"Only two major league teams have yet to sign a free agent: the Colorado Rockies and the Boston Red Sox. The Rockies are, well, a unique situation. Undergoing possibly the first real management change in team history (though not in ownership), Colorado is mostly building a new team, new ethos from scratch. Assuming Paul DePodesta gets to make real changes. But the Red Sox? That's strange."
"Per @RedSoxPayroll, and published more easily on SoxProspects, Boston's payroll sits at $243.44 million, just under the first luxury tax threshold of $244.00. The second threshold is $264.00. That doesn't really leave room for a Bellinger (expected AAV $28 million), Bregman ($31 million), Tucker ($36 million), or even Suárez ($21 million) level free agent without either committing to the second threshold for 2026 or cutting payroll somewhere else. Which kind of brings us to Jarren Duran."
Colorado is undergoing a significant management-driven rebuild that may remake the roster and organizational ethos if Paul DePodesta executes changes. The Red Sox have pursued internal extensions and signings including Garret Whitlock, Brayan Bello, Kristian Campbell, Garret Crochet, and Roman Anthony while filling lower-roster need spots like last year's Justin Wilson signing (1/$2.5 million). Boston's payroll sits at $243.44 million, just below the $244 million luxury-tax threshold and well under the $264 million second threshold, limiting capacity for premium free agents. Adding a major free agent would likely require committing to the second threshold or cutting payroll; Jarren Duran's $7.70 million and Cole Ragans's $4.6 million are part of that calculus.
Read at Over the Monster
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