The unique dynamics behind the Hanley Ramirez move, and the unusual step of tying it to Alex Cora

Across baseball, there has been a gradual -- but unmistakable -- shift of power from the dugout to the front office. More than ever, as analytics gain more prevalence, executives have input into lineup composition, in-game strategy and identifying favorable matchups. In some extreme cases, this shift has resulted in some managers being reduced to little more than figureheads.

But at Fenway Park Friday, quite unexpectedly, Dave Dombrowski stood that dynamic on its head.

It was surprising enough that earlier in the day, the Red Sox announced that they were designating Hanley Ramirez for assignment. In need of a roster spot to allow for the addition of Dustin Pedroia, it was believed that the team would, however reluctantly, DFA little-used Blake Swihart.

But what made the news even more surprising was Dombrowski's revelation that he had intended to make another move -- presumably involving Swihart -- until Cora phoned him late Thursday morning and suggested that the Sox instead move on from Ramirez.

"He said, 'This is something I recommend us doing,' '' said Dombrowski.  "And I said, 'You sure?' And he said, 'yeah.' And he went through some different reasons behind it and his thought process. What I asked him to do at that point was to make sure he went to the ballpark and meet with his coaching staff and be in a position where that was really what he wanted to do. When I got to the ballpark yesterday, (Cora) said 'This is what we would like to do.' So, we proceeded in that direction.''

Well.

Where to begin?

Let's start with this remarkably candid reveal behind the transaction, something Dombrowski, who has a well-earned reputation for closely guarding moves and instructing underlings to reveal little about the Red Sox' inner workings. Further, Dombrowski has a habit of making it clear -- publicly and otherwise -- that he calls all the baseball shots in any organization for which he's worked.

By going out of his way to say that Ramirez's removal from the roster was Cora's handiwork, Dombrowski went against both those truisms.

An executive with another major league team speculated that Dombrowski's tactics may have had two motives.

First, if Ramirez clears waivers and signs on with another team -- a virtual certainty, since that team will owe Ramirez less than $400,000 for the remainder of this season and be free of his problematic vesting option for 2019 -- and proceeds to go off at the plate, Dombrowski doesn't have to take ownership of the move. It will be remembered as a mistaken evaluation on Cora's part.

Secondly, the executive theorized that by placing Cora at the center of the decision, Dombrowski could possibly be maneuvering to protect himself and the organization in the event of a grievance down the road on the part of Ramirez. Should Ramirez and the Players Association argue that the Red Sox DFA'd him to ensure that he wouldn't vest his $22 million option for next season - he was about 40 percent toward his necessary 497 plate appearances -- the Sox can point to Cora's input as proof that this was a baseball decision and not one dictated at upper management or ownership with the eye toward saving money.

(Toward that end, Dombrowski was quick to note in his opening remarks that the move was "a baseball-related move.'' Later, when I asked him about the potential awkwardness of monitoring Ramirez's playing time later this season if he had remained, Dombrowski vowed that the option "had nothing to do with this.'')

For his part, Cora appreciated the opportunity to provide his input and change Dombrowski's mind.

"For (Dombrowski) to give me the freedom to talk about situations and let me voice my opinion about baseball, about how I feel, I think that's the reason they hired me,'' said Cora. "He feels that I have a good feeling about what's going on, not only with us but around the league and how the game is going. I thank him for trusting me. I guess that's the reason I'm here.''

Cora had been striving to find additional playing time for Mitch Moreland, and Ramirez's presence made that difficult. It was also clear that Cora didn't relish having Ramirez around in a diminished capacity -- unhappy over his reduced role, all the while knowing that his chance of accumulating the necessary plate appearances to vest his option was effectively gone.

"His role was going to diminish,'' said Cora of Ramirez, "and for how good of a player he is, it was going to be difficult (for him to accept). To probably platoon, maybe come in and pinch-hit late in games, that's not the perfect role for Hanley Ramirez. He's a guy who needs his at-bats.''

While Cora measured his words carefully about dealing with Ramirez in a part-time role, Dombrowski was a little more forthright.

"We really didn't think he'd handle that other (reduced) role, maybe as much as others would,'' he said. "We don't think he'd be happy in that type of role.''

Now, the Red Sox wait a week and see where Ramirez ends up for the rest of this season. And if he again becomes the kind of hitter he was in the first month of the season and the Sox discover they miss his run production and, in particular, his ability to hit lefties or his habit of performing well in the post-season? That's now on Cora, and not Dombrowski.

"That,'' remarked one baseball person wryly, "is how you survive for 40 years in this game.''