Red Sox boss uses own NBA analogy in response to Cashman
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Dave Dombrowski is not falling for Brian Cashman’s hype, comparing his talented Red Sox to the Warriors.
“I heard that and it was interesting,’’ Dombrowski told The Post on Tuesday as Red Sox pitchers and catchers officially worked out for the first time this spring at Fenway South. “But you know what? [The Yankees are] probably like the Cavaliers and I remember the Cavaliers beat Golden State last year. I would think they should be probably be thinking of themselves along those lines. I would think that’s what they’re like.’’
Certainly, even though the Yankees are in a bit of a rebuilding mode and finished fourth while the Red Sox finished first in the AL East in 2016 with 93 wins, Dombrowski, the Red Sox president of baseball operations, sees the Yankees as a formidable rival. The Yankees forever remain the Evil Empire to the Red Sox.
Of Cashman’s comments, Dombrowski smiled and said, “He’s clever.’’
At the winter meetings, after the Red Sox acquired Chris Sale in a deal that sent top prospects Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech to the White Sox, Cashman proclaimed: “That was a big one, that’s a blockbuster, that’s a wow. Obviously they got a lot and gave up a lot. Boston is like the Golden State Warriors now of baseball. They got their [Kevin] Durant, their [Draymond] Green, [Klay] Thompson and [Steph] Curry. It was a big one.’’
The Red Sox know they have to prove it on the field. Red Sox veteran outfielder and former Yankee Chris Young, was quick to point that out, but when asked who on the Red Sox is Steph Curry he smiled and said, “We’ve got a quite a few of them … but we still have to do it on the field. We have a good team, but I’m not putting us in that category right now.’’
Noted second baseman Dustin Pedroia, “We can’t look at any outside views of our team. We just have to focus on us and try to be the best we can be.’’