Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein has had a few guiding principles over the years that he tends to stick to. One is to never give a reliever a three-year contract. As a rule, that is a very good principle.
But, as Jesse Crain becomes the fourth reliever this off-season to get a three-year contract (along with Benoit, Downs, and Guerrier), it's starting to look like the only way to get quality bullpen arms is to yield on that 3-year principle.
While we're signing the likes of Lenny DiNardo and Matt Albers, other teams are actually improving their relief corps.