Ben Cherington Out As Red Sox GM, Team Hires Dave Dombrowski
BOSTON (CBS) – The shakeup in the Boston Red Sox front office continued on Tuesday night.
Ben Cherington will step down as General Manager of the Red Sox, the team announced in the middle of Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Indians.
The team said Dave Dombrowski has been named President of Baseball Operations.
Cherington declined the opportunity to continue serving his role of General Manager, but has agreed to help Dombrowski with the transition.
"Ben Cherington is one of the finest individuals I have ever worked with, possessing a maturity and integrity second to none," Red Sox owner John Henry said on Tuesday night. "Over 17 years with the Red Sox and in the four years as our General Manager, he always put the best interests of our organization first and foremost, winning a World Series Championship in 2013."
Dombrowski was the GM of the Tigers until he and the team parted ways earlier this month.
He will assume all responsibility for Red Sox baseball operations, beginning immediately.
"I am anxious to get to Boston and to focus on playing an important role in helping this great franchise continue its recent history of World Championships," Dombrowski said in a statement.
Dombrowski was the General Manager of the Florida Marlins in the late 1990s, when current Red Sox owner John Henry owned the team.
The Marlins won the World Series in 1997 under the pair's guidance.
"He is one of the most highly regarded executives in all of baseball, and had options to go with other clubs," Henry said. "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."
Joining the Red Sox now gives Dombrowski the chance to get a head start on building the team for 2016, he said.
"The Red Sox baseball operations group and Ben Cherington deserve extraordinary credit for the young, talented players that have broken through at the major league level, and I see outstanding potential in the talent still developing in our minor leagues," said Dombrowski.
"Although I did have other potential options within baseball, there was no option that stood out as clearly as the chance to come to Boston and win with the Red Sox. Boston is a baseball city like no other and its history and traditions are unique in our game," Dombrowski added.
