The Red Sox are stress testing their empire

Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty ImagesWhen John Henry looks down at the crowd from his owner’s box in Fenway Park, he does not think, “These are my people.” As the lord of feudal Boston, his bottom line is enriching himself. The concept of baseball teams functioning as part profit source for wealthy men and morale booster for the surrounding municipalities has fallen out of favor here in the early 21st century.

The principal owner of one of the most well-known sports franchises in the galaxy, whose personal net worth is valued at $2.5 billion, wants his successful team to cut payroll. You see, the Red Sox won the World Series in 2018 (thank you!), but they spent a lot of money to do so ($240…