Red Sox have fired GM Dave Dombrowski

[jacksonianmarch]

awwwwwww....jackie-pooh didnt get to start this thread. that is what is truly shocking....

 

I was at work, otherwise I would have!

[jung]

The fact that Pearce did not lose us this year would not change the owner's perception of the common sense of the Pres of Baseball Ops signing his two WS binkies, one which was signed for too much and one that should not have been signed at all who then showed up the very description of fat, dumb and happy.

 

But while I don't blame the 3 signings entirely for DD's ouster, they are part of it surely.

 

Again, he was ousted...tossed out on his rear. Whether we like it or not Henry was not happy and it takes something extra special for Henry to make such a public statement about his displeasure.

[Slasher9]

This isn’t about the Sox not making the POs this year. This is about the extensions and the money spent and not making the POs. If DD said to Henry, hey, we might take a step back this year. Let’s add to the pen, let Eovaldi walk, let Sale play out his contract and scale back a bit, he’s still in the GM chair. But he hasn’t learned from his history. He had some damn good Detroit teams, but he gets enamored with his teams and ends up extending them stupidly beyond their usefulness. He left a wretched mess in Detroit and it’s heading that way here. I think Henry is smart enough to know that they have to rebuild while they have pieces that will get a return rather than pay their guys top dollar again. This absolutely means Mookie gets moved, IMO. And it also validates Shaughnessy who called this two months ago

 

you dont know what the f*** you are talking about. this is 100% about the Sox not making the PO's this year.

the Sox make the 2019 postseason and DD still has a job. but whatever. you are a doctor and NOT a troll so you know all things red sox

[Slasher9]

This also puts Cora on notice. The Sox will open a GM search and any time a GM comes on with a manager they didn’t pick, it leads to a potentially dicey relationship

 

agreed 100%.

[S5Dewey]

I was at work, otherwise I would have!

 

What was it someone else said about the value of an unexpressed thought?

 

No... not a troll at all.

[jacksonianmarch]

Seeing as my prediction skills have been top notch of late, I’ll give you a synopsis

 

Henry, at the press conference, will thank DD for his 3 year run of success and awful year this year. He will use the term “bridge years” coming up with a heavy emphasis on building “depth” (read as prospects). He will then go on a GM search and grab a guy who is known to build farm systems.

 

The Sox will sell off parts that are popular leading to backlash from the fans. Those die hards will understand. Those pink hats won’t. The revenue will fall off, but he will actually be helping the long term health of the team. It will take 3 years to rebuild the farm, but the fire sales of Mookie and ERod will help. Just when the farm is back in good shape, he will open the wallet and give his “build” GM a year to get on top. If they fail, he’ll bring in the next Dombrowski type to rise again

[jad]

IMO an injustice has been done here. I know that the Sox have had a much worse season than anticipated so someone has to pay the price but letting DD go now is a mistake. DD did exactly what a GM is supposed to do. He assembled a team that should and would be a WSC contender had it not been for the unforseen collapse of the top of the rotation.

 

And please.. this collapse had nothing to do with the signing of Pearce over getting a couple of BP arms. If he'd signed Kimbrel, Chapman, AND Kenley Jansen it would have had nothing to do with the fact that Sale, Price and Porcillo sucked and gave up too many runs too early in the games.

 

The path now isn't a pretty one. Some of these big contracts have to go - if they can be unloaded, and if they are unloaded the Sox are going to have to pick up part of the salaries. Nobody - except maybe Devers - on that team is safe now. There's going to be a reset of major proportions and many of those familiar names, those names who comprised one of the best offensive and defensive teams in baseball, are going to be gone.

 

It looks to me like if you liked 2014 & 2015 you're going to LOVE 2020.

 

Agreed. He did exactly what he was paid to do. But I don't see how getting rid of him does anything to unload those salaries (and shouldn't Castillo be included here?) You can either pay them to give you mediocre performances and sit multiple games out on rehab, or you can pay them to do that for another team, since no one is likely to take on those salaries in full. Is it worth $20-30mil/year just to open up a roster spot for one of minor-league pitchers the RS have run out this year?

[Slasher9]

it's probably the end of JBJ's tenure here.

 

[S5Dewey]

And just as an afterthought...

 

Do you think it's a coincidence that DD's firing took place on the same day the Pats opened their season?

[jacksonianmarch]

And just as an afterthought...

 

Do you think it's a coincidence that DD's firing took place on the same day the Pats opened their season?

 

Not at all. Henry is a calculated guy. This was probably coming for a month

[OH FOY]

I expected something from Henry, he likes to try to make noise, especially everything up here in New England is the Patriots.

[OH FOY]

And just as an afterthought...

 

Do you think it's a coincidence that DD's firing took place on the same day the Pats opened their season?

 

Good call. This story is not even that big up here, it's talked about, but nothing like you would think. Even the Talk Shows here don't talk about the Sox anymore.

[Noles_1335]

How many days before the next ax falls.... anyone need a pitching coach, see ya Dana

[jung]

And just as an afterthought...

 

Do you think it's a coincidence that DD's firing took place on the same day the Pats opened their season?

 

Nope...calculated for effect. Henry right angles right into the next days heavily laden local Pats news with his own bombshell.

[Slasher9]

It looks to me like if you liked 2014 & 2015 you're going to LOVE 2020.

 

great line my friend.

[jung]

How many days before the next ax falls.... anyone need a pitching coach, see ya Dana

 

 

I suspect LaVanchie will be allowed to work till the end of the season. I don't think Henry is interested in making the kind of statement with LaVanchie he just made with the DD dispatch. I do expect he is going, but not before the end of the season.

[moonslav59]

It's not like we have nothing

 

Our opening day lineup could be

Betts, Devers, Xander, JD, Beni, Chavis, Vaz, Hernandez and JBJ (probably a long shot).....

 

If healthy

Price, Sale, Eovaldi, E Rod and someone not named Johnson.

 

Yes, unless we dismantle some (doubful).

 

I am not predicting a last place finish.

 

I looks like us cliff dwellers may be wrong as much as those who denied a down time will be coming soon.

[jacksonianmarch]

The cliff was never a drop into the basement. It was a drop into irrelevance. The more shallow the fall the longer the recovery

[notin]

IMO an injustice has been done here. I know that the Sox have had a much worse season than anticipated so someone has to pay the price but letting DD go now is a mistake. DD did exactly what a GM is supposed to do. He assembled a team that should and would be a WSC contender had it not been for the unforseen collapse of the top of the rotation.

 

And please.. this collapse had nothing to do with the signing of Pearce over getting a couple of BP arms. If he'd signed Kimbrel, Chapman, AND Kenley Jansen it would have had nothing to do with the fact that Sale, Price and Porcillo sucked and gave up too many runs too early in the games.

 

The path now isn't a pretty one. Some of these big contracts have to go - if they can be unloaded, and if they are unloaded the Sox are going to have to pick up part of the salaries. Nobody - except maybe Devers - on that team is safe now. There's going to be a reset of major proportions and many of those familiar names, those names who comprised one of the best offensive and defensive teams in baseball, are going to be gone.

 

It looks to me like if you liked 2014 & 2015 you're going to LOVE 2020.

 

While there are plenty of big deals the Sox would like to unload, in many cases, it’s going to be just too difficult. Really the only movable ones are Bogaerts and Betts. If the two, Mookie is probably more likely. But I expect Sale, Price and Eovaldi back next year even if they look to move them. Although we did learn from Robinson Cano that no contract is immovable. It’s just a matter of finding that one stupid or desperate GM.

 

Now I have expected a reset all along, largely to get into the lower tax bracket when Mookie is re-signed. Still possible, even if they deal him. But I do think the Devers-Bogaerts-Benintendi core to remain intact along with Vazquez. Just not sure if Betts will stay in the picture for 2020.

 

Right now the Sox are operating with a 3-headed monster at GM. A big jump from technically having no GM. One of the internal guys might get the GM role, but a lot of that depends on if they keep the same internal structure or if the new President of Operations decides to NOT also handle GM duties. And I suspect he won’t, because that positions him to fire a GM (as opposed to taking the fall himself) if 2020 is equally disappointing...

[Elktonnick]

Shocked. Never thought John Henry would fire Dombrowski before Cora. I guess Henry puts all the blame on DD. Ole Shaughnessy was right after all. Apologies to Dan Shaughnessy.

[Bellhorn04]

Shocked. Never thought John Henry would fire Dombrowski before Cora. I guess Henry puts all the blame on DD. Ole Shaughnessy was right after all. Apologies to Dan Shaughnessy.

 

I think it's not all about blame by any means. It's about who is best suited for the team with its present and future situations.

[TylerD]

It is not a surprise at all. Whether you agree with it or not that is sports. You can’t have one of the most dominating teams to win the World Series ever last year and then Miss playoffs this year. Not all of it is his fault especially the starting rotation so I get that. But the news doesn’t shock me at all I knew something major was going to happen. Now the question is who will replace him?

[jacksonianmarch]

I think it's not all about blame by any means. It's about who is best suited for the team with its present and future situations.

 

That is the thing. Interestingly, Henry has gone from the lovable owner who broke the curse, to the guy laughing at the Yankees for spending money while winning a title in 2013, to the highest payroll team to ever win a WS. He changes his spots as his teams change. No surprise that he changes his GM's too. Time to bring in a builder. I am thinking he likes the look of Neander from TB

[notin]

That is the thing. Interestingly, Henry has gone from the lovable owner who broke the curse, to the guy laughing at the Yankees for spending money while winning a title in 2013, to the highest payroll team to ever win a WS. He changes his spots as his teams change. No surprise that he changes his GM's too. Time to bring in a builder. I am thinking he likes the look of Neander from TB

 

But you have to remember that 2013 team wasn't even the highest payroll in the AL East, as the Yankees were still higher and significantly so. So deriding them for overspending actually still applies..

[Bellhorn04]

That is the thing. Interestingly, Henry has gone from the lovable owner who broke the curse, to the guy laughing at the Yankees for spending money while winning a title in 2013

 

He laughed at the Yankees? I'd like to see the actual quotes on that.

[moonslav59]

We all were laughing, but not about the spending.

[notin]

I think it's not all about blame by any means. It's about who is best suited for the team with its present and future situations.

 

Then why not just leave him as President and hire a GM to take the next step forward?

[moonslav59]

Then why not just leave him as President and hire a GM to take the next step forward?

 

He was obviously blamed, but he's also more to blame than Cora.

 

We "can't fire the players," or so they say, although we did it twice in the past decade.

 

I don't think Henry trusted DD to hire the right GM or to not meddle with a new GM.

[Bellhorn04]

Then why not just leave him as President and hire a GM to take the next step forward?

 

I don't think the President/GM name tag matters. It's who is the de facto decision maker on personnel.

[notin]

I don't think the President/GM name tag matters. It's who is the de facto decision maker on personnel.

 

But responsibilities can be divided up accordingly.

 

The Sox could have simply made Dombrowski the GM and brought in a new president above him. And maybe they presented him that offer and he refused, in which case I am wrong.

 

Last time, it was Lucchino who was fired and Dombrowski offered to keep Cherington, although we don't know what responsibilities he was going to leave him with. (But we do suspect he was going to limit him.)