No Doubt He Heard All Those Sell The Team Chants But It Sure Sounds Like Owner John Henry Has No Plans To Sell The Boston Red Sox Anytime Soon

He 100% heard the chants. 

And he's not selling. At least according to the Red Sox CEO. 

Smarmy Sam Kennedy was on WEEI Thursday. When asked about the Red Sox's worth amid news that the LA Lakers were set to be sold for like infinity billion dollars, Kennedy made a bold proclamation. 

"It just doesn't matter. John Henry, Linda Henry, the Henry family are never selling the Boston Red Sox. And that's a soundbite you can play forevermore. I'd bet anything on that."

I had two reactions to this. 

1. If he's going to keep owning the team, he has to start speaking to the media again. 

It's been 338 weeks and counting since he talked to the media in a traditional press conference setting following the trade of Mookie Betts. 

He has a responsibility to talk to the fans - through the media - as the owner of one of the most iconic teams in professional sports. It's bullshit he stopped talking at spring training. 

No one should be okay with him letting Kennedy do the talking for the team. Cut the shit, John. 

2. He must be pretty confident in an MLB Salary Cap. 

The owners want a cap. The players don't. We'll probably lose much or all of the 2027 season thanks to a lockout tied to this. 

The impact of a salary cap on the on-field product is worth debating. What's not debatable is whether a cap would help or hurt franchise values. From Forbes.com

How A Cap Helps Owners Increase Profits

While there’s little doubt that Manfred has heard from fans about a cap, the biggest beneficiaries would be the owners. Lowering player salaries would increase profits. Tying a system that would see the cap tied to league revenues would alter the current “free market” system. But most importantly, it would increase franchise values. As Steve Greenberg of Allen and Company, who often represents MLB teams in their sale processes, told The Athletic, MLB’s economic system would benefit from a cap.

“The perception around baseball is that without a salary cap, its values will lag behind, at least behind the NFL and the NBA, and that’s been the case,” said Greenberg. “We’ll see what happens in Rob’s final negotiation.”

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This is not some Salary Cap debate blog - I'll save that for Klemmer. This is just pointing out that John Henry is a lot of things, but he's not stupid. A salary cap is great for his wallet - and the value of his team.

I don't love the idea that the Red Sox have a major financial advantage over other teams and might lose that with a cap, but I also want a salary floor. I want teams to spend money and not pocket the revenues they make. We won't get a floor without a cap. 

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but if Henry really won't sell after seeing what the Lakers just went for, then he must feel like a cap is coming. That cap would make his team worth more immediately, and that's a hell of a reason NOT to sell your baseball team anytime soon. 

Those "Sell the Team" towels will have to stay in storage for now. And while the Red Sox are winning, I think that's okay. 

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The Red Sox won on Thursday to salvage a game of their four-game set with the Blue Jays. But they lost five in a row before that. Hogdale, Ed Hand, and broke down the series on Episode 58 of Dirty Water. 

I gotta admit, I didn't freak out over the five straight losses. They played much worse earlier in the year. Plus, the American League stinks out loud. The Red Sox are still going to pass the Yankees and go to the playoffs. Sorry, Marty. 

We talked about that. Plus the dominance of Payton Tolle, the return of Roman Anthony, and so much more. Go watch and subscribe on YouTube. Then go listen and subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts.