The Boston Red Sox just handed former Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Alec Gamboa a minor league split deal with a spring training invite and a built-in $925,000 carrot if he reaches the majors.
On its face? Totally normal, harmless depth move for a team trying to climb out of AL East purgatory. But dig a little deeper, and perhaps this is yet another team trying to siphon off Dodger pitching DNA. And a familiar one too in the Red Sox.
Look, no one is here to pretend that Gamboa was some crown-jewel pitching prospect who got away.