BOSTON — When the Red Sox were putting their team together last offseason, filling important holes in the roster and spending as they hadn’t in years, at no point did they say: “With a little luck, maybe we can be a .500 team.”

Red Sox rookie Hunter Dobbins made news earlier this month when he said he hated the Yankees so much that he would retire if his only other choice was to play for them. At this point the Yankees would welcome that. They’ve seen enough of the 25-year-old righthander.

The Boston Red Sox announced a trade with the Cincinnati Reds, sending pitcher Brian Van Belle to the Reds for cash.