Roche: Sale Trade Carried Lofty Price Tag, But Red Sox In Great Position To Win Now
WASHINGTON (CBS) -- When it comes to the maneuvering by Dave Dombrowski these days, one thing is crystal clear: He's going for it!
Dombrowski came to these Winter Meetings like he has done in past years. He quietly says his team needs a reliever, a left hand bat, and a few other pieces along the way.
But when you think he's keeping things low-key this offseason, that's when Dombrowski strikes. On Tuesday, he pulled off a pair of major moves that instantly propelled the Red Sox near the top of the favorites to win a World Series in 2017.
Dombrowski has acquired, pending the medicals, lefty ace Chris Sale from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for infielders Yoan Moncada and Luis Basabe and pitchers Michael Kopech and Victor Diaz. Sale (who turns 28 at the end of March) is one of the top starters in the game, going 74-50 with a 3.00 ERA. He's a five-time All-Star and has finished in the Top six of the AL Cy Young voting in each of the past five seasons.
Sale will join a rotation that already includes David Price, Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez, Steven Wright and Clay Buchholz. Drew Pomeranz, who was good out the bullpen in the ALDS against Cleveland (3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K), will likely be heading back to the pen, but the Sox could shop him along with E-Rod, and/or Clay Buchholz this offseason.
As for what the Sox have given up, it's a lot. Dombrowski traded away the top overall prospect in all of baseball in Moncada, a five-tool, raw skill player who may or may not have found a position in Boston (third base?). He has superstar talent and sending him away is clearly a huge gamble. Huge.
The others who were shipped out of the Boston farm system in the Sale deal and Tuesday morning's trade for reliever Tyler Thornburg are Travis Shaw, John Pennington, Mauricio Dubon, Kopech, Basabe and Diaz. That's a lot of talent -- Top 10, Top 15 prospects in the organization.
Yes, the prospect cupboard is bare today, but Boston did manage to keep Andrew Benintendi, whom everyone in the organization loves. I think he's going to be an All-Star for years to come. The Sox also kept third base prospect Rafael Devers (projected to have the most power in the organization) and first baseman Sam Travis, as well as pitcher Jason Groome, their first-round pick in 2016.
And perhaps Dombrowski may make a trade or two with the same thought in mind that the Yankees' Brian Cashman had at last season's trade deadline: Restocking the farm system. Maybe he deals one or two of his surplus starters for some youth.
But the bottom line is Dombrowski has a team that can win now this year, and likely for the next three years, at least. What we do know is that their is now time on the clock, a three-year (or so) window to win a World Series. Dombrowski will go down as either a man who helped the Red Sox win another title (or two) or as a man who depleted a fruitful farm system but never got the Sox to the promised land.
Now, do you now go to David Ortiz and say, "Here's a blank check. Come and join us in August? September? Help us win another World Series for whatever price you want."?
Things just got even more interesting for Red Sox fans....
