You mentioned trading Betts, assuming we win a WS this year, and then spending large and long on Machado & Harper.
That doesn't sound like you want Betts as much as some of us.
Betts is the best fielding RF'er I've ever seen. In Fenway, that's a huge plus. I'll sign Betts over Harper, and my guess is Betts will take what Harper gets.
No, you're not delusional to want Harper over Betts, but I'm going with Betts.
No way am I paying Machado 33, Harper 33 and Price 31 and then scramble to hobble together the rest of the team by not going over the $40M mark. No Sale. It's a pipe dream thinking Pablo's money plus what Sale makes now is going to be available, and if it is, we'll have nobody left but scrub farm guys that are currently ranked very lowly.
You really think it is prudent roster construction to spend $130M on 4 guys?
You think Henry is going to pay a 50% tax for 4-5 years in a row?
I don't.
We are going to need players making mid-level money to have any chance to extend the window.
Signing anyone to $30M might not even be in the plans, let alone 3 more.