Well the only way we could realistically "afford" to pay him what he's worth is by ducking under the luxury tax this year, so it is possible that there was some kind of verbal agreement. It would make sense for both sides - enable the Sox to pay closer to what Mookie wants, while bolstering the team and farm system in a way that wouldn't have been possible without the trade. I'm not saying there's really any chance of this happening, but it wouldn't be the craziest free agent storyline that I've ever heard.