
There was some suggestion recently that Epstein was seeking to become the highest-paid general manager in the game, which is preposterous given that he has only been a GM for three years. There also has been some indication, according to a report in the Boston Globe (a part-owner of the Red Sox), that the Sox are seeking to pay Epstein in the neighborhood of $750,000, the approximate salary of former Tampa Bay Devil Rays GM Chuck LaMar.
It is doubtful that the Sox are comparing LaMar with Theo. The Trio certainly have their faults, but they are not stupid. The Chuck comp has to be a leak from the Theo camp to increase public pressure. It is a well played card. But the real subject is determining Theo’s value and salary compared to other GMs. (Theo’s relative value could be quantified comparing his players acquired and lost’s output, player salary, and budget constraints to other GMs over his three years.) It is not an excerise I’ll be undertaking - the folks on Yawkey Way should already have this completed - but rather this is a plea to John Henry, Tom Werner and Lucky Larry. Fellas, just get Theo’s deal done ASAP.
This is not the time to be spliting hairs about 250K, reporting structure, parking spaces or private bathrooms. The organization is at a crossroads. Do the Sox plug their holes with free agents like Damon, BJ Ryan, A.J. Burnett, etc. to make another hard push for late October baseball in the Fens next season, thereby possibly sacrifcing payroll flexibility at the end of the decade if the prospects don’t all work out? Do they start to reload (Damon and others walk, trade Manny, Wells, Arroyo), like the A’s this year, taking a very small step back, but yielding a better probability of taking a large step forward each of the next three season? And would this strategy alienate the every growing fan base, specifically the non-die hards, newbies, and expanded female citizentry to the Nation, and what impact would that have on the sales and marketing efforts? Do the Sox flex both their big market money and high IQ scores get creative and relaod while competing for a championship at the same time? These tough questions need to be answered within the next 15 days and I for one, want Theo at the table.
A few of the details regarding Theo’s negotiations with the Red Sox have leaked.
There was some suggestion recently that Epstein was seeking to become the highest-paid general manager in the game, which is preposterous given that he has only been a GM for three years. There also has been some indication, according to a report in the Boston Globe (a part-owner of the Red Sox), that the Sox are seeking to pay Epstein in the neighborhood of $750,000, the approximate salary of former Tampa Bay Devil Rays GM Chuck LaMar.
It is doubtful that the Sox are comparing LaMar with Theo. The Trio certainly have their faults, but they are not stupid. The Chuck comp has to be a leak from the Theo camp to increase public pressure. It is a well played card. But the real subject is determining Theo’s value and salary compared to other GMs. (Theo’s relative value could be quantified comparing his players acquired and lost’s output, player salary, and budget constraints to other GMs over his three years.) It is not an excerise I’ll be undertaking - the folks on Yawkey Way should already have this completed - but rather this is a plea to John Henry, Tom Werner and Lucky Larry. Fellas, just get Theo’s deal done ASAP.
This is not the time to be spliting hairs about 250K, reporting structure, parking spaces or private bathrooms. The organization is at a crossroads. Do the Sox plug their holes with free agents like Damon, BJ Ryan, A.J. Burnett, etc. to make another hard push for late October baseball in the Fens next season, thereby possibly sacrifcing payroll flexibility at the end of the decade if the prospects don’t all work out? Do they start to reload (Damon and others walk, trade Manny, Wells, Arroyo), like the A’s this year, taking a very small step back, but yielding a better probability of taking a large step forward each of the next three season? And would this strategy alienate the every growing fan base, specifically the non-die hards, newbies, and expanded female citizentry to the Nation, and what impact would that have on the sales and marketing efforts? Do the Sox flex both their big market money and high IQ scores get creative and relaod while competing for a championship at the same time? These tough questions need to be answered within the next 15 days and I for one, want Theo at the table.
3 Old Comments:
a couple of weeks ago, i was reading your blog and someone mentioned the city of champs best of boston sports dvd. i went to hte website www.cityofchampionsdvd.com to see what it was like. i was totally impressed and am even more impressed now that i have it and watched it.
By 
, at
12:48 PM
I thought the negotiations were more about who Theo was reporting to, not the money. I doubt the Sox are penny pinching on his salary.
I agree I think/speculation that the bigger issue is control for Theo but that is not what has been reported.
By , at
11:09 AM
Thank you - Red Sox!
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