In a radio interview on Thursday morning, team president Larry Lucchino said the Red Sox general manager has been "empowered" to execute a "bold" deal –– which in reality means a blockbuster trade.
The comments came on the heels of reports that the Marlins and Red Sox discussed possibly swapping Carl Crawford and Hanley Ramirez, a conversation that Lucchino confirmed occurred and that Miami initiated.
While Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine won't be pulling the trigger, he offered Cherington a vote of confidence.
"All I can tell you is that Ben works as hard, as much, as diligently as anybody I've ever been around," Valentine said. "If there's something he can do to improve our team, I'm sure he's going to do it. I don't know that there'll be one thing or many things or no things. But I'll guarantee you all avenues will be explored."
Cherington has already shown an aggressive approach in the trade market, orchestrating deals for Andrew Bailey, Mark Melancon, Marlon Byrd and Brent Lillibridge in his nine months on the job.
Although the last two players were ultimately designated for assignment, Cherington could pull off deals for starting pitching in the coming weeks. Either way, Valentine said he's happy with his current roster.
"I like my pitching, I like our offense, our defense," Valentine said. "If Ben feels that there's a way of improving on what we have, I'll be all for that, too. But I don't see any gaping holes on our team."
With a surplus of outfielders and relievers, the Red Sox have the trade chips to make a move.
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