Maybe we're roughly 23rd or roughly middle of the pack. That point does have merit, but it's not the be-all-end-all point.
Yes, I said I wish he would spend more, but that is far from agreeing that he is "cheap."
He has gone "cheap" at various times in the 2+ decades under his watch, and the one from about 2019 to the Devers extension was the longest and most extreme, but "is" means now.
He's been spending more and more, recently. To me, this winter is more about how we spent, and some of that is on JH- maybe the NTC, demands for deferments and the limit on large and long type deals, but Brez was the one who chose to spend way more on pitching than the big bat and 2B/3Bman most of us thought were part of our top 3 winter needs. Had we signed Bregman and not traded for Gray & signed I K-F, we'd still be under the third tax line. Our roster would be more balanced.
Yes, we lost a lot of salary from 2025, including from the mid season trade of Devers, and when you add up all the extensions, re-signings and additions from this winter, the increase in spending seems like it's not enough. I don't disagree. I just wouldn''t call it "being cheap."
We are seeing some major shifts in philosophies on spending, extensions and roster building. To me, most look good good or promising. Some are still troubling, but IMO, the team's trajectory is un the upswing. It has been since Brez took over. I think we both wish the upswing would be sharper and more targeted, but it has been and looks to be getting better.
We really only have one major under-water contrat on the books, and that's on Bloom. It has 2 years to go. Nobody else looks grossly overpaid, and we have most of our key players locked up for 3-8 more years. That's not easy to do, and it's not common. It took planning and more good choices than bad, but you focus 99% on the bad.