Shortly after the blockbuster trade that sent reigning NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton to the New York Yankees, the 2017 Major League Baseball Winter Meetings have commenced in Orlando, Florida.
Each December, the Winter Meetings are a pivotal point in the offseason when representatives from every team convene to discuss league business, trades, and transactions.
This time around, Boston Red Sox President of Baseball Operations says he has a “list” of players he is hoping to acquire.
“Well yeah, sure we know,” Dombrowski said. “I mean, there’s at least a pool of players that we want. I mean, I have the list in my pocket. And there’s a variety of guys that would fit that description. But yeah, we know who we want.”
Who might be on that list? It is no secret that the Sox are hoping to add a big bat to the lineup. According to reports released Tuesday, the Sox are scheduled to sit down with free agent, J.D. Martinez.
Dombrowski neither confirmed nor denied whether or not Martinez would be meeting with the Sox this week. But, without explicitly referencing the slugger, Dombrowski alluded that Martinez could be high on his list.
The Red Sox fell to last place in the American League for homers this past season with 168. Martinez finished the season with a career high 45. Moreover, the righty batter has proven to hit well at Fenway Park, hitting .444/.483/.519 with two homers and six RBIs on 29 plate appearances.
Martinez has been linked to the Red Sox since the beginning of the offseason, along with Eric Hosmer and Carlos Santana. Regardless of who the team acquires, Dombrowski hopes that moves with be made sooner, rather than later.
“I mean, I’d rather be done right now,” Dombrowski said. “I’d be sitting here making a couple of announcements. You know that you don’t unilaterally control that. Would much rather get things done quicker, but sometimes that doesn’t happen.”
Red Sox Manager Alex Cora trusts that Dombrowski, who has been known to make big moves in the offseason, will acquire players that set the team in a positive direction.
“I think the plan is to get better,” said manager Alex Cora. “In the conversations we’ve had, the most important thing is to put this team in a position to win a World Series. I think Dave is going to be able to do that.”
