Boston Red Sox hire Dave Dombrowski

The most coveted free agent among baseball executives did not need to wait until the off-season to find a new job.

The Boston Red Sox announced Tuesday night that they had hired Dave Dombrowski as president of baseball operations. The Red Sox also announced that Ben Cherington had turned down the chance to continue as general manager, no surprise given that the team essentially had handed decision-making power from Cherington to Dombrowski.

The Detroit Tigers let Dombrowski go two weeks ago, after 14 seasons that included five playoff appearances and two World Series trips. Dombrowski had been linked to potential front-office openings, most notably in Toronto and Seattle. The Angels are looking for a general manager but had not been considered serious players for Dombrowski.

“Although I did have other potential options within baseball,” Dombrowski said in a statement, “there was no option that stood out as clearly as the chance to come to Boston and win with the Red Sox. Boston is a baseball city like no other and its history and traditions are unique in our game.”

John Henry, the principal owner of the Red Sox, previously employed Dombrowski as general manager from 1999-2001, when Henry owned the Florida Marlins.

Cherington, promoted to general manager when Theo Epstein left for the Chicago Cubs after the 2011 season, assembled Boston’s 2013 World Series champions. But the Red Sox finished in last place in Cherington’s other two full seasons in charge. They are in last place again this season, in pace for Boston’s first back-to-back last-place finishes since 1929-30.

Jerry Dipoto, who resigned as the Angels’ general manager in July, was hired by the Red Sox last week as a consultant for the remainder of this season.