Red Sox Owners “To Be or Not To Be”

John Henry

The big news in Red Sox Nation comes from the the Red Sox Owners to be or not to be, financial desk. John Henry and his boys are discussing just maybe selling NESN and the Red Sox. Charlie Gasparino of the Fox Business Network reports that the owners have inquired about potential buyers. Gasparino’s sources believe Henry is apparently feeling two ginormous payroll hogs in the Red Sox and his Liverpool soccer team are too much to bankroll. Ironically, both teams paid big money for under achieving players. Perhaps John Henry is willing to handle only one team of overpaid underachievers. However, he now wants to avoid in the future the possibility of owning two teams like this. He has vehemently denied that he might sell the Red Sox but if most of us were in his situation we would be denying this as well.

My take is that Henry is considering selling the Sox but is more in the planning stages than actually ready to pull the trigger. It doesn’t make sense to bail on the Red Sox when the team’s value is down because of their recent on field failures and off field soap operas. It makes much more sense for him to add a quality pitcher or two to the starting rotation. Bring back the face of the franchise, David Ortiz, possibly throw in a right handed hitter into the mix and oh yeah, fire the guy many in the clubhouse hate. This should drastically reduce the Shakespearean atmosphere on Yawkey Way. After realizing some on field success and the organization shifts from dysfunctional mode to functional then sell the team. The history of sports shows owners make by far the most money on a franchise when it is sold. Waiting for the Red Sox organization to right their ship before selling is the most likely course of action by Henry and his fellow owners. The great news for Red Sox fans is when the team is sold the trifecta that is the primarily responsible for bringing the team failure and embarrassment Larry Lucchino, Josh Beckett, and Bobby Valentine  won’t be calling Fenway home anymore.