The Red Sox and Adrian Gonzalez have come to terms on a 7 year $154M contract...but please don't ask them about it because it's on the down low. Both parties have agreed not to finalize the deal until April, so the Red Sox can avoid a potential luxury tax penalty. Apparently, they didn't tell everyone to keep their mouth shut, as a few club officials decided to share the news with the media.
On one hand, I'm incredibly impressed. As a Red Sox fan, I'm glad they're trying to minimize the amount of wasted revenue (i.e. luxury tax revenue). The money saved on having to pay a luxury tax could be used to fill other needs either later this offseason or at the July 31st trading deadline. On the other hand, I can't get past the fact they're obviously exploiting a huge loophole in the rules. It's not only blatantly dishonest but also not in the spirit of competitive balance. The Commissioner's office should probably look into closing the loophole during the next round of Collective Bargaining.
NBC Hardball Talk's Craig Calcaterra says it best, "When the game is being so transparently rigged, it’s time to change the rules of the game." Complete agreed. Unfortunately, Bud Selig won't do anything to change the rules unless there's some public relations or financial benefit that compels him to do so.
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