Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski should resign
I am examining why Dave Dombrowski has not done enough to improve the Boston Red Sox and because of this should ultimately resign from his position.
As we approach the final month and a half of the 2019 season, one person stands out in the Boston Red Sox organization for their inability to improve the roster and is a big part of why the team has failed this season. That man is President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski.
Look, I understand it is still August and the season is not over. It might seem like I am giving up on this team, but I am just frustrated like so many of you are. This is because the Red Sox failed to pull the trigger on any meaningful trade, failed to acquire more help for the woes in the bullpen, and frankly failed to improve the team at all, even though the Red Sox were clearly floundering and in need of a shot in the arm. Unless you call obtaining Andrew Cashner in a trade a shot in the arm.
Also, with Chris Sale more than likely missing the rest of the season, the lack of starting pitching depth is showing. The trade for Cashner did not improve the rotation. Acquiring Cashner was more like applying on a loosely fit band-aide on the issues surrounding the team. He was not the “fix” for what the team needed.
At the beginning of the season, the Red Sox had a couple of chances to sign some high-quality pitchers for the starting rotation and the bullpen. Those options were Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel. Though these two guys have not played some of their best baseball this season, I firmly believe that with a full spring training, one of these guys would have made a tremendous impact for the team.
Given the salary situation for the Red Sox and considering that they have the highest payroll in Major League Baseball according to spotrac.com, it would not have been easy or possible to acquire both of these players but they at least should have made some considerations about going after one of the guys I just mentioned. Instead, Dombrowski just sat on his laurels thinking that the team could do what it did last year. The fact that he did nothing at the beginning of the season to improve the roster was a frustrating sign for things to come.
By the start of summer, it became ever apparent that the Red Sox were desperate for help in the bullpen. They are among the major league leaders in blown saves, they have a high team ERA, and they have lost so many close games due to a bullpen that cannot help close games out. I will provide some current numbers just to show how poor the starting pitching and the bullpen has been this year.
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As of today, according to ESPN team stats, the Red Sox have a rank of twentieth in the majors in team ERA with 4.72, they have the fifth-most blown saves this year with 22, and they have the lowest save percentage in the league at 52.17%. These are not pretty numbers and they are indicative of what has been going on the whole season.
Within the last couple of days, we have learned more about the extent of Sale’s injury. Even with a healthy Sale, the starting pitching was not looking great but it could trudge on. Without him, I have no idea who is going to step up to be that guy that can help turn things around. I hope that they can find a way to make spot starting work for guys like Nathan Eovaldi, who had just come back himself recently from injury. His first start back is not indicative of who he is as a pitcher so I am hoping he can blossom over the next month and a half.
Finally, the Cashner deal can help the Red Sox in the current situation that they are in but he has struggled mightily since joining the team from the Baltimore Orioles just before the deadline. As I mentioned previously, getting Cashner was more like putting on a band-aide because he has always been average at best and the Red Sox need someone really good to help them figure out their pitching woes.
Next. Devers named AL Player of the Week. dark
Ultimately, I think with all the things that have gone wrong for this team somebody is going to have to answer for the failures and problems from this season. I firmly believe that man should be Dave Dombrowski because as President of Baseball Operations his job is to improve the team and the whole season has felt like one foot forward and three steps back.