Big-spending Redsocks to pay $51 million for nothing

Transactions this weekend by the two of the three best teams in baseball illustrate the widening power gap in the game.

To bring back li'l Dustin Pedroia, big-spending Boston ditched Hanley Ramirez and the remainder of his $22 million contract. Ramirez - a known killer of Yankee pitching - must be traded within the next few days. Don't we all wish the Yanks had an open roster slot?

Meanwhile, the Yankees dropped li'l Ronald Torreyes - a great utility infielder and good luck charm - for the return of Greg Bird, (who promptly went 0-4.) Thus, we found ourselves last night in a bizarre, nearly unprecedented dimension: Nobody hurt (aside from Jordan Montgomery, who wasn't starting, and Jacoby Ellsbury, who no longer counts.) It won't last long, of course. Somebody will get pregnant. And as Yankee pitchers continue to slog, the trade deadline looms ever larger.   

But the big-spending Redsocks just keep clunking along. Right now, they have no choice but to write the checks and grin. They are $51 million in the tank for mistake money... this season alone, and like Lady MacBeth, they recognize that the bloodletting must continue. 

Along with the $22 million for Ramirez, big-spending Boston must pay Pablo Sandoval ($18 mill) and Rusney Castillo ($11 mill). It goes into a $233 million opening day payroll, highest in the game, nearly $60 mill more than the Yankees. They are so far into the financial abyss that Castillo cannot be promoted from Pawtucket, because his presence would crush the team's already disastrous luxury tax threshold. They'll pay Sandoval and Castillo for two more years, and pretend they're pass-through payouts to Michael Cohen.

And hey, it's working. They're in first, two games up. But if something happens to a front-liner, they won't have a Clint Frazier or Ronald Torreyes to call up from Triple A "Aw-fuckit" Pawtucket. They won't even be able to call back Hanley Ramirez. They're in a position occupied by the Yankees through much of the middle 2000s - able to contend but vomiting bad contracts.

They are what the 2020 Yankees could be, if we suddenly lard up our roster with aging veterans on bad, win-now contracts. The Yankees are in a unique situation - a great lineup with young players who should improve. They also have the financial might of the NYC market, which they should dominate.  

So... on this Memorial Day weekend, how is this for a long-term hope:

That the Yankees use their financial strength to grow younger, not older. There can be a new Core Four, or even a Core Five or Core Seven. But there should never be a reason to bind ourselves to a player for 10 years, so long that he is assured of eventually becoming a millstone. Big contracts, short duration, and instead of always buying on July 31, the Yankees should sell off assets for future prospects. If we must trade Frazier, Drury, Wade, Austin, et al - and I'm not saying we have to - let's get even younger. Let's not be the big-spending Redsocks. 

Have a great Memorial Day everybody, and let's play nice with each other, okay?