General Manager Ben Cherington was demoted and left in 2015. The next general manager, Mike Hazen, bolted a year later. Manager John Farrell was just fired.
More and more this is Dave Dombrowski’s team. Eventually all the credit – or blame – will be heaped on his desk.
In just over two years since taking over as team president, what has Dombrowski accomplished and what still needs to be done?
He inherited a deep farm system but also some troubles. Since Jon Lester was insulted with a low-ball offer and didn’t re-sign, the team had no ace; and high-priced contracts were presented to Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, two players past their prime.
Dombrowski has made six key acquisitions (seven, if Eduardo Nunez is re-signed). As of now, only one of those deals was a clunker.
Last December, Dombrowski traded three players, including Travis Shaw, to Milwaukee for reliever Tyler Thornburg. Shaw was considered one of Boston’s developing power hitters, an important asset after David Ortiz’s retirement. He did blossom, but for Milwaukee, with 31 home runs and an .862 OPS.
The trade was bad enough without Thornburg’s missing the season after shoulder surgery.
Boston did need arms and Dombrowski has acquired five pitchers – David Price, Chris Sale, Drew Pomeranz, Craig Kimbrel and Carson Smith.
Now the Red Sox need bats. Last offseason Boston mysteriously didn’t go after Edwin Encarnacion (not so mysterious when you consider the Red Sox stayed under the luxury tax threshold last year).
There is no way Boston stays under the threshold next year, not with 15 players hitting salary arbitration.
But Dombrowski needs to open owner John Henry’s checkbook even more, for at least one if not two free agents.
The top of the free-agent list is no surprise: J.D. Martinez.
He only played 119 games because of a sprained foot but still hit 45 home runs, third-best in the majors. His 1.066 OPS was tops, although he didn’t have enough plate appearances to be officially ranked. Martinez hit 29 home runs with Arizona, 16 of them in homer-happy Chase Field, but the numbers are still impressive.
Martinez, 30, plays the outfield, which is a problem because Boston has three young, dynamic outfielders. Could Martinez be lured with a DH role and occasional play in the outfield? The Red Sox may have to show Martinez the money to be convincing.
Martinez provides that middle-of-the-order bat Boston desperately needs. Envision his right-handed power between left-handed hitters Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers in the lineup.
If Boston can’t get Martinez, the next-best option appears to be first baseman Eric Hosmer. He turns 28 later this month and is coming off a career-best year – .318 average/.882 OPS and 25 home runs.
If Boston gets Hosmer, then free agent Mitch Moreland is gone (and I’m not sure he’s in the plans, regardless). Moreland, 32, hit .246/.769 with 22 home runs last year, so Hosmer is an upgrade in age and numbers, but at a higher price.
Two other free agents might be considered. Outfielder Jay Bruce, 30, is intriguing. He hit .254/.832 with 36 home runs and played 12 games at first base. First baseman Carlos Santana, 31, hit .259/.818 with 23 homers for Cleveland.
One longshot: Oakland outfielder Khris Davis, who turns 30 in December. He’s up for arbitration (projected at $11 million), so Oakland might be up for a trade. Davis hit .247/.864 with 43 home runs (also 195 strikeouts). Would Oakland deal? What would the asking price be? Where would he fit in Boston?
A lot of questions.
And once Boston adds power, it has other boxes to check off:
• Sign Nunez. After he was traded to Boston, Nunez, 30, shined, with .321/.892 numbers in 38 games. He can play three infield spots and is insurance against Dustin Pedroia’s knee problems, as well occasional slumps by Xander Bogaerts.
• Have a plan for Ramirez. If a player like Martinez is used as a DH, Ramirez must be able to play most games at first base. If he can’t, Boston may need to let him go. Financially that may work out for the Red Sox. Ramirez will make $22 million in 2018 and has a vesting option for 2019 (also $22 million), if he makes 497 plate appearances next season and passes a physical.
• Have a plan for Bogaerts. He’s good but face it, the Red Sox expected more from their young shortstop. Bogaerts, 25, made the All-Star Game in 2016 when he was batting .329/.863. He hit .253/.729 after the All-Star Game, and .273/.716 for the season with only 10 homers. He was off to a good start but slowed after his right hand was hit by a pitch on July 6.
Bogaerts is young but becomes a free agent after 2019 and Scott Boras is his agent. If Bogaerts struggles next year, Boston must look at its options.
• Do not trade Michael Chavis. After a breakout year in Salem and Portland (31 home runs), Chavis, 22, is a coveted player, and in his first three games in the Arizona Fall League is 6 for 13 with two doubles. He’s a third baseman but is expected to get time at first in Arizona. Don’t trade a potential power source.
This may be a relatively quiet offseason for Dombrowski. The pitching staff appears complete. Most of the lineup comes back. But the few decisions to be made may make the difference between going further in the playoffs or sitting home next October.
Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:
kthomas@pressherald.com
Twitter: @ClearTheBases
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