Dave Dombrowski Explains Red Sox’s Payroll Outlook At MLB Trade Deadline

Dave Dombrowski isn’t operating under a hard-and-fast mandate from Boston Red Sox ownership ahead of the 2019 Major League Baseball trade deadline.

The Red Sox president of baseball operations acknowledged such Thursday on WEEI’s “Dale & Keefe Show” while addressing whether the organization would be willing to surpass the $246 million luxury tax threshold as part of its deadline maneuvering.

“No, nobody has said there are any restrictions,” Dombrowski said, as transcribed by WEEI.com. “I think the way we treat this … and our ownership over here has been fantastic. John (Henry) and Tom (Werner). We have the top payroll, and Mike Gordon, in Major League Baseball. There’s a reason they call it a penalty. When you go above that $246 (million) top level, you not only have to pay significant dollars from a financial perspective. But you drop 10 spots in the draft, and that’s a big penalty. So you try and not do it.

“We really went into last year not wanting to do that, but we did exceed it because we thought the moves would make a difference for us. So there is no reason anybody has said you can’t do it, but you also have to have a real significant reason you are going to go above that. We have a lot of good players that I think we can show we can run with the guys that we have, but if there is a right piece out there we think can make a difference, nobody said you can’t do it.”

For background, Red Sox principal owner John Henry told WEEI.com in June the team was not looking to add a lot of payroll. Boston already has the highest payroll in baseball and is coming off a 2018 season in which it incurred rather significant tax payments in addition to a 10-spot drop on the club’s first selection in the 2019 MLB Draft.

Blowing past the $246 million top-level line again this season would result in even stiffer penalties given the Red Sox’s status as second-time offenders. Boston currently is tip-toeing the line, suggesting Dombrowski will be careful in how he tackles this year’s trade deadline, even if ownership hasn’t said specifically not to exceed the $246 million threshold.

The Red Sox’s situation is further complicated by their inconsistent performance to date. Boston entered Thursday sitting 11 games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East and two games back of the AL’s second wild-card spot. This weekend could go a long way toward determining whether the defending World Series champions are buyers, sellers or stand pat with their current roster.