I look at it this way. The Padres NEED to dump Myers. He’s their most expensive outfielder by far, and he isn’t even starting. And no one else is going to step in and take him off their hands.
Betts and Price for Myers, Quantrill, Campusano and Cronenworth. No money.
The Sox actually do better vs the luxury tax than they did in the Dodger trade. The Padres get Betts and Price becomes a 2-2.5 fWAR starter for a net cost of $9mill per year, which is cheaper than free agency. The Red Sox get a catching prospect, a young SP, a 2b/SS prospect Bloom knows from Tampa, and, well, Myers. Oh well. Gotta take the bad with the good, I guess.
But because Myers AAV is so low, the Red Sox actually get about $1.2 mill further from the tax limit than they did in the Dodger trade.
Also, Preller gets to thumb his nose at Friedman...