Boston Red Sox fans and media members alike have speculated whether the Fenway Sports Group has been gearing up to sell the team.

The ownership group has invested considerably less into the payroll over the last few years and seemingly does not have the same desire to win as they did for the first couple of decades of their tenure.

Concerns (or excitement) about an upcoming sale of the team have made their way back to ownership, and the rumors were finally addressed.

“No, they are not intending to sell,” MassLive’s Sean McAdam said on the “Fenway Rundown” podcast on Tuesday. “That has been reiterated, restated, and emphasized by a number of people. Tom Werner has addressed it (he) said there’s absolutely no interest or plans to sell. John Henry in an email exchange with me last February said ‘When have we (Fenway Sports Group) ever sold anything?.’

“If you’re looking at the reduced payroll as evidence that they are preparing to sell and you want that outcome, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you,” McAdam said. “I do not see that on the horizon by any measure or metric.”

If the Red Sox don’t have plans to sell, then the lack of spending over the past few seasons should now be fairly assessed as inexcusable.

With seemingly every big-name free agent signing elsewhere, reports of a refusal to spend on these free agents do not coincide with the alleged refusal to sell the team — you can’t have it both ways.

Especially after insulting the fanbase by thinking they could just say they would go “full throttle,” not spend much and believe nobody would notice.

Time will tell but as of now, ownership’s comments may as well just be words on paper. Until they show aggression and spending in the free agent market, these comments might not have much value.