Actually, I think that given the dismal year we just experienced that the Red Sox have positioned themselves very well with the public. The overwhelming majority of Sox fans have low expectations for 2013. It's one of the side effects of a very bad year. Slowly fans accept the reality. It also helps temper our frustration by lowering the expectations. The biggest variable in accepting this has been the improvement of others in the AL East, not necessarily our moves.. So,if the Sox miss the playoffs, it will not be a surprise to most and if they happen to do well ....  We all want to see good and exciting baseball. 

Wow. I frequently disagree with NC but never as much as on this piece. He needs to make a list of long term contracts over the last 10 years. I think it will show that disasters outnumber good ones by at least two to one.  And the Pujols deal? Insanity, which the Angels must surely regret after seeing his first season being the worst of his career and more ordinary ones to come.

With all due respect to Nick Cafardo's many years covering the Red Sox, he's moved into the "yahoo bonehead WEEI-caller" type of fan with this piece.  Don't listen to him, Ben.  Unless we were to trade away all our prospects for some decent arms and bats, we're not better than an 85 win team no matter what studs they sign.  This is not a good team.  we need to build with youth, not overpriced free agents on the back end of their career.  The Red Sox don't need to make a "splash."  They need to build a team that can compete for 7-8 years.

Nick, the Sox are looking at 2014 and beyond.  Next year is a reduilding year.  Get used to it.  And sure, maybe the sellout streak will end -- but it's been bogus for the last couple years anyway.  Fans will come back.  

Josh Hamilton is a great hitter, but he's not the answer.  He'll be 32 next season.  If the Red Sox sign him to a 5 year deal, they will surely lose him for at least a year to injuries, and will surely be getting lousy production from him for at least 2 years of his deal.  Sure, if Hamilton was 27, I'd say we should sign him to a 7-8 year deal.  But he isn't.  Signing him to a long-term deal is silly.  If we can get him for a year or two, sure.  But why would he do that?

Sellouts and TV ratings will come for competitive teams.  Building a team with an eye towards TV and ticket sales will doom the team to the cellar once again.

All this shifting and moving around with big contracts vs. smaller contracts, 2013 primary or secondary, the one person I am very interested in is right in the clubhouse and well within the Sox's reach.  One Jacoby Ellsbury.  Some people call him injury prone...I say not.  When a Tight End, oh excuse me, a thirdbaseman named Adrian Beltre completely takes you out with a football block and breaks ribs front and back, that is not injury prone, that is just bad luck and stupidity from the GM for putting you in LF instead of CF.  When you slide into second base trying to break up a double play and the fielder comes down on the back of your shoulder and dislocates it, that is not being injury prone, it is bad luck.  We are not speaking about J.D. Drew and a hangnail keeping him out for a week.  Jacoby had significant injuries while playing aggressively.  That stated, his is a contract Ben should be working on.  Sure I know about Boras, but if Ben earnestly speaks to Jacoby about the Sox wanting him in CF for a long time, the deal just might get done and we just might see some more magic seasons if he can avoid his bigger teammates and dimwitted fielders from the opposition.  I think we have a gem right here.  I know about Bradley, but we know more about Ellsbury.  Sign him!!!