FORT MYERS, Fla. - In apparent contradiction to his own commissioner, Boston Red Sox owner John Henry said Monday that, while there is not a perfect correlation between a bigger payroll and winning, "spending more money helps."
His Red Sox had the highest payroll in the sport in 2018 and won their fourth World Series title since Henry became principal owner of the franchise in 2002. During a media session on Sunday in West Palm Beach, commissioner Rob Manfred, addressing the cold free-agent winter that has Bryce Harper and Manny Machado still unsigned, said, "I reject the notion that payroll is a good measure for how much a team is trying or how successful that team is going to be.