Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the Boston Red Sox have parted ways with team president Dave Dombrowski.
This move comes off the heels of a 10-5 loss to the New York Yankees at Fenway Park, pushing the team to eight games back from the second AL Wild Card spot, and 17.5 games behind the Yankees for the AL East division lead. While there is no reported reasoning for this move, there was rumblings of drama outside of Fenway Park after the loss. Despite this, the firing of Dombrowski comes off as a shock not just to fans but also to Red Sox Manager Alex Cora.
Coming off a 2018 World Series winning season, the Red Sox were built to succeed in 2019, only losing reliever Craig Kimbrel as one of their key players from the roster. With a month left in the season, however, they find themselves sitting at a record of 76-67, well below the expectations of the franchise as well as their fanbase.
The 2019 season has seen many of the Red Sox key players struggle this season, including starters Rick Porcello, who carries a 5.83 ERA in 29 games started, and David Price, who owns a 4.28 ERA in 22 games started.
Prior to the start of the 2019 season, Dombrowski made some key extensions and additions, including extending ace Chris Sale to a a five-year, $145 million contract, as well as signing pitcher Nathan Eovaldi to a four-year, $67.5 million contract.
Assistant GMs Eddie Romero, Brian O’Halloran, and Zack Scott will jointly split duties as interim GMs for the remainder of the season.
