Think something needs to be done? It does, though almost nothing the Sox can do at this point will have anywhere close to the impact the Teixeira signing would have.
To start with, there's the matter of that $170 million. Just because it was offered to Teixeira - and declined, in favor of the $180 million over eight years he got from the Yankees - doesn't mean the Red Sox have that money targeted for someone else. There is no one else, at least not any player (or combination of players) about to get that kind of payout from Boston.
The team will sign at least a couple of players, mostly because it has holes to fill. But that pot of money isn't out there waiting to be spent.
The team maintains that, unlike the Yankees, it has to be pickier about which free agents to sign. It's a team that, right or wrong, believes the Yankees have the upper hand in virtually all major free agent signings, leading to the thought that - at least in the case of Teixeira - a large contract offer with a firm deadline early in the process might have been its best chance to keep the New Yorkers away. That didn't happen.
There will be no $400 million spending sprees like the one the Yankees have gone on this offseason, which is not to say there won't be a spending spree at all. The Sox did open their wallet for J.D. Drew and Daisuke Matsuzaka, and were willing to do so for Teixeira. Other free agents will come around that the Sox will deem worthy, but not this year.
Not for a team that continues to emphasize the long term. Touting strides the organization has made in scouting and player development, general manager Theo Epstein has repeatedly reminded reporters (and fans) that the Sox are in a luxurious position. They have young talent, already in the major leagues and on the cusp.
