Yes, that was part of the narrative, but it doesn't mean it was right.
While it would have been difficult to reset and keep Betts, it was entirely possible. Would not having JBJ and Perez while keeping Betts have made much of a difference in 2020- the reset year?
The real issue would have been going significantly over the line (after a reset) starting in 2021, assuming we tried to win in 2021.
Yes, Ben's spending was less than 50% of the reason, but still a big chunk, we went over in 2018, but his influence fell sharply in 2019 and was a small part of 2020.
I had held out hope that we might have been able to acquire Verdugo, Downs & Wong for Betts, dump half of Price's salary and STILL Re-sign Betts for 2021 and beyond. We could have afforded it after the reset, but we'd likely not have much left to spend on pitching, unless Henry agreed to go over the second tax line. We might have tried to dump Eovaldi and a a few lessers like Barnes or Vaz.