the title of this piece is going to be a common one for Pete Talking Sports. Well, at least the first three words. While "hit and run" is a slowly dying tactic used by baseball managers, for my purpose it will be used to "hit" on one major topic and then "run" with it and see where it goes. There are a lot of things I want to talk about regarding the Red Sox outside of Dave Dombrowski. But first, let's talk about the new President of Baseball Operations now that we all understand the title of this piece.
I have to admit, no other executive in baseball has been more hyped over the last several seasons than Dave Dombrowski. For a general manager who's team was in contention just about every season for their tenure but continuously fell short because of the bullpen, he sure got a lot of love. It seems every season there are quality bullpen arms looking for homes whether in free agency or at the trade deadline and yet Dombrowski, with all the resources he had in Detroit, couldn't put together a quality one. Granted, who thought Joe Nathan would stop being Joe Nathan once he got to Detroit? Who really thought there would be such a harsh drop off in ability from Jose Valverde following his incredible All Star years of 2010 and 2011? Did anyone know that Joel Zumaya's Guitar Hero addiction would cost him his career? And hey, Joaquin Benoit had been consistently outstanding up until that David Ortiz grand slam in the 2013 ALCS. Despite it being his job, you can't really blame Dombrowski for all of that.
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| Joel Zumaya https://reececantelon.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/zumaya_guitar.jpg |
Even with the acquisition of Norris, Dombrowski is moving on to greener pastures as the Tigers are about to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2010 due to their inept bullpen and injuries that have riddled stars such as Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, and Victor Martinez. Without a strong farm system, the Tigers will find it difficult to solve the issues they have had this season. Free agency won't be much of an option going forward. Between five players - Cabrera, Verlander, Martinez, Ian Kinsler, and Anibal Sanchez - $76 million is tied up next year. The youngest of that lot is Sanchez, who is 31 years old and looks terrible this season. Even if Cabrera and Martinez can produce at a high level this season and beyond (and Cabrera obviously will), most of the players that made the Tigers so great over the last several seasons are gone (Price, Scherzer, Benoit, etc.) or getting substantially worse (Sanchez, Verlander). Dombrowski has left the Tigers in a tough situation - tied up with bad contracts and with a poor farm system.
There is a strong belief around baseball that Dombrowski depleted the farm system in trades and gave out enormous contracts only because owner Mike Ilitch wanted him to. Ilitch, 86, only cares about a title at this point - not the farm system or how the team will look 5-10 years down the road. For those of us looking for excuses for Dombrowski, there it is.
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| Miguel Cabrera |
Enough about Dave's past, though. What is he going to do with the Red Sox? That is the burning question that has both excited and scared many fans. It is widely believed that the Red Sox have one of, if not the, best farm systems in baseball. With desperate needs in both the rotation and bullpen, it is rational to believe Dombrowski may be looking to dump some of that organizational depth for some major league help, as he did in Detroit. The fear of it being Mookie Betts or Xander Bogaerts being shown the door, though, is highly unlikely. The Sox new Pres. of Baseball Ops will not be moving either of them. At his welcoming press conference, Dombrowski cited how important it is to have talent up the middle (C, MI, CF). With Blake Swihart, Betts, and Bogaerts (as well as Dustin Pedroia and eventually Yoan Moncada), Dombrowski has exactly what he is looking for up the middle. I find it more likely that if a trade is made involving young Red Sox players, it will be names like Brian Johnson, Rafael Devers, and Manuel Margot. After all, those are prospects. Bogaerts, Betts, Swihart, and Eduardo Rodriguez are no longer considered "prospects" anyway. Even if Dombrowski does ship away a name or two that most of us don't want to see go, can we really complain? This year will mark the third time in four seasons that the Red Sox have finished in dead last in the division. Dombrowski worked miracles for both the Marlins and the Tigers. I think he deserves a shot to prove himself before we starting knocking his moves.
Those moves may not be trades, either. Most likely a trade or two will have to be made for the bullpen as there are not many big bullpen names available in free agency this off-season. However, there is a significant number of high-end starting pitchers that will be available. David Price, Johnny Cueto, and Jordan Zimmermann highlight the upcoming class of free agent starting pitchers. Dombrowski made a move to acquire Price in the past, could he do it again? It would certainly signify a change in Red Sox philosophy if they sign a free agent starting pitcher over the age of 30 to a monster contract, but isn't that why Dave was brought in - to change things up? I wouldn't complain, and a free agent signing would keep those top prospects in house for the time being. A rotation of Price-Buchholz-Porcello-Miley-Rodriguez doesn't look great right now, but it is a step in the right direction. Henry Owens is most likely better than at least two of those pitchers, so I'm sure more moves would come. Either way, bring in an ace, Dave!
Other than the youngsters and the pitching, what is Dave going to do with our "problem" of having too much depth? Travis Shaw has looked fantastic. He will need to keep producing at a high level for him to have a shot as the 2016 Opening Day first baseman but if he does, then what is the deal with the outfield? Jackie Bradley Jr. is finally reaching his potential and is one of the hottest hitters (and fielders) in baseball at the moment. Mookie Betts isn't going any where and Rusney Castillo also looks like he is reaching his potential and he is a major investment that needs to play. If you asked me two months ago, even if JBJ and Runsey had been playing the way they are now, I would tell you that Dombrowski absolutely has to have Hanley Ramirez in there no matter what. However, Hanley has been an abomination since the All Star Break. He has been downright awful. That "foot" injury he had lasted what? Two entire weeks even though x-rays came back negative? Then he gets another day off against Corey Kluber and now, oh look, another day off tonight. This is getting ridiculous. He earns the most money on the team and yet, in the second half so far, he has only played 25 games with an average under .200 and ZERO home runs. I may change my tune before the end of the season, but as of right now, I would love to see Hanley gone. It would cure so much. If he begins to hit again, actually plays most of the games going forward, and agrees to try and play first base (because he is the worst outfielder in baseball), then I may change my mind. Otherwise, get out of here.
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| Hanley Ramirez |
As for manager, Dombrowski may not make a decision there for a good long while. Despite it "being a business," I would be shocked to hear of a Farrell firing before he is 100% in the clear of his cancer. With that said, and as cold as this is, it really is a business. Farrell is loved by the players and helped bring a World Series. He has been great for the Red Sox post-Bobby Valentine. However, based on the last several seasons, it would be tough to imagine a new baseball operations executive hanging on to the same manager. It just rarely happens.
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| John Farrell |
