On August 18th, 2015 Dave Dombrowski was announced as President of Baseball Operations for the Red Sox. The Red Sox had a 52-66 record, dead last in the AL East. Ever since then, they won two straight division titles and are on pace for a record-breaking season. However, Dombrowski gets a lot of hate, and here is why he does not deserve it.
The Farm System
The biggest gripe with Dombrowski is that he has sold off to many assets, depleting the farm system. When he took over the Red Sox had one of the best farm systems in baseball, now they have one of the worst. Dombrowski has made a lot of trades, and also held on to some valuable players. In 2015, the Red Sox top prospects were Yoan Moncada, Rafael Devers, Brian Johnson, Andrew Benintendi and Michael Kopech. Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech were traded for Chris Sale, and Devers, Johnson, and Benintendi are on the big league club right now. He also has signed David Price and J.D. Martinez and traded for Craig Kimbrel.
How It Has Turned Out
The Chris Sale trade has turned out very well for the Red Sox. He has started both all-star games as a Red Sox, was a runner-up for Cy young in 2017 and favorite to win it this year. Moncada has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .231 with twelve home runs this year. Kopech has not been in the big leagues yet, and he has a 4.29 ERA this year in Triple-A Charlotte. Andrew Benintendi was called up in August of 2016 and has not disappointed since.
He is hitting .303 this year, has 14 home runs and 59 RBI’s, and a great left fielder defensively. Dombrowski could have traded him at multiple different points, but he was smart enough not to and it has worked out. Rafael Devers was called up in the middle of last year, started off hot, and has been decent this year. He has fourteen home runs but is hitting .239 and struggles in defensively. He is only 21 years old and Dombrowski was smart not to trade him given his upside.
Brian Johnson has been an important role player for the Red Sox this year. He can come out the bullpen and do well in a spot start. The David Price signing has not worked as many hoped. Has he lived up to his contract? No. But is he a proven great pitcher capable of pitching in big games? Yes. The Craig Kimbrel trade has been a steal. Manuel Margot has been decent as a Padre, but Kimbrel has been the best or one of the best closers in the MLB since the trade. JD Martinez has been a monster in his first season, hitting 29 home runs and being the power hitter they lacked in 2017.
The Bottom Line for Dombrowski
Dave Dombrowksi has not been perfect as President of baseball operations, but he has done a very good job. He has depleted the farm system, but the trades he made, or trades he chose not to make have worked out for the most part. Could you imagine a team with no Sale, Price, Kimbrel, or some of the key young pieces traded? Well, if Dave Dombrowski was not hired, that may be where the team would be at.