The Boston Red Sox are the defending World Series champions, but we shouldn't expect president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to take it easy this offseason as a result.
Dombrowski has made many, many trades during his tenure with the Red Sox. He's not afraid to pull the trigger on blockbuster deals, too, like the trades that acquired ace Chris Sale and closer Craig Kimbrel. Those moves required the Red Sox to part with some of their top prospects, and all of these trades have depleted what was once one of the best and deepest farm systems in Major League Baseball.
The Sox' system isn't totally barren, though.
Bleacher Report recently published a list of every MLB team's most untouchable prospect, and their choice for Boston was left-handed pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez. B/R's rationale behind the pick included Hernandez's propensity for strikeouts because of his impressive arm strength, as well as his success against quality opponents.
The Red Sox certainly should do all they can to keep all of their top pitching prospects, even if their track record producing homegrown starters isn't fantastic. The Red Sox still owe a ton of money to David Price and Chris Sale is a free agent after the 2019 season. Drew Pomeranz and Nathan Eovaldi both are free agents this winter.
The Red Sox have a very high payroll, so any young, talented players on cheap, controllable contracts will be a huge benefit for the roster.
Hernandez certainly is on the right track, and his development so far should have Red Sox fans excited for his 2019 season and beyond.
Boston Red Sox
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