Not sure why everyone, okay not everyone, is so in love with Palka. His offensive game is swing really hard in case you hit it. He has no defensive position, no bat to ball skills, etc. I don't get it.
But $4 mil is too much to pay for such a player. Given his age and his production last year that's at least a 100% overpay. It isn't inconceivable that he could have been brought in nearer to spring training without a major league guarantee. That alone gives some credence to all of the noise that this has more to do with Machado than Jay.
Jay is a useful, veteran presence on the bench and for occasional starts. If he gets more than 300 at bats than the plan has gone awry. If he stays healthy and gets less than 300 at bats than the plan may be coming together.
Not sure why everyone is so upset about this. Jay is a league average outfielder and the Sox didn't get league average production from any of the three outfield positions.