Dave Dombrowski lands with the Red Sox

“I was like, man, I’m right there”, he said.

In his first season with the Red Sox, Cherington traded first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, outfielder Carl Crawford, and pitcher Josh Beckett to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

His family was out of town this past weekend visiting in-laws in Oklahoma and he needed to fill time as the possibility of joining the Red Sox loomed. The three-game series between two last-place teams drew 97,073.

Unfortunately, that’s where his luck ends. Boston looks like it will finish last again in 2015. That offseason, Cherington brought in David Ross, Jonny Gomes, Ryan Dempster, Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli, and Stephen Drew, a grab bag of role players that contributed mightily to Boston’s stunning World Series win that season. The Red Sox should have done the same.

Nearly one year in, the acquisition is looking like the worst of Cherington’s tenure as GM. Justin Masterson was released this week after spending time on the disabled list and in triple-A. It was a golden opportunity for Cleveland to get back in the game, but Joe Kelly stood strong and struck out Kipnis to escape further damage. Rick Porcello currently has an ERA of 5.81 and has twice as many losses as wins.

As they say, dreams do come true.

By taking over baseball operations with the Boston Red Sox, Dave Dombrowski has put himself directly in the spotlight of one of the sport’s oldest, most passionate cities. It was interesting to hear his take on what he would do if he were running the Red Sox.”Being a general manager for 28 years, it’s a situation where you always adjust to your ownership”, Dombrowski said”. As Dombrowski’s successor in Detroit, Al Avila, made clear that his former boss was never beholden to analytics, and likely never would be. Dombrowski had a dynamo, making some slick trades (landing Cabrera, Anibal Sanchez, Austin Jackson, Max Scherzer and Doug Fister).

The Boston Red Sox signed Rusney Castillo for $72.5 million out of Cuba because they thought he could play baseball. More recently, Victor Martinez, Porcello, Yoenis Cespedes, and Jose Iglesias have switched between the Red Sox and the Tigers. We’re moving forward from that and then today’s news.

The Red Sox fired Cherington as soon as they decided to hire Dombrowski. On this recreation you run into so many good individuals and associates. The Minor League system has a lot of talent also… We have a history of success over the last 14 years characterized by a certain boldness and purpose.

Dombrowski said he was eager to get a head start on building the 2016 club.

Barely a year ago, the top player development executive for a foundering, last-place team was a hot enough commodity in baseball circles to be contacted in midseason to interview for a general manager vacancy.

Pitching continues to be an issue for the team. He did not discuss the future of manager John Farrell, who is on leave from the team after being diagnosed with what he said was a treatable form of cancer. Next year’s roster will certainly be young. It was also the first time all season he didn’t allow an earned run. Jackie Bradley Jr., triple-A stud Bryce Brentz, or Brock Holt could also play in the outfield if Ramirez has to be the designated hitter or if an injury occurs.

The difference largely manifests itself in the utilization of the farm system. Two swinging strikeouts by Ortiz and Shaw on nasty pitches from Kluber threatened to waste the leadoff hit.

But the incoming general manager would enter the organization knowing that Dombrowski is the point-person, the final decision-maker in any moves the team makes. Signing the likes of Lester contrasts from reaching for an aging star like Ramirez, for Lester had already displayed his comfort and ability to perform at an exceptional level under the scrutiny of the Boston media and fan base while still showcasing the talent he had left in the tank with steady statistical outputs over the past few seasons.