Red Sox Dombrowski Labels Buchholz As ‘Protection’
Trade move or truth?: Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recently called pitcher Clay Buchholz protection for his other starters.
At this point in the season, one can’t take anything that a general manager or other baseball executive says too seriously. These people thrive in the rumor jungle, stalking their prey while trying to protect themselves from danger. The claws that these men have are words. They cast their magic with their vocabulary, spelling out ideas that implant in other execs’ minds through the media and the fans.
Dombrowski has already had some success over his career, including this season with the Brad Ziegler trade. The jury is still out on the Drew Pomeranz move, however.
Now, Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com reports that Dombrowski has been watching his former starting pitcher with great interest: “‘Right now he’s in our pen and protecting us as we go forward with the five starters,’ Dombrowksi said of the 31-year-old righthander. ‘He’s a real good protection for us.'” McCaffrey, however, was quick to add, “Though just because Dombrowski says Buchholz has a place on the team serving as depth out of the bullpen, that doesn’t mean he’s not looking for a new home for Buchholz. After all, Dombrowski will listen on anyone.”
Possibly the Kansas City Royals? Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe suggests, “The Royals have interest in Clay Buchholz, but the Red Sox would have to pick up a big chunk of the remaining contract, a prorated $13 million.”
The fact is that Buchholz is not getting back into the starting rotation for the Red Sox unless someone goes down with injury. At present, apparently, Dombrowski doesn’t feel that a prospect from the minors would fill the role as well as Buchholz, which may be true.
Really, though, what is Dombrowski supposed to say?
If he says that Buchholz is a disaster, a shell of his former self of 2013, Dombrowski will never move his asset anywhere. It’s his job to make Buchholz look as attractive as possible, even if just to keep the ravenous fans off of him for keeping the pitcher on the roster past the trade deadline. Either way, by saying that Buchholz is throwing the ball well, he keeps everything at status quo.
For now.
In his latest appearance, against the Detroit Tigers, Buchholz pitched two innings, allowing a run on two hits and a strikeout. As a reliever, Buchholz has a .235 opposing batting average and a 4.73 ERA in 13.1 innings of work. The only two Red Sox relievers with higher averages on the active roster is Tommy Layne (.253) and Heath Hembree (.276), but both men have smaller ERAs in more innings worked.
Next: Red Sox: Could Drew Pomeranz Be On The Move Again?
It’s hard to say whether Dombrowski is being honest or not about how he feels regarding Buchholz. Could there be a trade in the works? Could there be a bit of interest for his services? Could the market be stone cold for Buchholz? All of the above could be the answer; however, Buchholz being called protection for the starting rotation is like saying that one only needs a piece of duct tape to hold together a severed leg. Yes, it may be the only asset one has on hand, but it’s not going to do the job properly.