BOCA RATON, Fla. — A few notes and observations from the General Manager Meetings:
■ When Dave Dombrowski said a bunch of nice things about Hanley Ramirez on Monday, it was hard not to remember all the nice things Ben Cherington said about Yoenis Cespedes 13 months ago before the Sox traded him to the Tigers.
The Sox should prepare for the possibility of Ramirez playing first base, but trading him would clearly be a better option. Two teams that could be fits: the Angels or Orioles.
■ There is a lot of trade interest in Jackie Bradley Jr. as more teams tilt toward defense. If the Red Sox determine they will play Mookie Betts in center field instead of Bradley, they should trade Bradley because he’ll have more value as a trade chip then he would wasting that glove in right field.
■ The Reds are open to trading anybody, as this piece from Joel Sherman explains. Cincinnati wants young position players and the Red Sox have those.
Here’s my question: The Red Sox have $9 million invested in Koji Uehara for 2016. Do they really need Aroldis Chapman at $13 million as well? Putting $22 million into two bullpen arms seems like a lot.
■ The Cardinals need pitching after the unexpected Tommy John surgery needed by Lance Lynn. How about Joe Kelly? The Sox could sell high on him while they have a chance.
■ There are 12 general managers in baseball who aren’t necessarily in charge of baseball operations. The Red Sox are among the teams who have a president of baseball operations and a GM.
It’s title inflation. Smart executives are a valuable asset for any organization. So team are adding layers of titles and handing out pay raises to keep their people.
Teams also are recognizing that the more evaluators they have, better decisions could be made.
■ Speaking of GMs, I asked Mike Hazen how his job would work under Dave Dombrowski. He said he would work largely out of Boston. Because Dombrowski makes it a habit of traveling with the major league team on the road, Hazen said he planned to spend time watching the minor league affiliates in person.
■ Christian Vazquez can’t catch a break. First he blows out his arm and then his winter league team folds and now he needs at-bats. The Red Sox can’t consider trading Blake Swihart — who would have a ton of value — given the uncertainty with Vazquez.
■ Xander Bogaerts, a finalist, did not win the Gold Glove at shortstop in the American League. Truth is, he did not deserve it. Kansas City’s Alcides Escobar was better. But the day is coming when Bogaerts will. He is sticking to the plan he has last winter and spending time at the EXOS training facility in Arizona to prepare for the season.
Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @peteabe.
