Reader Daniel Shamah responds to this response:

I think Weddell misses the point of Lucchino’s complaint. He was more upset that any time the Red Sox target a free agent, the Yankees can just step in and outbid them. I don’t believe he was really concerned with the possible impact on arbitration.
And that arbitration argument is a double-edged sword: yes, the Matsui and Contreras signings will have less impact on this year’s arbitration hearings than a massive Greg Maddux or Cliff Floyd signing would, but these signings could also doubly hurt the Red Sox. The Yanks essentially paid middle of the road prices for two international all stars: what if they perform to that level here? Then the Yankees have two all star caliber players for the price of one: 15 million. Any time the Yankees actually save money, it kills their competitors, most of all the Red Sox.

Of course, those two stars might turn out to be duds in the US, in which case Lucchino’s complaint is going to look silly. Actually, this is a bit of a lose-lose situation for Lucchino. If Contreras is a success, then why didn’t the Red Sox pay more to get him. If he’s a dud, why was Lucchino willing to spend so munch for an unproven player. No wonder he’s mad at Steinbrenner.