Dave Dombrowski: Noah Song Is A Gamble

Dave Dombrowski: Noah Song Is A Gamble

Noah Song finally got cleared from his duty at the Navy and is allowed to now resume baseball activities. Just in time for the former Red Sox draft pick to never play for Boston and pitch for the Phillies! Dave Dombrowski made a savvy move picking Song in the Rule 5 Draft. Now we get to find out if trader Dave’s move pans out.

VIA Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer:

“The reality is it’s a gamble,” Dombroski said of taking Song from the Red Sox in November’s Rule 5 draft. “That’s what it is. I do not know when he picks up a ball and he starts throwing off the mound and puts something into it, once his arm is in good enough shape, I don’t know if he’s going throw 85 or 95. But we think it’s worth the risk.”

“top-of-the-rotation type pitcher” or a “star major leaguer,” the type of player that’s not usually available in the draft. “For us, the [Rule 5] draft price is $100,000, and if we return him [to the Red Sox], it’s $50,000, so that’s not much of a risk, financially,” Dombrowski said. “He’s not counted on our roster, so we haven’t even lost a player to put him on the 40-man roster. We thought it was worth the gamble with the high upside that he could bring.”

Dombrowski obviously has great familiarity with Song considering that he was with the Red Sox. Dombrowski was the head honcho in Boston when Song was originally drafted. It’s a move that absolutely makes sense. The Phillies can stash Song as a long reliever. After this season if Song needs more seasoning, they will have the option to send him back down to the minors in 2024. Either way, Spring Training will prove to be a huge indicator if he’s able to stick on this Phillies roster for the entire 2023 MLB Season.