If they’re banking on Teel/Anthony/Mayer to bring the franchise back to glory, I hope there is a contingency plan, and it better not be Bleis/Cespedes/Perales.
I’m ok with the Sox not commuting large and long to a pitcher solely because he was the best/only option on the market. Montgomery is divisive on the upper limits of his skill set. Personally, I think he’s good but unexciting. On the scale of Dodger Hall of Fame pitchers, he’s more Don Sutton than Sandy Koufax.
If they like next year’s free agent market better, fine. But it is likely to get smaller between now and then, through extensions and possibly injuries. It’s a risky move, because if they come in last this year and sit out the starter market again, the only fans left will be the diehards. And even some of them might walk away…