Red Sox fire president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski

BOSTON --- Less than one year after celebrating arguably the greatest season in franchise history, the Red Sox have fired president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

Boston vice president of media relations Kevin Gregg confirmed the news following the club’s 10-5 loss to the Yankees on Sunday night at Fenway Park. Gregg said the decision was made by principal owner John Henry and club chairman Tom Werner.

The Red Sox declined to immediately hold a formal press [...]

BOSTON --- Less than one year after celebrating arguably the greatest season in franchise history, the Red Sox have fired president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

Boston vice president of media relations Kevin Gregg confirmed the news following the club’s 10-5 loss to the Yankees on Sunday night at Fenway Park. Gregg said the decision was made by principal owner John Henry and club chairman Tom Werner.

The Red Sox declined to immediately hold a formal press conference. Henry, Werner and president and CEO Sam Kennedy were each quoted in a statement released late Monday morning.

“Dave will hold a special place in franchise history as a key architect of one of the greatest Red Sox teams ever assembled,” Werner said. “His willingness to make bold moves helped deliver our fourth World Series championship in the 21st century.”

Assistant general managers Brian O’Halloran, Eddie Romero and Zack Scott will share the responsibility of running the club in the interim while senior vice president of major and minor league operations Raquel Ferreira will take on an expanded role within the transition team. O’Halloran and Romero are both executive vice presidents in charge of finance and international scouting, respectively. Scott is a senior vice president who oversees the club’s analytics division.

“Surprise and shock, obviously,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Right now there’s not too much to say. We’ll talk a little more tomorrow.”

Boston slipped to 8 games behind the Athletics for the second American League wild card berth thanks to its latest defeat. The Red Sox last missed the postseason in 2015, finishing 78-84 and firing vice president and general manager Ben Cherington. Dombrowski was appointed to replace Cherington in August of that season and was signed through the 2020 season.

“You always take an ounce of guilt with you as a player,” said pitcher Rick Porcello, who absorbed the loss against New York on Sunday. “You’re the one that can make or break things. That’s the part that hurts.”

Boston slipped into a deep midseason hole while losing eight straight games, a stretch that started and ended after the Aug. 1 trade deadline. Dombrowski’s lone acquisition was Baltimore right-hander Andrew Cashner, who posted an 8.01 earned-run average in six starts before being demoted to the bullpen. Dombrowski was unable to repeat his masterstrokes of a season ago when he traded for both future World Series Most Valuable Player Steve Pearce and October stalwart Nathan Eovaldi prior to the deadline.

“You never like to see anybody lose their job over what we’re doing on the field,” Porcello said. “Unfortunately that’s the case right here.”

Boston smashed through the final threshold of the Competitive Balance Tax in 2018, incurring significant financial penalties and losing 10 places prior to making their first selection in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft. The Red Sox have remained under the final threshold of the CBT this season, but their payroll still tops $240 million and their farm system ranks inside the bottom third among the 30 big league franchises. The Twins, Indians, Athletics and Rays – who ranked dead last in payroll on Opening Day at barely $60 million – all sit ahead of Boston in the A.L. playoff standings.

“Anything in this sport, there’s an understanding that there’s a business aspect to it,” Porcello said. “It’s just unfortunate. Obviously I’ve played for Dave for a long time, and I think the world of him.”

Dombrowski posted a 396-277 regular season record during his Red Sox tenure. Boston captured three straight American League East titles from 2016-18 and steamrolled its way to World Series glory in 2018. The Red Sox set a new franchise record with 108 victories in the regular season and became the first team to eliminate three 100-win teams in the playoffs, dispatching New York, Houston and the Dodgers.

“It’s a new year,” outfielder Mookie Betts said. “We’ve got to turn the page on that. A lot of different things happen. A lot of things can change within a year, and this is one of them.”

Starting pitcher David Price has three years remaining on his $217-million deal and starting pitcher Chris Sale will begin his five-year, $145-million extension in 2020 – both have spent significant time on the injured list this season. Eovaldi was sidelined for more than two months with right elbow troubles after signing a four-year, $68-million deal in November and Pearce has been limited to just 29 games due to various injuries after signing a one-year deal to return. The six-year, $120-million extension inked by Xander Bogaerts in early April stands out as one of few recent pieces of prudent business.

Dombrowski presided over the firing of manager John Farrell after the 2017 season and the hiring of Cora, who previously served as bench coach in Houston. The Astros were coming off a World Series title and had just eliminated Boston in the A.L. Division Series. The Red Sox were swept in the same round by Cleveland the previous season.

“This is a guy who gave me a chance to come here and be a big league manager,” Cora said. “It’s one of those that caught me. They just told me. I’m not ready to talk about it.”

Dombrowski negotiated a host of significant acquisitions, including the free agent signing of Price and a trade with the White Sox for Sale. Dombrowski also signed free agent slugger J.D. Martinez prior to the 2018 season, extending a relationship that began when Martinez was released by Houston and agreed to a deal with the Tigers in March 2014.

“He gave me opportunity in Detroit and he gave me opportunity here,” Martinez said. “He’s always been a friend to me. We’ve always gotten along great, so obviously I’m sad to see him go.”

Martinez will enter the offseason representing one of the significant questions the Red Sox must answer. He can opt out of the five-year deal he signed prior to 2018 and become a free agent, perhaps commanding more tenure or a raise from his $22 million average annual value. Porcello, Cashner, Pearce, Mitch Moreland, Brock Holt and Chris Owings will also be free agents.

“Obviously I’ve got to go talk to Scott (Boras, his agent) and see what he says,” Martinez said. “I don’t know enough about that side of the game to get into it.”

Boston also must look toward 2020 with Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Brandon Workman among those poised to reach free agency at the conclusion of that season. Betts has rebuffed previous Red Sox attempts to sign him to an extension and intends to test his worth on the open market. He said Dombrowski’s firing will have no effect on that decision.

“It’s going to be the same answer,” Betts said. “Nothing’s going to change. This is proof that this is a business. Like I said, I love it here. But definitely, it’s still a business.”

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25