The Boston Red Sox are in the business of improving their team by any means necessary.
This doesn’t necessarily mean the Red Sox are going to make a blockbuster before the Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline, especially if it requires mortgaging the future for a short-term fix. But Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is known for his aggressiveness, and one shouldn’t be surprised if he gets creative over the next few weeks.
Now, does that mean Dombrowski will consider trading one of the Red Sox’s young core players (Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr.) or one of their most highly regarded prospects (Yoan Moncada and Andrew Benintendi)? Probably not, unless the return is incredible.
But don’t use the term “untouchable.” It’s never really been in Dombrowski’s vocabulary.
“Dave Dombrowski has taken the position that no one is untouchable, that it’s just a matter of people for whom it would be very unlikely that a trade would be had,” Red Sox president/CEO emeritus Larry Lucchino said Thursday on WEEI’s “Dennis and Callahan” while discussing the Aug. 1 deadline. “But no one is untouchable.”
The aforementioned prospects — Moncada and Benintendi — might not be “untouchable,” per se, but they certainly aren’t pieces that Dombrowski and the Red Sox would like to deal. Boston has an impressive farm system and would like to continue to develop its own talent into potential franchise cornerstones.
“Anderson Espinoza, one of our terrific pitchers in the minor leagues, may fit that list as well,” Lucchino said. “I think you should take Dave at his word that no one is untouchable.”
So, there you have it. No one is “untouchable,” even if they’re pretty close to fitting the bill.
Thumbnail photo via Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports Images
