I don't know how to put this without sounding like a dumbass, but I think the FO really wanted to win it this year. And figured that this was the year to win it, if they were going to for a while. Schilling is coming to the end of his career, there was a chance clemens would come to Boston, and the Yankees are dieing off. That's why you bring in 3 WSC in Beckett, Lowell, and Gonzaelz, and bring in 6 time gold glove winner J.T. Snow. Every year we want to win it, of course, but something in the FO said this was gonna be it or not in a while, and that's why you ship off Edgar, Mueller, Millar, etc. etc.