Nice to see ONE team do this:

[ljshorty89]

McAdam: Red Sox buck trend of long term deals for young players | Boston Red Sox | projo.com | The Providence Journal

It's been very common in recent years to see teams lock up their young players for LUDICROUS amounts of money over the long term. Contracts like Evan Longoria's (signed 2 days after making the Major Leagues), and the one demanded by Prince Fielder, or signed by Ryan Braun are all ridiculous. They allow for players with little to no experience to get paid as much as proven superstars. As long as the younger Red Sox are willing to work on a year by year basis (which they apparently are), it would only seem to help the Sox.


Of course the flaw is that it will allow these young players to test Free Agency earlier, however, I don't think that should worry the Sox too much. These guys seem to love playing together, love playing for the organization, love the city of Boston, and most importantly, understand their roles. I think the Red Sox have certainly learned how to build a team, as shown by 2 world series in 4 years, as well as the influx of a youthful core for this team.