Red Sox: Tracking prospects traded in Dave Dombrowski’s deals
With Dave Dombrowski’s third full season as President of Baseball Operations coming to a close, it is time to look back and see where the players he has traded are now.
November 13, 2015: Red Sox acquire Craig Kimbrel from the Padres for OF Manuel Margot, LHP Logan Allen, SS Javier Guerra, IF Carlos Asuaje
Manual Margot has been the starting center fielder for the Padres now for two seasons. Despite the speed and solid defense, Margot has yet to come around on offense, posting a 90 wRC+ in 2017 and a 78 this year.
His inability to get hits or get on base also stops him from using his speed on the bases, accumulating just 27 over the past two years combine. Someone with his speed is expected to have more, as evidenced by his minor league stolen base totals.
Of the four prospects they acquired, it seems now that Logan Allen may be the gem. He was seen a solid prospect when traded, but has since turned into a top 100 prospect. He continued to develop a strong minor league track record this year and is now ranked the No. 85 prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline. He finished this season in AAA, and will likely start there next year and get a chance in the majors at some point.
The Red Sox likely do not regret trading Guerra, considering how much he has struggled since the trade. He has not posted a wRC+ higher than 68 in the minors since 2015, but has managed to keep getting called up because of his strong defense.
Another guy the Red Sox probably do not regret trading much is Carlos Asuaje. He has been up and down in the majors and has yet to find his footing.
Who won this trade?
The Red Sox as of now have likely won this trade, but what happens with Allen and Margot still remains to be seen. However, Margot may be running out of time and it could be up to Allen to salvage this.
July 14th, 2016: Red Sox acquire Drew Pomeranz for RHP Anderson Espinoza
This one is a strange one. Pomeranz struggled after he was acquired by the Red Sox, then reports came out that the Padres had not disclosed medical information and Boston had the opportunity to undo this trade. Dombrowski opted to keep the trade.
In 2017, Pomeranz was terrific and stepped up in the absence of David Price to help the Red Sox to a second straight AL East title. However, towards the end of the year, Pomeranz velocity dropped vastly and after an injury in 2018 Spring Training he never got back on track.
With 2018 ending, there is pretty much no chance he makes the postseason roster, and we may have seen him throw his last pitch in a Red Sox uniform as he is becoming a free agent after this season.
On the other hand, the Padres likely are not too thrilled with what they have gotten from former top prospect Anderson Espinoza. After throwing 32 innings in class A for the Padres in 2016, he was shut down and sat out almost a year before having Tommy John surgery. Because of this, he has not thrown a pitch since 2016.
Who won this trade?
Both teams are likely pretty unhappy with the outcome of this deal, though it appears the Red Sox won this deal for now. Pomeranz did contribute one great year which helped win the division while Espinoza has been shelved for over two years now. This could change if Espinoza comes back and lives up to the hype he used to have, but that seems unlikely to happen.
December 6th, 2016: Red Sox acquire Tyler Thornburg from the Brewers for 3B Travis Shaw, SS Mauricio Dubon, RHP Josh Pennington, SS Yeison Coca
If there was one trade Red Sox fans could reverse and never think about, it would be this one. Not only has Thornburg been injured and awful for the Red Sox so far, but Travis Shaw has turned into a good third baseman for the Brewers.
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In addition to Shaw thriving, Dubon’s prospect status has risen despite an injury this season. Both Coca and Pennington have not done much for Milwaukee in the minors, but does that really matter? The Red Sox have gotten pretty much nothing from this trade, while the Brewers have gotten a third baseman with an OPS over .800 the past two seasons.
The one final hope for the Red Sox is the chance that Thornburg comes back next year and possibly finds his old form to a point. Considering it has been two seasons since he last pitched well, that seems unlikely.
Who won this trade?
The Brewers, and it is not close.
December 6th, 2016: Red Sox acquire Chris Sale from the White Sox for IF Yoan Moncada, RHP Michael Kopech, OF Luis Alexander Basabe, RHP Victor Diaz
After an embarrassing sweep against the Cleveland Indians in 2016 and David Ortiz‘s retirement, Dave Dombrowski knew he had to make a big move somewhere. This move came during winter meetings, when he traded lefty ace Chris Sale.
Since acquiring Sale, he has been fantastic. In his first season, he had a 2.90 ERA with and lead the league with 308 strikeouts and 214 innings pitched. This season he has spent some time on the DL, but when pitching he has a 2.11 ERA and an FIP of 1.98.
In Chicago, things have not gone so smoothly. In his first full season, Yoan Moncada struggled, striking out 33.5% of the time and posting a 94 wRC+. He also has yet to show the power and speed he displayed through the minors. He was the No. 2 prospect in baseball when he was traded. There is still plenty of time for him to grow into a star, but the early returns have not been what the White Sox are looking for.
Michael Kopech made his debut this season, struggling in the 14 innings he pitched, before it was announced that he would need Tommy John surgery.
Of the two lesser name guys, Luis Alexander Basabe is more likely to make an impact at some point. He is currently the White Sox No. 9 prospect. He had a decent minor league season, starting the year in A+ dominating with a .873 OPS then posting a .734 OPS in AA. He is likely still a couple years from the majors. Since being traded, Victor Diaz has thrown just 12 innings due to injuries.
Next. Mookie Betts joins 30/30 club. dark
Who won this trade?
As of now, this trade is looking pretty good for the Red Sox. However, if Kopech and Moncada can develop and turn into stars like expected, this trade will be a win-win for both sides.