The Red Sox have signed just one “notable free agent” this offseason -- SP Lucas Giolito -- and fans are “frustrated at the lack of investment on the part of the Sox, especially after expectations were raised” in November when Chair Tom Werner vowed the team would be “full throttle” when it came to its approach this offseason, according to Sean McAdam of MASSLIVE.com. Yesterday Werner said of his November comments, “Maybe that wasn’t the most artful way of saying what I wanted to say, which is that we’re going to be pressing all levers to improve the team.” Werner said the Red Sox “don’t have a line in terms of our payroll that we look at” as much as that Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow is “going to deliver on his assurance that we’re going to be competitive.” Werner: “I don’t think we put additional pressure on him. If I set the bar high a little bit, as I said, it probably wasn’t the most artful comment.” Werner “declined to specifically cite a hard-and-fast number” for the team’s payroll, citing “club policy to not reveal its internal payroll goal.” But he said that Breslow “has the latitude to spend.” Werner also said that he “plans to attend Winter Weekend in Springfield this weekend” after the team scrapped plans for a Town Hall the normally includes Werner. He said he is “not hiding from anybody” and he “share[s] the frustration that fans have about our performance the last two years and we’re resolute about being competitive this year.” A source said that fellow owner John Henry “not expected to attend” because of a “scheduling issue” ( MASSLIVE.com, 1/16 ).
Red Sox chair tries to correct record on November 'full throttle' comments
