With the MLB offseason officially underway, will President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski make a blockbuster trade for the Boston Red Sox?
And so it begins, the offseason. It seems like yesterday David Price took the mound for the Boston Red Sox in Cleveland as he defeated the Indians on Opening Day. Now, the five month wait for Spring Training has begun.
Get ready for the usual rumors about the Red Sox either targeting a big free agent or making a big trade with another team. Most of the time those rumors are not true, but if you have Dave Dombrowski working the phones for your team, anything could happen.
Dombrowksi is known for making crazy deals where big names or fan favorites have been dealt for someone that fixed a major problem for his team. And the Red Sox definitely have an issue to address during this offseason.
With DH David Ortiz hanging up the cleats a month ago, Dombrowski is going to have to either sign or trade for a big bat for the 2017 Red Sox lineup.
Boston Globe writer Nick Cafardo wrote about the multiple directions Dombrowski could go for finding a player to replace Ortiz.
"“If he wants a sure thing, he’ll sign free agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion to a multiyear, big-bucks deal,” writes Cafardo. “As far as we can see, Encarnacion is more of a sure thing at DH than anyone. Certainly that’s true in the free agent market, but the price will be high.”"
Cafardo was definitely correct on the price being high since you have players like Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez making close to $100 million. If Ramirez is making $88 million on his current contract, expect Encarnacion to demand well over $100 million.
Now if the asking price is too high for Dombrowski’s liking, then don’t be surprised if he decided to trade for a big bat. Cafardo explored those options as well.
"“If Dombrowski was thinking big in a trade he would attempt to replicate a deal he made many years ago when he obtained Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins. He would have to give up a few prospects and take on the massive contract he signed Cabrera to as Tigers general manager,” Cafardo said. “Dombrowski usually thinks big, so a blockbuster deal can’t be ruled out.”"
Will Dombrowski make a big splash in this year’s free agent frenzy? Will he make a big trade with another team, giving away big names or prospects for a player he really wants? Or will he be quiet and sign a nice veteran to a smaller contract in hopes to fit the role as the DH?
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Basically, Dombrowski is a wild card. You never know what he is going to do. If there is a crazy rumor regarding the Red Sox, don’t count it out right when you hear about it because Dombrowski has done some crazy things to get the player he has wanted.