John Henry yesterday reiterated his stance that the MLB should institute a salary cap, citing the ridiculous offseason spending spree the Yankees went on ($423.5 million on three guys, Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett) as a prime reason for the move. Henry says he's upset that there's not more of a "competitive balance" in the league, in spite of the fact that the Sox continue to have one of the highest payrolls in the MLB. He called a cap "as inevitable as tomorrow."

I want to go on record saying that any talk regarding a salary cap coming from gazillionaire John Henry and the $100-million-plus payroll Red Sox is absurd. I don't hold the opinion that many Sox hating Yankees fans do - i.e. that Henry is simply bitching because he was outbid for Teixeira - but to call for a cap after snatching up starters and relievers like it was their job (I guess, in a way, it is their job) is just silly. Granted, spending half a billion in one offseason is unbelievable, and the Yanks' 2008 payroll of $222.5 million was insanely high, but there's no way the wealthier teams in the league ever agree to this. And it's not a good idea for them, or the less wealthy teams, to do so. If teams, like the Sox, that spend a lot yet make a lot more than they spend suddenly start putting out a poorer product, it will be detrimental for the league overall as a result of the current makeup of the MLB revenue sharing policy (as in the case of less tickets and merchandise being sold). Plus, the lack of a salary cap is what allows the Sox to take a chance on big name draft picks and free agents, as well as spin off crap players like Julio Lugo (if and when they decide to do so) and eat a substantial amount of their contracts.

In short, the notion of a cap, at this point, is a stupid one. Even more stupid coming from one of the richest teams in baseball. End of story.

In other Sox news, Theo's genius was once again reaffirmed after Andy Marte was designated today. Sure, Rent-a-wreck drastically underachieved while he was here, but at least he's still in the bigs.