This is true. But when a team is already near it's budget and has no farm system producing those quality players, where are they supposed to come from? I know spending is a key to success, but at some point, the spending limit has been reached. Even after 2 years of putting next to nothing into free agency, the Sox still have the 7th highest payroll in the league (per sportrac) at $175 million. Last year's abysmal team had the 4th highest payroll in the league.
After 2018, there was a piper to be paid...