McAdam: Lacking assets to trade for slugger, Red Sox turn to free agency

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. --  From the start of the offseason, Dave Dombrowski has stated a willingness to obtain the power bat the Red Sox seek one of two ways: by trade or free agency.

But on Wednesday, the final full day of the winter meetings, the Red Sox were reminded once again how hard it is for them to pull off a major trade this winter, and how much more likely it is that they land their hitter via free agency instead.

Having missed out on one powerful Marlins outfielder last weekend (Giancarlo Stanton), the Sox again finished out of the running for another, Marcell Ozuna, who was dealt from the to the Cardinals Wednesday afternoon.

Dombrowski said the Sox had made calls to the Marlins to make known their interest in Ozuna, who hit 37 homers last season, but the Red Sox had nowhere near the number of high-end prospects the Cardinals could offer.

“We asked about him,’’ confirmed Dombrowski, “and (the Marlins) called me back beforehand, kind of as a courtesy, so we were in the mix enough to do that. But we were never close to a trade. I don’t even know what they got (in return); I know (the Marlins) told me they got some upper-level pitching for him.

“It was a longshot that we were going to get him because of what they were asking for from us and knowing what the interest level in him elsewhere, it was going to be hard for us to give them more than that. But I did want to at least inquire. St. Louis has a very deep organization, pitching-wise. I don’t think we have anywhere near the upper-level pitching that they did. They’re stronger than us."

The Sox, under Dombrowski, have obtained such key pieces as Chris Sale, Craig Kimbrel and Drew Pomeranz by packaging their better prospects. But having done so, they’re inventory is now depleted, making it difficult – if not impossible – to compete with other organizations who haven’t dealt off as many young players.

“A lot of our better players are at the low A ball level, especially some of our better pitchers,’’ offered Dombrowski. “I would anticipate in another year, when they go to high A or Double-A, they will get a lot more attention. We like a lot of those guys now. That process has already started.’’

But they’re not developed enough to help the Sox, say, land Ozuna, or, for that matter, Manny Machado, whom the Baltimore Orioles are suddenly shopping. Orioles GM Dan Duquette said Wednesday he’d be willing to move Machado within the division if an AL East rival offered the best package in return.

But again, the Sox can’t compete with the Yankees when it comes to putting together elite, near-major league ready prospects.

The same issue prevents the Sox from competing for Chicago first baseman Jose Abreu, who would otherwise be a perfect fit. But having already sent their best position player (Yoan Moncada) and best pitching prospect (Michael Kopech) to get Sale a year ago, the Sox’ system has been picked over at the upper reaches.

"They're really boxed in a little bit right now,'' said another American League executive. "They don't have guys (ready to play in the big leagues) that everyone is looking for -- at least, the teams who are moving the kind of players (the Red Sox) are in the market for.''

That leaves free agency as the Red Sox’ best avenue to obtain a power bat, with J.D. Martinez as the top target.

But while the Red Sox have the resources (read: dollars) to make that a reality, they don’t control the timetable.

Martinez – and first baseman Eric Hosmer – are both represented by agent Scott Boras, who typically holds back his top clients until late into the winter, hoping that the building uncertainty and desperation teams feel will result in one willing to overpay.

The trick here, as Dombrowski readily acknowledged, is determining how long to wait around, since there are no guarantees that you’ll get the player you’ve targeted.

“That’s something that we talk about all the time,’’ he said. “And I think it’s based on feel and pulse and where you think the market is and when you need to make a decision rather than when you might have to make a decision. And it does factor in, the waiting part.

“We talk about it internally. When are you actually confronted with having to make that final decision compared to speculating that you might have to and being ready to do it? We have spent a large majority of our time in this room talking about that very question when we’ve been here. Because there’s a risk-reward attached to that.

“I don’t know that answer. It’s a moving target that’s a very important ingredient in what we discuss and the decisions we make. I’ll be surprised if we don’t do something, but I can tell you that there may be a limit on the time frame and how long we wait. Some players are going to start signing pretty soon. And some players that we have interest in will start signing pretty soon.  And if you wait, you lose some players you might have interest in.’’

In free agency, the agents determine the pace of play. Signings happen when they’re ready, not when the tea, is.

“The difficulty is that we don’t control that time period,’’ Dombrowski said. “Other people control it. We’re ready to move forward and try to get things done, but sometimes, that doesn’t happen.’’

Until then, all the Sox can do it….wait.