The Boston Red Sox Dave Dombrowski is now viewed heroically as a spate of recent moves has energized team. In Boston a management stock can rise and fall like the tide.
Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is either a baseball genius or quite lucky in the transactions that took place as the trading deadline approached and then drifted into the mist as July became August with waiver wire season. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but Red Sox Nation will accept either.
Eduardo Nunez and Rafael Devers provided a spark – a well-needed spark – to ignite the Red Sox stagnant post All-Star offense. Of course, everyone realizes neither will suddenly become a reincarnation of long ago spark emeritus Bob Hazle, who hit .403 in just 41 games for the eventual World Series champion Braves.
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Hazle faded into baseball history, but Devers has a long career projected and Nunez will be a free agent and get a healthy contract from Boston or elsewhere. Boston – via “Dealin’ Dave” – also provided a pitching IV to a haggard bullpen with the acquisition of Addison Reed. After the dismal disappointments of Carson Smith and Tyler Thornburg, Dombrowski certainly needed an uplifting result – internal or external.
As Kenny Rogers said in the iconic song “The Gambler” you need to know when to hold them and that is exactly what I expect Dombrowski is going to do. – hold ‘em. Like Santa Claus on December 26, the now president of baseball operations can relax as long as arms do not separate from shoulders and knees become orthopedic nightmares. So DD never did fold ‘em – thankfully.
"You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em know when to fold ‘emKnow when to walk away, know when to run.You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table,There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’ done. – The Gambler"
The Red Sox have done something that is rather rare in their history and that is to build a pitching staff that out-performs the usual bludgeon other staffs to an earned run average pulp. This Red Sox team is on the cusp of having the best staff in the American League. The starters – even without David Price and his arm ailment Du Jour – are racking up quality starts. Granted, Chris Sale certainly skewers those figures a tad, but even former dud Drew Pomeranz is now worthy of acclaim.
The bullpen has been surprisingly solid. Matt Barnes may wish me to drink Drano at times, but he has become Mr. Reliable to manager John Farrell. Newcomer Reed actually went down a notch and has not yet been moved into set-up for strikeout maestro Craig Kimbrel. Reed apparently is suffering “adjustment” issue to the American League. Maybe he will “adjust,” but as long as the rest of the crew does what they have done the old ain’t broke kicks in.
What is really noticeable and promising in the moves that could be considered secondary, but provide the support that when needed was delivered. Tzu-Wei Lin and Deven Marrero filled in admirably to provide stingy defense and the more than occasional crucial hit. Both stand ready to return either for break glass in case of emergency or September’s call-ups.
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I had certainly given up on washed out wreck Doug Fister, who even the poor pitching Angels tossed away like a month old newspaper. Fister was Whack-a-Mole until putting in two solid starts. Brandon Workman surfaced after two years of arm misery to be solid and not an afterthought. Even the Mexican League special Hector Velazquez tossed 7.2 scoreless relief innings in his sojourn to the major leagues.
The Red Sox have no real needs. A nice power bat would certainly be welcome, but that looks as if it is being relegated to the off-season. New York can have Todd Frazier and Cleveland Jay Bruce. DD will hold ‘em.
A few months ago Dombrowski’s moves – at least a majority of they – appeared to be baseball Buffalo chips. Now, as the very long season moves to the stretch run Dombrorski’s stock is rising faster than Apple’s. But, hey – a nice six game losing streak can have the wolves out or go all Shakespeare and come to bury DD, and not praise him.
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In the meantime, the big news should start to migrate into the realm of playoffs. The Red Sox are certainly poised to be in the postseason scrum either as a Wild Card or the division champions. That means baseball wanders into October for The Nation and we can concentrate of pitching rotations, playoff rosters and just who is a potential patsy or spoiler.