Dombrowski holds firm on closer plans

FORT MYERS -- Like it or hate it, the Red Sox’ decision to not spend big on a free agent closer makes sense.

They need to watch their wallet somewhere if they’re going to be able to lock up their young stars, have a chance at retaining some of their older ones and still have an eye on the future beyond two or three years.

Adding a longterm deal, even for the best reliever in free agency, does not make that plan any easier.

But what if the market never develops for Craig Kimbrel and he would be open to returning on a one-year deal (even though he rejected the Sox’ one-year qualifying offer of $17.9 million in November)? It seems like a longshot Kimbrel would go for that, but would the Red Sox be open to spending big for a closer if it’s just a one-year deal?

“I don’t think we’re going to have a big expenditure at closer,” said Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who has been echoing that statement all offseason and stuck to it as camp officially opened at JetBlue Park yesterday.

Even for a one-year deal, “my statement would really be the same,” Dombrowski said.

Rarely one to say things just for the sake of saying them, Dombrowski has been pretty convincing that the Red Sox are moving on.

Asked where he expects the closer to come from, he said, “somebody internally.”

“Of course, we’ll still keep an eye on what’s taking place outside the camp, but we think our answers come from within,” Dombrowski said.

It sounds like manager Alex Cora already has somebody in mind for the job.

“I have a pretty good idea where we’re going to go,” Cora said. “We still have to go through the meetings and let them know what the plan is. Everybody is going to be on board. We used different guys in different places last year until the ninth inning, obviously. But we get creative.”

Chris Sale, a free agent at the end of the season, said he found it outrageous that Kimbrel was still on the market.

“It’s crazy to me,” Sale said. “I don’t want to get too far into it with the politics of baseball and all this stuff, but he’s as good as it gets. He 100 percent makes any team better that he plays for. It’s crazy to think that there really hasn’t been a whole lot of traction with him.”

Storm coming

Dustin Pedroia is expected to arrive in camp before the end of the week, and the expectation is that the 35year-old will have a chip on his shoulder.

“One thing with Pedey, and I told him a month ago, just relax, show up here and if you’re going to shock the world, do it here in spring training,” Cora said.

After playing in just two games last year while recovering from invasive knee surgery, Pedroia will have to show what he can do on the field.

“He’s been going through his progression. He’s been taking grounders, he’s swinging, he’s running, now it’s about workload and how we’re going to manage that here. But it’s not as easy as it looks because we have to know if he can play.”

Minor comeback

Carson Smith hasn’t thrown a baseball since May 14, when he departed a game against the Oakland A’s after giving up a solo home run to Khris Davis and threw his glove against the dugout wall, causing his shoulder to pop out of place.

Season-ending surgery resulted in the Red Sox removing the potent righthander from their roster, but he’s back on a minor league deal this spring.

Smith is hoping to start throwing again next week. The recovery time on his surgery, which he had last May, was 12 to 18 months.

“I just want to be back in the big leagues (this year),” he said. “I know some will say that will be a tough goal to achieve the first year. I’m hoping it’s closer to 12 months and I’m hoping back to the pitcher I was sooner than later.”