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More Reactions To The Dombrowski/Cherington Shakeup

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Earlier today, Jeff Todd rounded up some reactions from around the industry to the Red Sox’ franchise-altering decision to name Dave Dombrowski president of baseball operations and the subsequent resignation of GM Ben Cherington. There’s still plenty of buzz surrounding this move, however, so here are some additional reactions to one of the most impactful headlines of the summer…

  • Cherington’s decision to step aside after the hiring of Dombrowski caught the Red Sox by surprise, sources tell Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. Passan adds that he, too, hears that Dombrowski will hire a new GM, with not only Frank Wren serving as a possibility (as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported last night), but also former Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd. From a bigger-picture perspective, Passan writes that Dombrowski’s success will be determined, to some extent, by the freedom he is given to make decisions without interference from ownership. Passan notes that Dombrowski inherits one of the best situations in baseball — a top-rated farm system with a young core in place at the Major League level. Of course, he’ll also have some work to do with the pitching staff and the albatross contracts of Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval.
  • Outgoing team president Larry Lucchino appeared on WEEI’s Dennis & Callahan show today, and WEEI’s Judy Cohen has transcribed many of his comments. Most notably, Lucchino said that he expects “significant changes” in the baseball operations department, as Dombrowski may look to import members of the network of people he’s worked with over the life of his career. Lucchino offered strong praise for the work that Cherington did: “Ben has done a marvelous job, in my opinion. He is a terrific guy, and I think he’s built an organization that will serve Dave Dombrowski quite well in the months and years ahead, and so things will change.”
  • COO/vice president Sam Kennedy also weighed in on the move on WEEI (also via Cohen). Kennedy said that he, owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner felt “disappointment” that Cherington didn’t want to remain on board, but ultimately they understood that the now-former GM felt a “clean break” was in his best interest. Kennedy addressed the difference between Dombrowski’s more traditional scouting background and the Sox’ recent analytical tendencies, noting that data/analytics, traditional scouting, the eye test and keen instincts are all important to success in baseball operations, and the Sox look forward to a blend of those elements.
  • Alex Speier of the Boston Globe attempts to define Cherington’s tenure as GM of the Red Sox. Cherington, Speier notes, never allowed himself to be concerned with his own job security despite a firm belief that he was accountable for the entire front office in difficult times. Cherington, one source told Speier, was so committed to positioning the Sox for success that he was “100 percent” responsible for the hiring of Jerry Dipoto as a consultant. However, Cherington felt that the philosophical differences between him and Dombrowski would introduce an ideological tension that could have been detrimental to the organization. Cherington, according to Speier, could have stuck around at least through the end of the 2016 season, when his contract was scheduled to expire.
  • At today’s exit press conference, Cherington told reporters, including the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato, that the first he heard of the Sox’ interest in Dombrowski was this past Saturday. Said Cherington: “I was in my office and he came and let me know that he and Tom [Werner] were pursuing Dave for this role. That was the first I had heard of it. Yesterday I was told they had an agreement.” Cherington was caught off guard, as he’d believed his conversations with Henry and ownership had been open, honest and productive. Henry, on the other hand, maintains that he first spoke to Cherington about the pursuit of Dombrowski as early as Aug. 4. Cherington offered nothing but praise for Dombrowski, stating that he has “great respect” for an executive whose resume speaks for itself and will be “an asset, clearly,” going forward for the Red Sox.
  • Cherington will be paid for the remainder of his contract despite stepping down, a source tells WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford (Twitter link).
  • Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe breaks down the new Red Sox chain of command in the wake of Lucchino’s impending departure and the changes on the baseball operations side of the hierarchy.
  • ESPN’s Jim Bowden writes 10 things that we can expect from the Red Sox now that Dombrowski is in charge of baseball operations. The most significant note, from a roster standpoint, is that Bowden expects the Red Sox to actively pursue the market’s top free agent pitchers, including David Price, Johnny Cueto and Jordan Zimmermann, with Price topping the team’s wish list. He also notes that we should expect Dombrowski to part with some of the team’s elite young talent in order to add a second top pitcher with some team control.

Red Sox Release Justin Masterson

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AUGUST 19: Boston has requested release waivers on Masterson, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe tweets. As Speier notes, that represents the first decision of Dave Dombrowski’s tenure with the club.

AUGUST 9: The Red Sox have designated Justin Masterson for assignment, Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal tweets.  Masterson was among several Red Sox players placed on revocable waivers last week, but there were no takers for the hurler.

Masterson is earning $9.5MM in 2015 after inking a one-year deal with Boston back in December.  The 30-year-old fell off significantly last year after a three-year run in which he averaged 205 frames and a 3.86 ERA (that included outstanding campaigns in 2011 and 2013 sandwiched around a dud in 2012).  In 2014, he scuffled to a 5.88 ERA in 128 2/3 innings last year, striking out 8.1 and walking 4.8 batters per nine while dealing with a variety of shoulder, knee, and back issues.

After injuries held him back, Masterson settled for a one-year deal rather than the long-term deal he probably envisioned for himself.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get back on track in 2015 to reassert his value.  Back in June, he admitted that he was open to a trade if it meant starting elsewhere.

“I dont know if it’s in my nature to do that, to say, ‘Beat it guys, trade me or put me in [the rotation],’” he said. “No, I don’t think that’s the time right now. Especially the way I see this team going and the way I believe in this team too.”

In nine starts and eight relief appearances this season, Masterson owns a 5.55 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.  To keep track of Masterson and everyone else in DFA limbo, check out MLBTR’s DFA Tracker.

Reactions To Red Sox’ Hiring Of Dave Dombrowski

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The Red Sox dropped a stunner on the baseball world yesterday when they announced the hiring of veteran executive Dave Dombrowski as the team’s president of baseball operations. Ben Cherington is said to have declined the chance to stay on in the GM role, preferring instead to look for a new opportunity elsewhere.

Here are some of the many reactions to the move:

  • The deal with the Red Sox will give Dombrowski a raise over the $3MM annual salary he was earning in Detroit, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports on Twitter. The Nationals also had interest in Dombrowski, though they never made him an offer, Nightengale adds. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays had more serious conversations, and their involvement pushed the Red Sox to giving Dombrowski full decisionmaking authority, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweets. The Mariners were “next in line,” though, had Boston not pulled off a deal, Nightengale further tweets.
  • Parting with Cherington is just one of the surprising angles of this move. As Nightengale reports, Dombrowski explained that he offered Cherington the chance to stay but understood why he did not. “We offered Ben the opportunity to stay as GM,” said Dombrowski. “I had a lengthy conversation. He could have stayed. We like Ben. He’s a good person. I don’t know him very well, but I have the utmost respect for him and as a person. But I could understand it. It hit him very quickly. He was surprised. As president of baseball operations, you have control over making deals, and the final say in hiring. I understand it would be a transition with him.”
  • It may be a bit too soon to evaluate Cherington’s own legacy as the Red Sox GM, but as Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald writes, it’s already clear that it is a somewhat complicated one. While he won a World Series and leaves the club with a well-stocked farm, Cherington was not able to develop a stream of pitching and whiffed on several significant decisions.
  • Bringing in Dombrowski represents a significant philosophical shift for the Red Sox, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com writes. While it’s hard to see the organization suddenly shelving its analytics work, Heyman notes that they’ll get a hands-on executive in Dombrowski with a penchant for swinging quality trades and keeping a winner on the field.
  • Indeed, the scope of the shift is somewhat hard to overstate. Red Sox “vaporized the way they’ve done business for the last 13 years” overnight, writes John Tomase of WEEI.com. And as Sean McAdam of CSSNE.com explains, it completes a month of change at many key levels of the organization.
  • Dombrowski has a history of dealing away top prospects to bolster his clubs at the major league level, Ben Badler of Baseball America notes on Twitter. Now, he’s in charge of a Boston organization flush with young talent, and Badler rightly notes that it’ll be a fascinating offseason to watch.

Dombrowski Likely To Hire New GM For Red Sox; Frank Wren A Candidate

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The Red Sox’ stunning announcement that Dave Dombrowski will take over as president of baseball operations is still sinking in for many, but further changes figure to be on the way in Boston. Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Press spoke to Dombrowski and tweets that the new Boston president believes he will hire a GM to work underneath him (Twitter link). Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports tweets that former Braves GM Frank Wren, who worked with Dombrowski in the Marlins and Expos front offices in the 1980s and 1990s, is a leading candidate for the position.

Wren’s more traditional background of scouting would seemingly align well with Dombrowski’s strengths, as opposed to a more analytical GM like Ben Cherington, who passed on the opportunity to remain on board as the Red Sox’ GM following the addition of Dombrowski. There’s been speculation about Jerry Dipoto, who is working with the Sox on a temporary basis at the moment, but he, too, has a more analytical slant and wasn’t hired by Dombrowski.

Wren was fired by the Braves last September, with John Hart taking over as president of baseball operations. (Notably, the Braves serve as an example of a team that elected to deploy a president but no GM, as they currently do not have one in place.) The 57-year-old Wren’s front office experience dates back to the mid-1980s, and he’s worked with the Orioles in addition to the previously mentioned Expos, Marlins and Braves.

Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe tweets that he finds it difficult to imagine any team owned by John Henry would completely abandon analytics, noting that there will have to be a balance in place. One can imagine that even in the event of a more traditional hire in the GM department, Dombrowski may bring in some new analysts or, at the very least, make an effort to retain some of Cherington’s more analytically inclined lieutenants. Of course, many that previously worked underneath Cherington may elect to seek employment elsewhere as well.

Red Sox Name Dave Dombrowski President Of Baseball Operations; Ben Cherington Steps Down As GM

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The Red Sox announced tonight that they have hired Dave Dombrowski as their new president of baseball operations. Ben Cherington was given the opportunity to stay on as GM, but he’s chosen to step down instead. He will, however, assist Dombrowski in the transition process.

Dave Dombrowski

Dombrowski made an abrupt and unexpected exit from the Tigers’ front office following the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, ending a 14-year tenure as the team’s general manager. One of the most respected baseball operations executives in the league, Dombrowski has overseen some of the most memorable (and successful) trades in recent history. He plucked Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins in a trade that sent Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, Dallas Trahern, Burke Badenhop, Mike Rabelo and Frankie De La Cruz to Miami — none of whom contributed much to the organization. Dombrowski also landed Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante from the Marlins in exchange for Jacob Turner, Brian Flynn and Rob Brantly, and he acquired both Max Scherzer and Austin Jackson in a three-team deal that sent Curtis Granderson to the Yankees and Edwin Jackson to the D-Backs. Dombrowski, of course, isn’t without his misses; the recent trade sending Doug Fister to Washington and the acquisitions of Alfredo Simon and Shane Greene, for instance, have not panned out over the past year-plus. (You can check out a full list of Dombrowski’s moves by using MLBTR’s Transaction Tracker.)

In a statement announcing the move, Dombrowski made it clear that joining the Red Sox was his top option once he hit the open market (so to speak):

“Although I did have other potential options within baseball, there was no option that stood out as clearly as the chance to come to Boston and win with the Red Sox. Boston is a baseball city like no other and its history and traditions are unique in our game. I expressed to [owner] John [Henry] and [chairman] Tom [Werner] that Boston would be my absolute top choice and am honored to have the chance to serve Red Sox Nation.”

Notably, Dombrowski has a lengthy history with Henry, who employed Dombrowski more than a decade ago when he owned the Marlins for three years prior to selling the franchise to Jeffrey Loria.

The change brings to a close a fairly brief run as Red Sox GM for Cherington. That would’ve seemed a virtually unthinkable outcome just 18 months ago, as Cherington’s Red Sox won it all in 2013 based largely on a 2012 August blockbuster in which he shed the contracts of Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and, to a lesser extent, Nick Punto, setting up a highly successful venture into the free agent market. Cherington’s reshaped roster featured relatively short-term deals for Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli, Koji Uehara, Stephen Drew and Jonny Gomes — each of whom played a significant role in Boston’s World Series run that year.

However, the Victorino deal wound up going south following that season, and the recent moves to add Rick Porcello, Joe Kelly, Wade Miley and Justin Masterson have led to one of the game’s worst rotations. Taking on Allen Craig’s contract (along with Kelly) in last summer’s John Lackey trade has also proved to be an ill-fated decision. (Cherington’s transaction history can also be viewed in the Transaction Tracker.)

Dombrowski, of course, is not the only new face in the Boston front office. Former Angels GM Jerry Dipoto, who resigned earlier this summer over reported differences with manager Mike Scioscia, has joined the Sox in a temporary capacity. He’s free to pursue other GM openings while working with Boston, but with Cherington’s departure, it’ll be interesting to see if Dipoto winds up getting consideration for the Sox’ GM post. Of course, Dipoto, like Cherington, is known as an analytical executive, whereas Dombrowski employs a more traditional approach. As such, it seems reasonable to expect a fair amount of turnover within the Boston front office. Many of the current lieutenants were hired by Cherington, and Dombrowski will undoubtedly want to have a say in who is at his side and contributing to the decision-making process.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dodgers, Red Sox Discussing Alejandro De Aza

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The Dodgers and Red Sox are engaged in trade talks regarding outfielder Alejandro De Aza, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). Boston acquired De Aza from the Orioles in early June.

Per the report, the Dodgers are considering De Aza as an alternative acquisition target to Chase Utley. While the two obviously don’t play the same position, Rosenthal suggests that adding De Aza would allow Los Angeles to continue deploying Kike Hernandez at second base in place of the injured Howie Kendrick.

In spite of that explanation, it seems a curious fit unless another move is also being contemplated. De Aza hits from the left side, and the Dodgers already have three left-handed-hitting outfielders in Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, and Joc Pederson. And it’s not as if the 31-year-old De Aza posts reverse platoon splits; to the contrary, he’s been far more productive against right-handed pitching this season and over his career. (The same holds true of the team’s incumbent options.)

De Aza does have some extra flexibility given his extensive (though somewhat outdated) experience in center field. But the same can be said to greater or lesser extent of the three players just mentioned — including, of course, the team’s current up-the-middle defender, Pederson.

The major difference between De Aza and the in-house veterans lies in the contractual realm. Boston only took on $1MM of his salary in acquiring him from the Orioles, and he’ll hit free agency after the season, so he’s a cheap rental piece at this point. Ethier ($38MM over two seasons) and Crawford ($41.75MM over two seasons) come with significant guarantees after the current year, though both have been rather productive at the plate. It’s conceivable, at least, that Los Angeles would have interest in an immediate replacement for either player if they found a trade partner willing to take on a piece of the future obligations.

While he’s best as a platoon player or fourth outfielder, De Aza is a useful piece — he’s slashed .313/.362/.520 since coming over to Boston. And it’s fairly clear that he holds more function to a team other than the cellar-dwelling Red Sox. But it’s also not immediately apparent that he makes a ton of sense for the Dodgers, as that team’s roster is currently structured.

Of course, being that it’s August, De Aza would need either to be claimed by the Dodgers or have already passed through revocable waivers to be dealt. It has not been reported whether or when De Aza was placed on waivers.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Cruz, Parra, Orioles

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The Yankees fell to the Blue Jays 3-1 today, but the pitching of Luis Severino was definitely a bright spot for the Bombers.  In six innings of work, Severino struck out a career-high nine batters while walking three and surrendering five total hits.  As Brandon Kuty of the Star-Ledger writes, it’s an encouraging sign for the Yankees, who refused to deal the promising youngster at the deadline.  Here’s a look at the other teams in the AL East…

  • David Ortiz lobbied the Red Sox to go out and get slugger Nelson Cruz, but Boston didn’t make a play for him, WEEI’s John Tomase writes.  “He was all in,” Cruz said. “Anytime we played, he reminded me that he wanted me here. It meant a lot. I’m a fan of him, and also a good friend. When a player like him, a future Hall of Famer, requests for you to play with him, it’s definitely something that grabs you.”  The Red Sox might be in a different position today if they went out and got Cruz to play left field instead of Hanley Ramirez, Tomase writes.  Ramirez got a four-year, $88MM deal from the Red Sox while Cruz signed for $57MM over four.
  • The Orioles should try and lock up newly-acquired outfielder Gerardo Parra, Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun opines.  Parra, he writes, gives the O’s the on-base potential and the defensive ability that they lose when Nick Markakis left via free agency.  Parra, who is earning $6MM in 2015, will probably be in line for a pay raise.
  • The Rays shouldn’t wait to promote pitcher Blake Snell, Steve Kinsella of Sports Talk Florida writes.   The 22-year-old former first-round pick has looked great in five Triple-A starts, posting a 1.48 ERA with 12.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.

Cafardo On Chapman, D’Backs, Utley

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In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe looked at several managers who could be out of a job this winter.  Among the skippers listed is Nationals manager Matt Williams, who has come under fire at times for his in-game decisions.  Still, in his defense, Cafardo notes that Williams has had to deal with poor performances by players like Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth, not to mention injuries.  Other situations to monitor include the Reds (Bryan Price), Phillies (Pete Mackanin), Tigers (Brad Ausmus), and Mariners (Lloyd McClendon).  Here’s more from today’s column..

  • When the D’Backs and other clubs called on Aroldis Chapman at the deadline, the Reds were asking for an “incredibly unrealistic” return, according to one GM who spoke with Cafardo.  “I couldn’t believe it,” the GM said of the asking price for the closer.  Still, it sounds like Reds GM Walt Jocketty will at least listen on him this winter and the price tag could be more palatable for interested teams.  “I think teams would give up three very good prospects for him,” said one AL GM, “but I think that’s as far as it would go.”  Recently, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com wrote that many in baseball are questioning Jocketty’s decision to hang on to Chapman past the July trade deadline.  Heyman also noted that Arizona could pursue him once again this offseason.
  • As of Friday, the Giants had no idea how their pursuit of Phillies second baseman Chase Utley would go.  GM Bobby Evans acknowledged over the weekend that he’s still in pursuit of Utley, but one has to wonder how far they’re willing to go with Joe Panik on the verge of returning.
  • If the Nationals wind up replacing Ian Desmond this winter, they have a very capable replacement on deck in Trea Turner.  “He’s a baseball player,” one veteran AL scout said of Turner. “He’s going to be an All-Star player in the big leagues. I don’t see how he misses. He has great instincts for the position and the game in general. He’s got those [Dustin] Pedroia qualities.”  Turner, rated as the No. 65 prospect in baseball heading into the 2015 season, is hitting .306/.349/.422 at Triple-A Syracuse.
  • Nationals director of player development Doug Harris could emerge as the frontrunner for the Brewers’ GM job, Cafardo writes.  Doug Melvin, who has stepped down as president/GM to take on an adviser role, was the GM in Texas while Harris was an exec there.
  • As team president Theo Epstein enters his walk year in 2016, Cubs owner Tom Ricketts is expected to start discussing a new deal with him soon.   If he can’t offer him enough money to stay in Chicago, Cafardo wonders aloud if he could go elsewhere or maybe even circle back to the Red Sox.

Prospect Notes: Org Rankings, Cuba, Nunez

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The Red Sox top the latest organizational prospect list of MLB.com’s Jim Callis. Boston has seven of the game’s top 100 pre-MLB players, per MLB.com, led by infielders Yoan Moncada and Rafael Devers. Next up on the list: the Dodgers, Rockies, Cubs, and Twins. Here are some more stray notes from around the league:

  • MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez looks at the international market on a historic day for U.S.-Cuban relations. There are a number of talented Cuban players waiting to strike deals, Sanchez explains. Indeed, he estimates that nearly 75 young players have left the island nation with intentions of signing with big league clubs in the last year and a half. As Sanchez notes, it remains unclear whether a new pathway for that talent to travel to the majors could be opened.
  • Another Cuban player could potentially be on the way, Baseball America’s Ben Badler tweets, though it seems he won’t be attempting to defect to do so. 22-year-old lefty Darien Nunez has asked Cuban authorities to release him from his league obligations, reports from the island suggest. Badler says that the southpaw — who led Cuban ball in both strikeouts and walks last year — is raw and unpolished, but possesses an “intriguing arm.”

John Farrell Diagnosed With Lymphoma; Torey Lovullo To Manage Red Sox For Rest Of Season

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Red Sox manager John Farrell announced to reporters today that he has been diagnosed with Stage 1 lymphoma and will begin chemotherapy next week (Twitter link via Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald). Bench coach Torey Lovullo will manage the Sox for the rest of the season in light of this terrible news.

Farrell says that his chemotherapy will last for nine weeks, and there’s “no alternative” to that measure (Twitter links from Lauber). He’s maintaining a positive attitude, though, telling the media, “There’s going to be a good outcome to this.” Tim Britton tweets that the cancer was found earlier this week when Farrell was undergoing surgery to repair a hernia. Farrell added that he has “every intention of coming back” to the Red Sox.

The 53-year-old Farrell has served as the team’s manager dating back to 2013 — a season that saw the former Red Sox pitching coach win a World Series title in his return to Boston. He’s compiled a 218-220 record in the regular season while serving as Boston’s skipper and has also managed the Blue Jays at the Major League level. MLBTR offers our best wishes to Farrell, his family and friends, and the Red Sox organization as he battles the illness.

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