Pomeranz Trade Could Come to Represent Dombrowski's Tenure
(Sept. 23, 2015 - Source: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images North America) |
Contributing Writer
This time last year, we criticized then-GM Ben Cherington for his unwillingness to move prospects. We criticized his analytical approach to transactions. We criticized his plan of avoiding 30-year-old free agent pitchers. We criticized his acknowledgment of the future instead of solely focusing on the present.
We criticized the guy and when Dave Dombrowski came along, these criticisms became more and more obvious.
Dombrowski has now been with the team for almost a year and even though we once loathed for a man who focused only on the present, it's starting to become clear that his recklessness with the farm system is a bit much.
Dombrowski and Cherington have proved to be complete opposites and two men on completely different sides of the "how to control a team" spectrum. Cherington was very protective of the farm system while Dombrowski clearly wants to win now and neglects the cost.
The Drew Pomeranz deal could end up representing a lot more than one trade that Dealin' Dave made, and here's why. Dombrowski gave up top pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza for Pomeranz. Espinoza is an 18-year-old stud with a fastball around 100 mph. He also has the support of Pedro Martinez.
On the other hand, Pomeranz came here with the potential for some major problems. His only successful part of his career has been the first-half of this season -- and that was in a big park. He walks a ton of people and he already set a career-high for innings. Since coming to Boston, Pomeranz is 0-2 with a 7.53 ERA in 3 starts.
(July 29, 2016 - Source: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images North America) |
Since Dombrowski came into office, the Sox have traded three of their top six prospects (Espinoza, Manuel Margot, Javier Guerra) and five of their top 20 (Logan Allen, Pat Light). I'm all for winning in the present, but dealing that many prospects in under a year? That's a bit much. He can't trade away the farm system that Cherington and Theo Epstein helped build to prominence -- the potential is just too much.
Dombrowski should know from experience not to trade away the farm system because that's exactly what happened to him in Detroit.
Nevertheless, Dombrowski wants to win now and for us Red Sox fans, we want baseball in October this year. We want the local 9 to be competing for a World Series. And most importantly, we want to see David Ortiz's postseason heroics one last time.
Dombrowski just has to make sure he doesn't mortgage the future in the process.
Follow Evan Marinofsky on Twitter @emarinofsky for all of his Red Sox thoughts and opinions.