The Boston Red Sox have made many changes in their front office, but that likely won't be the end of their makeover. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is as good as anyone when making trades, and the latest MLB rumors indicate he could make some big moves this offseason.
Dombrowski hired former Red Sox assistant GM Mike Hazen as general manager, which is perhaps comforting for many others in the front office and on the field. Hazen has worked for the Red Sox for the past 10 years and helped construct this current team under former GM Ben Cherington, so he knows the front office personnel and players as good as anyone.
But changes are inevitable and more are expected to come in the front office, for now.
"We continue to see the shrewd way in which Dave Dombrowski operates an organization. He's promoted from within the Red Sox (Mike Hazen as GM). And he's also brought in someone he's worked in the past, hiring former Braves and Orioles GM Frank Wren as senior vice president of baseball operations," writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "Wren will report directly to Dombrowski, who is expected to have a few more of these appointments in special assistant and adviser roles. Possible adviser hires who have strong player evaluation abilities: Jim Leyland, Jeremy Kapstein, Dick Egan, Scott Reid."
It's no secret that personnel changes likely come with front office changes. The Red Sox have been improving, but it's clear they still need help in the starting rotation and could also look to shed some payroll. Trade rumors last month suggested Dombrowski may reconstruct the Red Sox roster, but it probably won't as extreme as many are forecasting.
Dombrowski has shown his willingness to make deals in the past and his philosophy is expected to be a catalyst in how Boston looks to address their issues in the offseason.
"The way I've always looked at it, I've really never had untradeable players. And I've had a lot of great players. But the reality is most of the time you don't end up trading them," told Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald.
He specifically referred to his time in Detroit with star player Miguel Cabrera.
"The way I always say it, you have Miguel Cabrera in his prime, an MVP, a Triple Crown winner, right? Are you really going to trade him? No. But if somebody offered you two Miguel Cabreras for one, you make the trade. But if you said no right off the bat, you wouldn't even hear what they have to say.
"That's how I always try to approach it, along those lines with open-mindedness. It's not like you're going to trade everybody. But you just have to listen to listen to what people have to say."
Although the Red Sox won't make the playoffs, their roster is one of the most talented in the MLB. They possess many tradeable assets. The one thing they do not need is position players, so Dombrowski and Hazen will likely scour the free agent market for starting pitchers and relievers.
But trades may also come before that, considering they already have $104 million committed to the 2016 payroll, which does not include David Ortiz's $10 million option, Clay Buchholz $13 million option and the number of others who will be eligible for arbitration.
Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald thinks two marquee players could be out the door before 2016.
"If you're Hanley Ramirez, you're not going to know for a while. There are plenty of sound reasons to think the Red Sox will explore trading him to a team in need of a DH versus going through a second season of wondering if he can handle a position switch. The lack of enthusiasm from the team on how he's looked at first base in his limited time was telling. Is his presence truly needed? The team's strong play in his absence suggests it is not. He's a 'goodbye.'
"If you're Pablo Sandoval, you're hopefully intent on arriving in Fort Myers for spring training with a renewed commitment, sharper focus and in excellent shape. If not, judgment shall reign down upon him like a plague of locusts. Still, he's a 'see you later.'"
Those two have been the subject of trade rumors ever since Dombrowski stepped foot in Fenway Park. The two signed enormous contracts in the offseason and the initial diagnosis is that they won't live up to the money they'll be making, which forces many to believe they'll be the first trade casualties - if there are any.
But Dombrowski won't stop at the undesirable contracts. If he gets good offers for other players, he'll lend an ear and facilitate discussions. So while everyone is zeroing in on Ramirez and Sandoval as the team's top trade candidates (both of whom won't be easy to move), don't be surprised if Dombrowski and his colleagues get creative with other aspects of the roster or even the farm system.
