The idea that just because this modest spending doesn’t guarantee them a playoff spot means it’s wasted money is pretty silly to me. The value to Boston of providing a winning team that will have an outside shot into September is immense. They haven’t hamstrung themselves with these short deals, and they needed above-average regulars at these positions to provide a nice bridge until the group off young players that will arrive in 2014 and establish themselves in 2015 are ready.

Let me ask you, how would you have spent the $100MM they’ve spent so far (Crawford’s money alone!), while filling 1B, RF, and a couple platoon spots?

But I think the larger question is – what, precisely, is the Red Sox plan here? They’re not making their team any younger (and it’s not like they have a Royals/Blue Jays/Rangers farm system they can just hold the fort and wait on). But they’re also not going out there and overpaying players to get immediate impact. They’re not really saving payroll to make a FA splash, but nor are they hanging back and picking up team-friendly contract guys with high upside in the hopes of building a contending core.

It just seems like they’re kind of spinning their wheels here. And as Matthew points out, why would you spin your wheels driving a sub-70 win team?

Why make the Dodgers trade if your intent isn’t to shed payroll, get young, and enter a rebuilding phase? Likewise, why sign Victorino or Napoli to these kinds of deals if it is?

To me, it seems like the Sox are trying to paper over holes (and try to sell the fanbase on them putting a quality product on the field) while avoiding any kinds of the hard decisions that would make them ready to contend. Or, they’re just trying to buy time until they they can make a big payroll push in 2014-2016. But either way I think Matthew is right.

I say all that, but I also believe that, if the chips fall perfect, this has the makings of a dangerous and underrated team.

But I certainly don’t have enough confidence in that, were I management, to bet on it.

No more offseason moves or trades possible and this is the team they’ve got?

Damn.

Seems a little unfair that other teams can still sign and trade players but the Sox starting lineup is set to the point where we can make predictions.

He sucks……….end of story.

The problem is that the Red Sox needed more then a few solid regulars to be a good bet to compete for the postseason.

Still, the bigger question Matthew asks: should the RS be pursuing Victorino at all?

In other words is Victorino the kind of guy who can help the team to the playoffs and beyond?

As a couple of the other commenters pointed out, the answer is probably no.

Victorino was a 2.3 WAR player last year, after having been a 5.2 player the year before. The RS are betting he will return to something like a 3.0 WAR player, closer to a .750 OPS guy with a strong OBP and good defense. His dWAR is a positive decimal, and has been for several years now, meaning he’s good, not great in the OF.

And if he stays at his current sub-.700 OPS level and remains a 2.0 WAR player, the RS have just bought themselves the equivalent of CoCo Crisp at twice the price.

Victorino for $13M/yr?? Wow. Wouldn’t you rather put that $$ towards Swisher or even Hamilton?

I have a feeling Ellsbury’s gettin traded for a SP now -I just dont see how else this makes sense otherwise

It’s the first week of December. Let’s see how the team fills out and what they look like on opening day before we start proclaiming how many games they might win or lose. Seems a bit ridiculous to start predicting that four months before the season starts.

That national TV revenue bump each team got certainly has re-calibrated what a fair contract looks like.