Red Sox 2010 Salary Status

The Red Sox will have one of their more challenging offseasons in recent history. Their lineup has aged while their long term contract obligations have not.

David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, and Julio Lugo are all under contract for a total of $34.75 million next year. Jason Varitek has a $3 million player option which he will likely exercise. The Red Sox will be paying approximately $37.75 million (roughly the Florida Marlin’s 2009 salary) for maybe $17 million worth of output - $8, $8, $0, $1 million respectively.

Salaries are based on Cot’s Baseball Contracts and Son of Sam Horn:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p4ew-fwu2XT1vMqHeigxmcg

http://www.sonsofsamhorn.net/wiki/index.php/Red_Sox_Contract_Status

Theo has some easier decisions regarding team options. He will almost certainly exercise Victor Martinez’s and Tim Wakefield’s options as he has said as much. He might keep Alex Gonzales depending on how the rest of the offseason goes regarding shortstops. He will likely not exercise Jason Varitek’s option but Tek has a player option discussed above. Saito’s $3.5 million team option is a little pricey for his performance.

On the arbitration front both Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima are arbitration eligible. My guess is that Papelbon will get in the $8 million range in arbitration and Okajima will receive $2 million.

Assuming the Sox sign Jason Bay for $16 million, a number of other free agents for $8 million, and fill out the rest of their 40-man roster with near minimum salaries, the Sox are looking at a $150 million payroll which is about $24 million more what their 40-man roster payroll was in 2009.

This increase is due to the fact that the Sox will be paying millions more for Beckett, Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis, Pedroia, and Lester. The Sox will potentially be paying more for Gonzo, Papelbon, and Okajima. If Jason Bay is signed, his salary will probably double from $7.75 million.

Something will have to give. Either the Sox will cut payroll with a less competitive team or will be operating from a higher salary basis.

Calculations for next year's salary structure: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tCmM3bYtz1SBDPSfdXE0SiA&output=html