dave dombrowski | JohnKiv.us

> All in all, the Red Sox get one of the best front-office guys in the sport. Given his track record, you can bet on Dombrowski not settling for an army of Justin Mastersons serving up meatballs to be pounded over the Monster. Beyond the Cabrera heist, remember that Dombrowski pulled off the following deals: Max Scherzer, Austin Jackson, and Phil Coke for Edwin Jackson and Curtis Granderson; Cespedes, Alex Wilson, and a prospect for Rick Porcello. He also acquired Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez, and Omar Infante for what turned out to be next to nothing. When it comes to landing quality players without giving up assets his team will regret ditching, few do it better than Dombrowski.

The whole piece is great (not a surprise, since Keri is my favorite baseball writer), but this quoted paragraph gives me some real hope for the future.

In a surprising move, [the Red Sox have hired former Detroit Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski](http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/13465358/boston-red-sox-hire-dave-dombrowski-president-baseball-operations) to be the new President of Baseball Operations. As you might expect from such a decision, there has been a lot of fall out.

First, Ben Cherington, unexpectedly, resigned from his position as Red Sox GM. That means one of Dombrowski’s first decisions as new Red Sox president will be hiring a new GM. Early reports indicate that former Atlanta Braves GM Frank Wren is already the “leader in the clubhouse.” Though I do not know a lot about Wren, Craig Calcaterra [seems to like that choice:](http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/08/19/frank-wren-thought-to-be-the-frontrunner-for-the-red-sox-gm-job/)

> Seems like a pretty good combination, actually. Dombrowski is a good trader and a bold big picture guy. Wren had his issues with some of the grander moves made when he ran the Braves, but was pretty darn good at the day-to-day and the more complimentary moves like, you know, building bullpens. And, of course, there is unlikely to be ego issues there. Wren is not really anyone’s idea of a new-breed team president and shouldn’t have issues with the new, somewhat diminished role of the general manager these days.

Of course, as Dave Cameron points out, this move to a Dombrowski / Wren front office [could be a shift away from the analytical philosophy](http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/instagraphs/red-sox-hire-dave-dombrowski-signal-change-in-philosophy/) that has been a defining characteristic of the Red Sox over the past few years:

> Wren was ousted in Atlanta in part because the team had fallen behind the curve analytically, so a Dombrowski/Wren combination would make for one of the more old-school front office tandems in baseball today.

In a similar vein, one of Cherington’s greatest successes as GM was how [he had built the Red Sox farm system one of, if not *the*, best in baseball](http://www.overthemonster.com/2015/7/23/9020529/keith-law-ranks-red-sox-farm-system). Reading Tim Britton’s description of [Dombrowski’s team building philosophy](http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150819/SPORTS/150819302/14009), however, makes me think that the farm system wouldn’t be as much of an emphasis under the Dombrowski regime:

> Dombrowski has been known for quick turnarounds, often aggressively moving highly rated prospects in order to secure more established major leaguers. He owns a reputation as one of the game’s best evaluators of major-league talent, and time and again, he has brought in impact talent to his roster through trades.

As someone who has really enjoyed watching the young players develop (and [finally start to “get it” at the major league level](http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-currently-exploding-jackie-bradley-jr/)), I’m not sure I really want a team president who is going to trade away a bunch of prospects to get “established” major league players. That seems to be what got the Sox into trouble during the Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford era. (Is there a Red Sox fan out there who wouldn’t want to have Anthony Rizzo right now?)

In the end, I guess I will just hope that hope Jeff Passan [is right](http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/Jeff+Passan/SIG=14at1lguj/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/short-sightedness-of-the-red-sox-will-work-only-if-they-give-dave-dombrowski-autonomy-long-065034098.html)

> The thing is, Dombrowski inherits one of the best situations in baseball. It’s not just the Fenway cash cow or the ownership willing to spend money. It’s Mookie Betts in center field, Xander Bogaerts and Dustin Pedroia up the middle, and Blake Swihart at catcher. It’s Jackie Bradley Jr. and Rusney Castillo showing signs of completing the most athletic outfield in baseball. It’s Clay Buchholz and Eduardo Rodriguez and Henry Owens on the mound. It’s Yoan Moncada and Javier Guerra and Rafael Devers in the same infield, with Manuel Margot and Andrew Benintendi providing even more outfield depth.

If I look at things that way, I think I’m ready for Spring Training 2016 to get started.

*SIDENOTE: Though the decision to keep John Farrell on as manager will ultimately be up to Dombrowski, [Gordon Edes reports that Farrell is likely to stick around](#). I really would like Farrell to get another year with the team, and, of course, wish him well in his current [fight against cancer](http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2549143-game-closes-ranks-as-red-soxs-john-farrell-takes-leaves-of-absence-for-cancer).*