Red Sox and Cubs Refusing to Afford Steve Cishek is a Pathetic New Low

The Chicago White Sox and right-handed reliever Steve Cishek have agreed to a new one-year deal worth $6 million, which could escalate to $12 million in Year 2 with the player option he has built in.

The side-armer spent two seasons with the Cubs before venturing over to the Windy City's other team, and was reported to have interest from the Boston Red Sox, and performed well enough with his ex-squad that they likely shouldn't have let him walk across town at this price. His asking price, however -- the same which he was paid by the White Sox -- was too steep a value for both of those team's payrolls.

Despite hefty Boston contracts for pitchers like David Price and Chris Sale ($32 and $30 million, respectively), things simply do not have to be this way in Beantown.

Price's name has continuously swirled around the MLB trade market, as the Red Sox desperately try to clear themselves of his hefty contract, while names like Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Eduardo Rodriguez all cut deeply into the team's arbitration deficit. Betts has also circulated through trade rumors, but the Sox are going to need to unload much more if they want to shirk their mandated 2020 budget. Boston is, of course, incredibly profitable, but they've chosen to ignore that fact and pinch pennies instead. In fact, they weren't even able to offer infielder Travis Shaw $4 million in the offseason, and that, ladies and gentleman, is all you need to know about how Boston's offseason is going. Cishek wanted to come home, and this incredibly modest deal was too much to even consider. Great.

The Cubs are in a similar boat. They're overpaying tons for aging veterans whose production hasn't mirrored their money, and are currently scavenging the market as well for viable trade options to improve the look of their payroll, with Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras being the hottest names on the stove. Jason Heyward and Jon Lester will both make an upwards of $20 million, and both are over 30, while six other players' salaries top the $10 million mark.

It's a new day in baseball when two of the league's richest franchises are currently hanging out at its bottom, claiming limited financial leverage.

Both missed out on Cishek, and he won't be the only player shying away from the cities if this trend continues. Cishek struck out 57 batters in 64 relief innnigs during 2019, while posting a 2.95 ERA.