Rival Executive Takes Shot at Philadelphia Phillies Boss

After making a prospect-rich deal to land an impact reliever, one rival executive is using that as a way to take a shot at the Philadelphia Phillies boss.

Apr 15, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski watches batting practice before the game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park / Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies were expected to be aggressive ahead of the trade deadline as they searched for roster upgrades that would help them win the World Series.

While they accomplished those goals by adding past All-Star outfielder Austin Hays and one of the best relievers on the market in Carlos Estevez, those moves weren't exactly what people around the league expected from Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

Hays is a solid player, but he wasn't the dream target that many fans were hoping the front office would land.

But by only giving up two struggling players in Seranthony Dominguez and Cristian Pache to get this done, that allowed Dombrowski to hold onto assets he could use to get an impact relief arm like Estevez.

Acquiring the star closer resulted in Philadelphia shipping out two of their Top 10 prospects per Baseball America, something that not only indicated the market was robust for bullpen pieces, but also how much the front office wanted to get that deal done.

Because of that, one rival executive used this as an opportunity to take a shot at Dombrowski.

"Every seller in America wants to deal with Dave," the unnamed exec told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Dombrowski's reputation certainly proceeds itself when it comes to his actions around the deadline when he has a team he thinks he can win the World Series. Past actions have seen him treat prospects with a lack of regard, bordering on reckless, so that he can bring in impact Major League pieces to help his franchise win in the short term.

It's hard to win in professional baseball, so when the opportunity presents itself to go out and chase a championship, many teams and fans are willing to sacrifice the long-term plan so they can celebrate a World Series victory.

Still, the deal to land Estevez is likely to be the heftiest price given up by a contender to land a bullpen arm, again pointing to just how aggressive Dombrowski can be ahead of the deadline.

Ultimately it won't matter if the Phillies are able to lift the trophy at the end of the year.