Despite finishing last in the AL East over the past two seasons, the Boston Red Sox have a solid 40-man roster and perhaps the best farm system in the MLB. Rumors suggest president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is ready to improve the MLB roster by trading prospects.
The annual general mangers meetings began on Monday in Boca Raton, Fla., and it's been said teams will act fast to help the trade market materialize faster than previous seasons. Well, Dombrowski is expected to be among the MLB's front office executives that will help spur discussions.
"The Red Sox are poised to be active, according to several executives from rival organizations," writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
"Dombrowski, they said, has been engaging in regular conversations regarding trades and is said to be eager to change the look of the Red Sox, particularly the pitching staff, after two consecutive last-place finishes.
"'I think people could be surprised,' one National League general manager said. 'Dave has some definite ideas about what he wants to do. There has been a lot of activity already involving [the Red Sox.]'"
Abraham elaborated upon that on Twitter, as did Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.
Dombrowski said #RedSox could trade from prospect depth while still maintaining a solid farm system. Said interest in their players is high
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) November 9, 2015
When asked if there was a lot of interest in Red Sox minor leaguers, Dombrowski said: 'Yes, I will say that unequivocally'
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) November 9, 2015
The Red Sox still plan to spend money in free agency, but they already have about $130 million committed to the 2016 payroll and it's not yet entirely clear if Dombrowski will be able to shed the onerous contracts of Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval. Rick Porcello is likely untradeable and at this point it's unknown if Dombrowski is willing to move Clay Buchholz, although rumors suggest he is. Wade Miley is also a trade candidate.
The Red Sox recorded a franchise-high payroll in 2015 and Dombrowski said the team will not take a step back financially, meaning that $130 million could very well approach last season's $180 million.
Boston is typically fearless in free agency, but it's possible Dombrowski explores the trade market first. It'd be troublesome if the Red Sox signed high-profile free agents to long-term lucrative contracts without first making room on the roster or on the payroll. For example, if the Red Sox were to go after an ace in free agency, it'd probably be smart to first see what teams would be interested in trading for Porcello, Buchholz, Miley or Joe Kelly. Boston already has a full rotation, in addition to prospects ready for MLB action, so creating a logjam could lead to a number of other issues.
With that being said, none of that should worry the Red Sox. They possess a plethora of assets (in both the MLB and minor leagues) that can get trade talks rolling within seconds.
Particularly with the amount of prospects the Red Sox have, the team can easily acquire a young, cost-controlled player that would not be of further burden to the payroll. Additionally, they can afford to move a number of prospects without having their farm system take a significant hit.
"The Sox' deep reservoir of high-ceiling prospects likely will allow the Sox to explore the possibility of acquiring any player who is available by trade," writes Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. "Peter Gammons, for instance, suggested that if the White Sox make the heretofore untouchable Chris Sale available in a trade, the Red Sox - with catcher Blake Swihart and Single A shortstop Javier Guerra - would stand close to the front of the line as a potential trade partner."
That's one interesting scenario to consider, but at this point just about anything can happen. And Dombrowski is expected to move fast.
