What the Phillies hiring Dave Dombrowski means for the Yankees
Over the weekend, the Philadelphia Phillies officially announced Dave Dombrowski as their President of Baseball Operations. This will be Dombrowski's sixth time calling the shots for an MLB ball club. With his long history in the sport, let's examine Dombrowski's trade history with the New York Yankees.
Expos and Marlins
Dombrowski led Montreal from 1988 to 1991 and the Marlins from 1993 to 2001. With the Expos, he only had one somewhat noteworthy trade that saw the Yankees swap Mike Blowers for John Candelaria. However, in 1998 Brian Cashman stepped in as the Yankees General Manager and that year the two executives would execute their first major trade.
After Scott Brosius' MVP heroics in the '98 World Series, the Yankees were set at third base. Looking to bolster their pitching staff, the team set their sights on 1996 first round picks Todd Noel, Mark Johnson and Ed Yarnell. With third base set, the Yankees shipped Mike Lowell to Miami in exchange for the pitching trio. Unfortunately for the Yankees, all three pitchers flopped. Making things even worse, Mike Lowell would be a major thorn in the Yankees' side during the 2003 World Series and later as a member of the Red Sox.
Detroit and Boston
In late 2001, Dombrowski took the head job with the Detroit Tigers and one of his first major trades would be with the Yankees. In July of 2002, he sent Jeff Weaver to the Bronx in a trade that also saw the Yankees ship Ted Lilly to Oakland. Both Weaver and Lilly would struggle in their new homes while the Tigers also picked up Jeremy Bonderman and Carlos Peña. The two teams were quiet until 2008 as the Yankees pushed for a postseason berth. Looking to bolster their lineup, the Yankees sent Kyle Farnsworth to Detroit in exchange for Hall of Famer Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez.
2009 saw a major three team blockbuster. The Yankees added Curtis Granderson while sending Phil Coke and top prospect Austin Jackson to Detroit. Meanwhile, the Tigers received Edwin Jackson to Arizona while gaining pitchers Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth (son of Mark). Granderson would have four solid seasons in the Bronx and remains a fan favorite.
In 2014, the Yankees and Tigers would be apart of another franchise altering, three-team trade including Arizona. This time, the Tigers sent Robbie Ray to Arizona and picked up Shane Greene from the Bronx. Arizona traded Didi Gregorius to the Yankees. All three teams made out fairly well in this trade; Didi was immensely popular with the Yankees.
After his stop in Detroit, Dombrowski headed to Boston where predictably no trades were conducted between the two franchises.
Future Trade Partners
Since the Yankees hired Brian Cashman, the Yankees have conducted quite a few trades with Dave Dombrowski. With Dombrowski out of the American League East and with a former Yankees manager, I won't be surprised if the two sides develop as potential trade partners. Maybe Philly will need to replace JT Realmuto at catcher, and it's worth pointing out that Gary had his best years under Girardi.
With his frequent big-contract signings and blockbuster trades, baseball is certainly more interesting with Dombrowski involved. Now, only time will tell if the Yankees and Dombrowski will continue to trade.