Red Sox sign Shane Victorino

All morning and all afternoon, the Shane Victorino train was barreling down the tracks toward South Station, with the Boston Red Sox looking to sign the outfielder to a three-year deal. According to Alex Speier, the deal is done, reportedly for three years and $39 million.

The Red Sox had money to spend after dumping the Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford contracts on the Dodgers, and so far almost $80 million of it has gone to over-30 free agents coming off disappointing walk years. That’s the bad news. The good news is that as recently as 2011 -- we’re talking 15 months ago -- both Victorino and Napoli were among the very best players in baseball.

Victorino should play a corner spot with Jacoby Ellsbury returning to center, and the switch-hitting Victorino is probably overqualified as a corner defender.

No, it’s true! He does spend his days in an alternate plane of existence filled with invisible banana peels, but he can still run and catch with the best of them.

Could the Sox have found a better use for their $80 million this offseason? Considering that’s about half of a Zack Greinke ... I don’t know. There’s no more plowing the money into the draft or international free-agent market anymore, so why not? The good news for me is that Victorino goes to a team that’s easy to be annoyed with.

The Red Sox will be Victorino’s fourth team since debuting with the Padres in 2003.