Red Sox: Has the farm system been eviscerated by trades?
By Rick McNair
The Boston Red Sox have suddenly dropped from its lofty perch to one in the middle of the pack. The only measure of the recent moves will be time – a lot of time.
The Boston Red Sox have made significant, or an even better term – drastic – alterations to their farm system.
Usually, upward mobility on the performance depth chart is determined by just that one word – performance. Projections are nice and they are quaint and cuddly – like a security blanket for fans. The next star will certainly be one of the promised ones anointed by the measuring tools on MLB Prospect Watch or Baseball America. Players in the Sox system have suddenly catapulted up the charts. Their talent has not, but their positioning has.
Dave Dombrowski has applied a scorched earth policy to the farm system that many had ranked among the finest, if not the finest, in all of professional baseball. A collection of diverse talent in an eventual pipeline to major league stardom in Boston. That no longer exists. The system has been pared or to the view of some – decimated.
Is there a logic to the apparent madness of DD?
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The first wave of the great diaspora was the exchange that brought Craig Kimbrel to Boston. The most notable player was Manuel Margot, who was simply locked out in Boston unless Jackie Bradley and Mookie Betts decided to quit and open up a Christmas tree farm. The remaining bounty may or may not surface in the majors. I expect all eventually will, but all were expendable – that I am firmly convinced of.
The one that has divided opinions – not as venomous fueled as the Hillary versus The Donald debate, but still with a high degree of baseball passion. Is Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech being whisked out of town as the primary ones that topped the White Sox wish list destined for the Hall of Fame? I have mixed emotions about prospects being moved.
Is the future gone? The future depends upon just how those that have hit the exit ramp perform. Will Middlebrooks, Bryce Brentz, Anthony Ranaudo, Felix Doubront and Jose Iglesias were the top five in 2011 according to Prospect Watch. Only Iglesias reached any level close to stardom.
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The following year, Xander Bogaerts became the Red Sox top-ranked prospect and was joined by Matt Barnes, Bradley, Brentz and Allen Webster. A far better offering than 2011. In 2014, Henry Owens became the designated best with Blake Swihart and Garin Cecchini pushing into the next two slots. Swihart appears to be the only one with a productive future.
Moncada and Kopech were top five in 2015 – joined by Brian Johnson, Andrew Benintendi, and Rafael Devers. Benintendi looks like the real deal, Johnson is sinking rapidly and the others will be “maturing” as they await their turn.
Based on the last few years and going historically deeper – decades deeper – being in the top five is not the Yellow Brick Road to Boston. The fact is, many fail or languish, but when that gem arrives it is something special. So it is a risk.
With Chris Sale, he is simply a rare find on the market so you make an attempt. But does the need really exist? Is the youth currently playing for Boston worth the dumping of prospects? What are long-term salary considerations? Plenty of pro and con to the deal and by deal I mean Kimbrel, Tyler Thornburg and Sale.
Next: Red Sox: Don't sleep on Robby Scott
What I do know is prospects are a baseball crap shoot – even the best of the best sometimes end up a trivia question. I’ll wait three years before I vilify DD or genuflect to DD. Only then will we know if the system truly was eviscerated.
Sources: MLB Prospect Watch