BOSTON (AP) – The last-place Boston Red Sox shook up their front office on Tuesday night, hiring Dave Dombrowski as the new president of baseball operations and saying goodbye to general manager Ben Cherington.
Dombrowski joins the Red Sox – his fifth major league club – immediately. The team said in a news release during its game against the Cleveland Indians that Cherington “declined the opportunity to continue as General Manager, but has agreed to assist Mr. Dombrowski during the transition.”
Dombrowski built a World Series champion with the Florida Marlins and took Detroit to the Series twice, winning four straight AL Central titles in 14 years in the Tigers’ front office. But with Detroit playing below .500, he was let go two weeks ago – shortly after the Red Sox announced that president and CEO Larry Lucchino would step away from the club at the end of the season.
Red Sox COO Sam Kennedy is slated to take over the business of the ballclub, with Dombrowski running the baseball side.
“He is one of the most highly regarded executives in all of baseball, and had options to go with other clubs,” said Red Sox owner John Henry, who worked with Dombrowski in Florida. “We feel very fortunate that he wanted to come to Boston, and wanted to further his career – now with the Red Sox – as one of the great architects of winning baseball clubs.”