Now THAT's a Good Deal

Red Sox nation, your long national nightmare is finally over: Terry Francona is locked up.

It took a boatload of cash for a manager, but Theo and ownership ensured Tito isn't going anywhere, signing him to a three-year deal that ranges from the mid $3 million range for his three guaranteed years, then jumps above $4 MM if either of his two option years are exercised.


Naturally, as quickly as things change in the Boston sports atmosphere, those two option years are hardly a given. Still, the first three years of his deal, with an added $750,000 buyout, push his first three years up to a $12 MM total, which lags behind only Joe Torre (Dodgers), Tony La Russa (Cardinals) and, overall, matches Jim Leyland's one-year bridging with the Tigers. That data is ripped straight from the Herald's Clubhouse Insider post by Michael Silverman, who, for the record, beat fellow Herald staffer Rob Bradford to announcing the Epstein extension by a whopping two minutes. The Globe's Amalie Benjamin announced the deal on Extra Bases five minutes later, though she has yet to deliver the official numbers that Silverman did.

There. Now that the stats portion of this WMYM post is out of the way, let's get into the opinion, shall we? This is a very good deal. A VERY good deal. While it may be relatively pricey, the Sox lock up a manager who's proven perfect for the mercurial atmosphere that enshrouds Yawkey Way. They solidify the foundation of their two World Series titles, both of which came on runs when Francona could do nothing wrong. Think back to 2004, and the team's magical, eight-game run through the ALCS and World Series coincided with a deft streak of golden substitutions that brought a world championship. Amazingly, he repeated the feat in '07, adjusting his rotation and bullpen just enough to tweak out another title.

Regardless of why the Sox hired him in the first place - and yes, WMYM recognizes that Curt Schilling may have had a lot to do with his original appointment - Boston has been blessed by Francona in his four years. Four more years can only augur well, even if it only guarantees another couple years without marital dischord between club and manager.

But there's additional significance to this signing that's worth noting. By splashing cash to keep Francona in the fold, just as Epstein, Henry and Co. did to keep Mike Lowell and Schilling around in the offseason, the Red Sox are showing that they are committed to protecting the assets that have brought the franchise two titles in four years after 86 seasons of frustration and humiliation. Epstein finally seems willing - and perhaps more significantly, able - to use patience before employing drastic changes. That was never the case before '04 and, in fact, was never really the case before '07. Finally, the franchise is building from within and reallocating funding to re-sign the pieces that it generates from within, rather that overspending on flashy names on the precipice of a drop in their career.

Or at least that's what all the moves of late - not trading for Santana, re-signing Lowell, Schilling, Timlin et. al - and now, keeping Francona around for the long term, appear to be indicating. Then again, this is Boston, so by midseason things could change. A lot. And that's precisely why we all have to stay tuned.

So check in tomorrow for more big news, same bat time, same bat channel. We may not know what it is yet, but the odds are that something will happen, whether it's an eighth Red Sox star joining the Scott Boras galaxy or a manager setting roots in Boston for good.

Either way, it won't be boring.

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