Dombrowski doesn’t plan to ‘blow up’ Red Sox

BOSTON— New Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski thought enough of the team to pick Boston over other suitors.

Now he’s going to spend the next six weeks trying to figure out what’s worth keeping — in the front office, on the field and in the minor leagues.

“I’m not here to blow up the organization,” Dombrowski said at a Fenway Park news conference on Wednesday. “They have a lot of good people here.”

Speaking to reporters a day after a mid-game shakeup that left general manager Ben Cherington on the outs, Dombrowski said he would be hiring a new general manager but was in no rush. He did not discuss the future of manager John Farrell, who is on leave from the team after being diagnosed with what he said is a treatable form of cancer.

Dombrowski said he spoke to Farrell on Tuesday night — after he underwent his first chemotherapy session — but just told him they would meet after the manager was healthy again. In Farrell’s absence, bench coach Torey Lovullo is managing the team, which won Wednesday night and now has a 54-66 record, 13.5 games behind the rival New York Yankees in the AL East. Red Sox owner John Henry began the news conference with a statement that acknowledged the team’s failures in finishing in last place two of the past three seasons.

“As owners, we’re all responsible for the poor results we’ve had and for results going forward,” Henry said. “Dave Dombrowski is an architect of team-building the right way. For almost three decades now, he’s earned the respect of almost everyone in the game.” Named general manager of the Montreal Expos at the age of 32, Dombrowski won the1997 World Series with the Florida Marlins and led the Detroit Tigers to the Series twice. But he was let go on Aug. 8 with Detroit languishing below .500.

Until Dombrowski was hired, the top Red Sox brass — including the new president — hoped that Cherington would stay, they said.

Cherington declined and, on Tuesday night, it was announced that he would be leaving after sticking around to help with the transition.

“We think the world of Ben,” chairman Tom Werner said. “We are disappointed but respectful of his decision.”