But they're probably more concerned with getting under the threshold than restocking the farm right now, don't you think? Buchholz seems like the clear man to trade, unless someone really blows you away with an offer on Pomeranz.I'm guessing that Seattle will consider Kyle Lewis a non-starter. He's their top prospect and really the only one they have that's great. That said, I'd be interested in something like Edwin Diaz and Tyler O'Neill+ for Pomeranz. Of course, if the Red Sox are going to trade Pomeranz for a reliever, they might be inclined to just move Pomeranz to the pen and move on.
I don't see Dombrowski as the type to get caught up in sunk cost and at this point, Anderson Espinoza is sunk cost, so use Pomeranz in whatever way best helps the club, whether that be moving to the pen or as a trade chip. With Sale, Price and Eduardo on the roster, he's probably the 4th lefty on the depth chart, so unless they want to burn an option on Eduardo, Pomeranz is probably the first one out of the rotation.
I'm thinking the best use of him as a resource is as a trade chip. Seattle might not be the best offer they can get, considering how thin their farm is, but there are probably a few teams out there with better farm systems that would be interested. He represents a nice opportunity to replenish that minor league depth a little. Much more so than Buchholz at least.
Kyle Lewis, exciting as he is, is still a lower ranked prospect than Espinoza, and he's in the middle of rehabbing a knee injury that could be catastrophic to his career in the outfield. That's a serious gamble to take for a proven starter with all star upside. I get that the Mariners' system is pretty thin and the optics of losing him would be bad for them, but I don't think a conversation about Pomeranz starts without him in the deal.