Shaw clearly was never viewed as the third baseman of the future in Boston. At best, he was a placeholder for top prospect Rafael Devers. Dombrowski flipped him for a reliever capable of filling a role that he deemed to be among his top offseason priorities, expecting they would find another third baseman to serve as a stopgap until Devers is ready for the big leagues.
The deal hasn’t worked out well for Boston so far and Shaw has the chance to rub that in when he meets his former team for the first time this week. You can’t blame Shaw for his motivation to make the Red Sox feel seller’s remorse in what amounts to a revenge series for the scorned third baseman, but it’s too soon for Dombrowski to have regrets.
Next: What if Red sox never traded Slocumb?
Thornburg is making progress in his rehab and should eventually return to fill the role he was acquired for, while Shaw’s production could fade similar to last year’s second-half slump. Shaw has the upper hand as he prepares to face his former team, but we have a long way to go to determine who won the trade.