Dombrowski's bid for Britton falls way short

BALTIMORE — How close was Zach Britton to simply switching clubhouses Wednesday night?

The Red Sox were among the teams attempting to acquire the Orioles closer, with the Yankees eventually winning out by offering three prospects. Brad Brach finished off Baltimore’s 7-6 victory over Boston on Tuesday while Britton packed his bags, leaving the only organization he’s ever called home.

Red Sox president of baseball [...]

BALTIMORE — How close was Zach Britton to simply switching clubhouses Wednesday night?

The Red Sox were among the teams attempting to acquire the Orioles closer, with the Yankees eventually winning out by offering three prospects. Brad Brach finished off Baltimore’s 7-6 victory over Boston on Tuesday while Britton packed his bags, leaving the only organization he’s ever called home.

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski acknowledged holding preliminary talks with the Orioles regarding Britton, but the two clubs weren’t close to a match. Boston made an acquisition of its own early Wednesday by welcoming right-handed starter Nathan Eovaldi from the Rays for left-handed prospect Jalen Beeks.

“We talked to them,” Dombrowski said. “I guess that’s all I would say. We really like this fit for us.”

Right-handed pitcher Dillon Tate, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 draft by the Rangers, was the headliner coming from New York for Britton. Dombrowski insisted the Red Sox had enough ammunition in the minor leagues to complete a deal for Britton or other perceived targets, that despite Boston’s preseason No. 23 overall ranking among the sport’s farm systems by MILB.com. Of two top prospects, infielder Michael Chavis is just working his way back from an 80-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs and left-handed pitcher Jay Groome remains out of action after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

“We’ve had a lot of conversations with a lot of clubs,” Dombrowski said. “I haven’t really found it a challenge.”

How Eovaldi will be shoehorned onto Boston’s 25-man roster remains to be seen. A pitcher is most likely to be sacrificed, with the Red Sox carrying 13 after Drew Pomeranz returned from the disabled list to start Tuesday. Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree, Matt Barnes, Tyler Thornburg, Hector Velazquez and Ryan Brasier are among those who still carry minor league options.

“As we talk about internally, sometimes you end up in a spot where if you get somebody you also say, ‘Who are you going to take off your roster?’” Dombrowski said. “You need to create spots, too. We’re pretty happy with the roster that we have.”

Hembree and Barnes have settled into defined bullpen roles while Brasier has fired seven scoreless innings over six appearances since his July 8 promotion from Triple-A Pawtucket. The right-hander hasn’t allowed an earned run at any level since May 12, graduating to some high-leverage work with Boston.

“Barnes and Heath — we know his role,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Ryan is becoming a guy in the bullpen that we trust, probably in higher-leverage situations. It all depends on what you see.”

Then there’s Joe Kelly, who thanks to his five years of big league service time has the right to either refuse an assignment to the minor leagues or request his outright release. The right-hander has pitched to an unsightly 9.98 earned-run average over his last 20 appearances, including three runs allowed on Tuesday.

“He’d been so good for us early in the season,” said Dombrowski, noting Kelly’s one earned run allowed in 24 appearances between April 1 and May 29. “He was a key component of that. We need to get him back.”

As for other perceived weaknesses in the Boston lineup, Dombrowski fielded specific questions about whether or not Brandon Phillips could eventually find himself at second base. The timeshare between Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez has filled in for Dustin Pedroia (left knee inflammation), who isn’t close to a return. Phillips is currently with the PawSox and suffered a recent setback when he reported pectoral soreness.

“We’re content where we are,” Dombrowski said. “I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but every club always has an area that can be addressed next — wherever that may be. We’re content where we are.

“It doesn’t mean we won’t end up doing something else, but if you told me we’re going forward with this club, I think we’re very happy with it.”

—bkoch@providencejournal.com 

On Twitter: @BillKoch25