It might have escaped the notice of some Liverpool fans, but Reds co-owner John W Henry has been a very busy man in transfer market over the last week or so. I must point it however, not in football but in baseball. The Boston Red Sox have made two significant trades in the past week to ensure they have a better 2011, but the cost of their two signings will amount to no less than $300million over seven years.
Last Monday it was formally announced that first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (pictured right alongside Theo Epstein) was traded from the San Diego Padres to the Boston Red Sox which sees four young prospects, including outfielder Reymond Fuentes, right-hander Casey Kelly and first baseman Anthony Rizzo, moving in the other direction. On top of that, multiple sources believe that Gonzalez will sign a contract rumoured to be worth $154 million over seven years.
The Reds Sox were not done there though, and two days later, they signed Carl Crawford from the Tampa Bay Rays, which will see the outfielder get an estimated $142million over seven years.
It is a big commitment from the Boston Red Sox and although the Baseball team do have the second largest turnover in the MLB, it does indicate that John W Henry and the Fenway Sports Group are willing to pay out large amounts for players in the prime of their careers.
While Gonzalez has been an all star selection in the last three years, Crawford has been a selection in three of the last four years.
Many Liverpool fans will be hoping that such a policy will be translated to the Reds in the near future. One word of caution though, let’s hope that Henry’s big spending Red Sox do not have any affect on the business that Liverpool do in the near future.
I am fairly confident though that such outlays in Boston will not affect the Reds as for one, although the contracts for both Gonzalez and Crawford are large, they are spread over seven years and will cost roughly $42million annually. With the Red Sox turnover as large as it is, second only to the giant New York Yankees, such trades should be sustainable.
In this regard, the same sort of strategy maybe used with Liverpool FC, with Henry and co explaining that the Reds need to boost worldwide commercial sales and boost turnover to match Manchester United and the rest of football’s biggest clubs.
This will however take some years, and the prospect of signing players for big fees and on big contracts doesn’t seem to me to be immediately likely.
Patience will certainly be needed with the Fenway Sports Group to build the Reds into anything like they have built with the Boston Red Sox.
Hopefully however, over a certain amount of time, they can build Liverpool’s commercial and corporate interests, and re-introduce these profits into the club, making transfers of the likes of Gonzalez and Crawford a more realistic possibility in the not too distant future for Liverpool.
Last Monday it was formally announced that first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (pictured right alongside Theo Epstein) was traded from the San Diego Padres to the Boston Red Sox which sees four young prospects, including outfielder Reymond Fuentes, right-hander Casey Kelly and first baseman Anthony Rizzo, moving in the other direction. On top of that, multiple sources believe that Gonzalez will sign a contract rumoured to be worth $154 million over seven years.
The Reds Sox were not done there though, and two days later, they signed Carl Crawford from the Tampa Bay Rays, which will see the outfielder get an estimated $142million over seven years.
It is a big commitment from the Boston Red Sox and although the Baseball team do have the second largest turnover in the MLB, it does indicate that John W Henry and the Fenway Sports Group are willing to pay out large amounts for players in the prime of their careers.
While Gonzalez has been an all star selection in the last three years, Crawford has been a selection in three of the last four years.
Many Liverpool fans will be hoping that such a policy will be translated to the Reds in the near future. One word of caution though, let’s hope that Henry’s big spending Red Sox do not have any affect on the business that Liverpool do in the near future.
I am fairly confident though that such outlays in Boston will not affect the Reds as for one, although the contracts for both Gonzalez and Crawford are large, they are spread over seven years and will cost roughly $42million annually. With the Red Sox turnover as large as it is, second only to the giant New York Yankees, such trades should be sustainable.
In this regard, the same sort of strategy maybe used with Liverpool FC, with Henry and co explaining that the Reds need to boost worldwide commercial sales and boost turnover to match Manchester United and the rest of football’s biggest clubs.
This will however take some years, and the prospect of signing players for big fees and on big contracts doesn’t seem to me to be immediately likely.
Patience will certainly be needed with the Fenway Sports Group to build the Reds into anything like they have built with the Boston Red Sox.
Hopefully however, over a certain amount of time, they can build Liverpool’s commercial and corporate interests, and re-introduce these profits into the club, making transfers of the likes of Gonzalez and Crawford a more realistic possibility in the not too distant future for Liverpool.
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