The Red Sox introduced Dave Dombrowski yesterday as the first President of Baseball Operations in team history, and the hire indicates that the team has a "new way of doing business," according to Peter Abraham of the BOSTON GLOBE. Dombrowski "will report directly to ownership." Within a few weeks, he will hire a GM as his "chief assistant," and Dombrowski will have to "decide whether to bring back manager John Farrell." Dombrowski: "I’m not here to blow up the organization. They have a lot of good people here." Abraham notes the Blue Jays and Nationals "also had interest in Dombrowski." The Blue Jays offered a "CEO-level position," and Dombrowski "used that leverage to secure full control of baseball operations" from Boston. Red Sox Chair Tom Werner said, "We needed to move quickly. There was a lot of interest in Dave." Team Owner John Henry said that he spoke with Werner and outgoing GM Ben Cherington on Aug. 4 about the idea of "reaching out to Dombrowski." But Cherington "offered a different version of the events." He said that he "was not told of the team’s interest in hiring Dombrowski until Saturday afternoon" as the Red Sox were playing the Mariners. By Tuesday, when the Red Sox "had a deal in place with Dombrowski, Cherington had decided to step down" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/20). In Boston, Michael Silverman writes Dombrowski is "eminently qualified to oversee this process." His track record and his pedigree "were too good to pass up, even if it meant" losing Cherington in doing so. Dombrowski came across as a "confident, open-minded, intelligent, driven and grateful baseball executive who knew he’d have choices with his next job and who chose this one with great care and discretion." He will have a "great deal of power on baseball decisions, likely a lot more than Cherington had" (BOSTON HERALD, 8/20). Dombrowski said that he will "take his time picking a general manager and evaluating the current baseball operations and field staff before making decisions." In Boston, Nick Cafardo notes speculation has "centered around former Orioles and Braves GM Frank Wren as a possible GM candidate" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/20).
TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN': Werner said that until the sides "met last week in Chicago, the Red Sox were not certain of how they intended to proceed." Werner: "People think we had a clear path forward. We were in the 'mulling' phase. We thought [recently hired consultant] Jerry Dipoto would be part of the solution. Our goal was to strengthen baseball operations. Our goal was to bring in more wisdom to bounce off ideas" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 8/19). ESPNBOSTON.com's Gordon Edes notes Red Sox Exec VP & COO Sam Kennedy, who will succeed Larry Lucchino as President after this season, "presumed he would have a seat at the table when baseball decisions are made, as Lucchino does. But Dombrowski "changes that equation." Dombrowski: "We work together, but not on baseball decisions." Kennedy, who will run the business operations side of the company, "insisted he is not dismayed by the change." He added that he "fully anticipates being involved in baseball discussions" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 8/19). Kennedy and Werner attended yesterday's news conference, prompting Henry to explain, "This is really our lineup for 2016 and beyond" (AP, 8/19).
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Cherington feels clean break is best for
himself, Dombrowski and Red Sox |
BEN, DON'T BREAK: Cherington yesterday explained his decision to leave the franchise, saying, "I was able to gather as much information as I could about what was going on and what that might mean. I came to the determination that in this case I felt strongly what was best for Dave and what was best for me and what was best for the Red Sox was the same thing, and that was a clean break" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/20). In Boston, Christopher Gasper writes this was a "baseball operations bloodless coup, ushering in a new regime." The Red Sox "could have better handled the decision to remove Cherington." The team "indecorously deposed him," forcing Henry to "swallow his June declaration that Cherington would be the GM here 'for a very long time.'" But the first step to fixing a problem "is admitting you have one," and the team made the "right decision." Dombrowski is "better equipped to push back against rigid philosophies on free agents and to distill the Red Sox’ highly touted farm system into major league success" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/20). Meanwhile, Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal said it was "almost laughable" hearing Werner deny that Dombrowski "represented a sea change." Rosenthal: "Let's not kid ourselves. This is a dramatic sea change in every way.” Dombrowski’s hiring “represents a repudiation of a regime that won” the '13 World Series, built "one of the game's top farm systems and assembled an impressive core of young Major League talent.” Rosenthal: “Yes, Cherington made mistakes … but all GMs blunder. It’s an occupational hazard. A patient organization would have allowed a World Series-winning GM to repair what was broken. The Red Sox are not patient. They’re reactionary, and perhaps that is one reason they are headed to their third last place finish in the last four years” (“Fox Sports Live,” FS1, 8/20).
ANALYTICALLY SPEAKING: The GLOBE's Abraham notes the hiring of Dombrowski gives the Red Sox "an outsider with a long history of bold moves and strong opinions." The former Tigers exec "regards minor league prospects as trade chips to acquire star players," and he "believes in statistical analytics, but not at the expense of traditional evaluation methods." With the Red Sox' financial resources, Dombrowski "could quickly turn the franchise back into a contender" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/20). In Providence, Tim Britton notes Dombrowski "downplayed the notion that he isn't analytical enough." He said, "We're in a spot in today's world where we're basically termed, 'You're analytical or you're not analytical.' I don't really agree with that at all. The reality is you use all the information you possibly can and come to the best decision that you can" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 8/20).
THE RIGHT MAN AT THE RIGHT TIME: The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan called Dombrowski a "complete no-brainer, top-of-the-line" baseball exec. He added that Henry would have been "derelict in his ownership duty if he didn't pursue" Dombrowski ("PTI," ESPN, 8/19). In Detroit, Lynn Henning writes there "might be better jobs for Dave Dombrowski than taking control of the Red Sox," but it is "difficult to imagine one." Dombrowski "probably will win a World Series with the Red Sox" (DETROIT NEWS, 8/20). ESPN’s J.A. Adande said hiring Dombrowski is a good move by the Red Sox “if they’re willing to be patient." Adande: "He’s a proven winner, but it took him five years to make the playoffs with the Marlins, five years to make the playoffs with the Tigers. Are they willing to wait that long?” ESPN’s Israel Gutierrez said, “If you’re a proven winner as Dombrowski is, you wait as long as it takes” ("Around The Horn,” ESPN, 8/19). In Boston, Steve Buckley writes Dombrowski "is a good get" on paper, but now he is "running a team with an annual mandate to win the World Series" (BOSTON HERALD, 8/20).
ONLY ONE WINNER: In Toronto, Richard Griffin notes the Blue Jays organization "did its due diligence" in speaking to Dombrowski about the team's President position. Now, the question is whether the Blue Jays will "decide to step up and reward" Senior VP/Baseball Operations & GM Alex Anthopoulos with "an extension and a pay raise, and, if they do that before they hire a new president, if it would make it less necessary for them to target a baseball-first president." The solution "is to wait until some time in September, when the finish line is within sight and then, if the Jays are on the verge of clinching a spot" in the postseason, "reward their man with an extension." It is believed that Anthopoulos' current contract "expires at the end of October" (TORONTO STAR, 8/20). Meanwhile, in Detroit, Drew Sharp writes the Ilitch family looks "even sillier in their callous handling of Dombrowski’s departure now that Boston aggressively outbid at least two other teams for Dombrowski’s services." Sharp: "An already terrible August for the Tigers got worse" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 8/20).
IT'S NOW OR NEVER: USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale notes since the end of the '14 MLB season, there have been "10 GM firings and resignations alone," and the Phillies and Mariners "likely are next." That marks a 40% turnover "in just two years." Nightengale: "You better win right now, or you're cleaning out your desk in the morning." Baseball is different now, a "mom-and-pop industry that has turned into a ruthless, callous corporation" (USA TODAY, 8/20).
