Dave Dombrowksi was at the helm when the Red Sox won the 2018 World Series. Some of Dombrowski’s trade acquisitions played a big role in securing Boston's ninth World Series title. Chris Sale, Craig Kimbrel and Drew Pomeranz, for example, were all acquired during Dombrowski’s tenure.
However, Dombrowksi has also been criticized for draining the Red Sox farm system in the process. In essence, he had a short-term plan, in which he cashed in many of his top-prospect chips for a chance at a title, and he won that bet.
In all, Dombrowksi traded seven of the Red Sox' top-10 prospects as president of baseball operations. Let’s review those deals:
• Dombrowksi traded Manuel Margot and Javier Guerra to the Padres in a five-player deal for Craig Kimbrel.
• He sent elite pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza to San Diego for starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz.
• He traded Mauricio Dubon to the Brewers as part of a four-player package for setup man Tyler Thornburg.
• Dombrowski also dealt top-ranked prospects Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech and Luis Alexander Basabe to the White Sox for ace lefty Chris Sale.
Though these trades helped the Red Sox secure a World Series Championship in 2018, Dombrowski has been criticized for depleting the minor league ranks. Boston's farm system is currently ranked No. 25 by MLB.com.
Let’s look at how those seven players are faring:
Manuel Margot - center fielder, Tampa
Four seasons - .249/.304/.392/.696
Javier Guerra - SS/RHP, Padres
22 innings, 8.18 ERA, 1.81 WHIP
19 PA, .125/.263/.125/.388
Anderson Espinoza - RHP, Padres
In July 2017, Espinoza was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. He underwent Tommy John surgery which sidelined him for the remainder of the 2017 season and the entire 2018 season.
Espinoza underwent a second Tommy John surgery in April 2019 and missed the entire 2019 season. He has yet to appear in the majors.
Mauricio Dubon - OF/2B/SS, Giants
Two seasons - 233 PA ,.278/.317/.411/.728
Yoan Moncada - 2B/3B, White Sox
Four seasons - .263/.337/.452/.789
Michael Kopech - RHP, White Sox
14.1 innings, 20 hits, 15 K, 5.02 ERA
In September 2018, Kopech underwent Tommy John surgery, causing him to miss the rest of the 2018 season plus the entire 2019 season. In July, Kopech announced he would be sitting out the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Luis Alexander Basabe - LF, Giants
Basabe has never made a plate appearance in the majors. However, he has appeared in two games this season as a pinch runner.
In summation, just two of these seven prospects have turned out to be serviceable major league players: Margot and Moncada.
As we can see, Margot has a .696 OPS after four seasons. It’s safe to say that he is not a big loss for Boston.
Moncada has shown more promise, especially after a 2019 season in which he slashed .315/.367/.548/.915, with 25 homers and 79 RBI over 132 games. However, 2019 was the outlier over Moncada's four seasons and he has regressed to his mean this year. Remove last season from his career totals and Moncada is slashing a less impressive .230/.310/.368/.678.
Sale has clearly been much more critical to the Red Sox’ fortunes, even though he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the 2020 season. No Red Sox fan in their right mind would rescind the trade that sent Moncada to the White Sox for Sale.
The other five prospects haven’t yet developed into viable big leaguers and they may never.
The other thing that should be remembered is that prospects are supposed to matriculate through the minor league system and reach the major leagues. During Dombrowski’s tenure with Boston, Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi both graduated from the minors to the majors. Though neither player was drafted by Dombrowski, their matriculation thinned the ranks of the Sox’ minor league system. That’s what’s expected to happen; prospects aren’t supposed to remain in the minors forever just to maintain the strength of the farm system.
It’s also worth remembering that Dombrowski hired Alex Cora, who, Astro’s sign-stealing scandal aside, was instrumental in delivering the 2018 World Series title.
Dombrowski also signed free agents David Price, J.D. Martinez, and Mitch Moreland, who were all critical in winning that title.
Additionally, Dombrowski obtained 2018 World Series MVP Steve Pearce in a trade that sent minor league infielder Santiago Espinal to Toronto. Espinal made his major league debut with the Blue Jays just this season. That seemingly minor deal had huge ramifications for Boston.
Dombrowski also acquired Nathan Eovaldi for lefty Jalen Beeks in a July 2018 trade with Tampa. Without Eovaldi, the Red Sox wouldn’t have won the 2018 World Series. The subsequent four-year, $68 million free-agent contract that Dombrowski gave him may be regrettable in retrospect, but the acquisition of Eovaldi was still critically important to the Red Sox’ fortunes.
It’s also worth noting that Beeks has thrown 174.1 innings in the majors, delivering a 4.54 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. Over those 174 innings, the lefty has allowed 188 hits, while striking out just 157 batters. Additionally, Beeks tore his ulnar collateral ligament in August and subsequently underwent Tommy John surgery. He is expected to miss the entire 2021 season. It’s safe to say that the Red Sox have not, and will not, miss him.
Almost any critique of Dombrowski’s tenure as the Red Sox president of baseball operations involves his decision to trade some top prospects. However, absent those trades, the Red Sox wouldn’t have won the 2018 World Series. And, in retrospect, none of those prospects has developed into an elite player. None of them, not even Moncada, looks like the type of player around whom the Red Sox could have built their roster.
With all that in mind, Dombrowski deserves credit, not blame.
The weaknesses in the Red Sox’ farm system are related to players, drafted before Dombrowski’s tenure, failing to reach the majors.
However, Bobby Dalbec, Tristan Casas were both drafted under Dombrowski’s watch, and both appear to have bright futures. Each could be critical in the Red Sox pending rebuild; that’s worth remembering now and in the years ahead.
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