NEW YORK -- With the non-waiver trade deadline now a month away, it was fitting that Dave Dombrowski offered another update when it comes to the Red Sox' approach to potential team-building.
Having already made one deal in trading for Steve Pearce Thursday night, Dombrowski insinuated that the Red Sox' next move might be dependent on what some of their own players can do in the coming weeks.
"One of the things as a general manager that you know, once you address your weakness, you always have the next weakness because there's no perfect club," he said prior to the Red Sox' game against the Yankees Saturday. "So the way I look at it a lot is dependent on some of our injured players at this time. Because we have some guys that are close to coming back. So for example, Thornburg's throwing today. He threw the ball very well his last outing. Be anxious to see how he throws today because if he throws well today he could be close to being activated. If we get the Tyler Thornburg back that pitched before, that's a tremendous addition for us. Drew Pomeranz is pitching on Monday. He threw the ball better the other day than he's thrown the ball for us all year long. Really, he was pitching throwing 92, 93 (mph) on the gun the other day, which he hasn't touched all year long. And, of course, Steven Wright's going to be seen by the doctor.
"So those are really keys for us. Of course, all of those are pitchers. So I think dependent upon what happens there we'll then evaluate our situation. I think from a positional player perspective, I'm not really sure what else we would do if we stay healthy. We still have the possibility of getting Pedey (Dustin Pedroia) back. He's going to see the doctor on Monday too. I think Steven Wright's much closer from our gathering at this point than Pedey would be. And Pedey because he's been out for a while and he's played very little, if it progresses will have to go out on rehab at some point. But I think that that's really the key. I don't think that per se we're looking for a lot of other things at this time."
Dombrowski surmised that the trade market could be moving quicker than normal just because so many teams have already started waving the proverbial white flag, whereas in previous years the majority of clubs held out hope regarding their postseason chances.
"We're not motivated to have to make a deal right now," Dombrowski said. "Would we be OK with waiting until the end as we sit presently without any other injuries? Yes. But again I'm not sure that works. Again, I will tell you, talking to various clubs, there's a lot more clubs motivated to do things quickly from a trading perspective if they get what they want because I think some of them feel like there's a lot of clubs looking to move players and because they're not in a race at this time. But some of them have indicated, we're prepared to move forward at any time. I think more so than any time in my recent memory."
And then there is the luxury tax threshold.
The Red Sox are butting up against the $237 million line that if crossed would result in a loss of 10 spots in the draft, along with a tax rate of over 60 percent. Dombrowski reiterated his stance first surfaced on Ordway, Merloni and Fauria, insisting there is no mandate to remain under the threshold.
"I think it's important to know and I think we're all, as I've said, prefer to not go over 237 because there's a reason they call it a penalty. You can get penalized financially, you can get penalized by losing 10 spots in the Draft. But I also think we're trying to win a world championship and so does ownership," he said. "We have a chance to. Who knows what's going to take place. And that's not going to be a deterrent for us if we have to. Would I prefer not to? Sure. Would I prefer to not be over 197 too but we're way above there."
Dombrowski also noted that recently-acquired Brandon Phillips has been told by the club that it is up to him to determine when he deems himself ready to leave Fort Myers and join Triple-A Pawtucket. Another veteran depth option, first baseman Adam Lind, has an opt-out Sunday. In 26 games with the PawSox, Lind is hitting .263 with a .776 OPS and five home runs.
