SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 07: James Paxton #65, Boston Red Sox. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
When it comes to bad contracts, the Boston Red Sox have a few on their hands heading into the 2023 season. Who’s stealing money thanks to bad contracts?
Contracts in Major League Baseball are fully guaranteed. No matter how good or how bad a player may perform, whatever number is next to the dollar sign in said deal is what that man is going to receive.
Sometimes the contracts work out in the team’s best interest. Sometimes the pact can be mutually beneficial. But sometime they just don’t work out the way the club had hoped. Those are what one refers to as a bad contract.
Now while a player isn’t technically stealing money from the organization he’s playing for, it can sure feel like it sometimes. Let’s look at three Boston Red Sox players who are, in a sense, stealing money thanks to bad contracts.
James Paxton is stealing from the Red Sox thanks to a bad contract
Now, it’s hard to fully lump all the blame on James Paxton. It’s not as if he had a choice of whether or not to play last season. The Big Maple was on the mend following Tommy John surgery he underwent in 2021.
Paxton signed a one-year deal with Red Sox in December of 2021 for $10-million knowing that he was unlikely to pitch in 2022. The deal contained two mutual options that would convert to player-options if both sides failed to agree.
The Red Sox turned down their end of the mutual-option this past offseason, but Paxton decided to exercise his $4-million player-option for the 2023 season. The two sides now have a mutual-option on the table for next offseason as well.
Already this spring, things are off to a bad start for James Paxton. The left-hander suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain during an exhibition games just last week that may keep him off the Opening Day roster.
Considering that the Boston Red Sox are paying what amounts to $14-million for Paxton’s services in 2023 after coming off Tommy John surgery and having not pitched since April of 2021, this is shaping up to be a bad contract. Paxton can also exercise his $4-million player-option this offseason whether the Red Sox agree to the terms on their end or not.