Larry Lucchino

Red Sox president/CEO Larry Lucchino talked to the Dennis & Callahan show Wednesday morning, and with the trade deadline fast approaching, one of the biggest topics of conversation was the Red Sox off-the-field plans as they gear up for the final stretch. Lucchino was quick to dismiss any notion that the team will not pursue top trade targets despite recent reports that it has gone above the luxury-tax threshold.

“We are at the bottom end of the tax threshold. We’re not at the highest tax rate. We’re at the lowest tax rate,” Lucchino said. “But [the idea that we'd spend less] is just not true. I’m telling you. I know what our financial plans are, and that is not true. We have money set aside to acquire talent if we can find it, but having said that this is not a promise or a prediction that a trade will happen. We’re not going to do something just to keep our record alive by making deals on July 31.”

Lucchino was also quick to back the Red Sox training and medical staff, which has come under fire given the team’s recent run of injuries and especially after Jacoby Ellsbury expressed that he was misdiagnosed.

“We have a world-class medical staff. That’s not to say that they are perfect in all situations and can foresee the future in all situations. We are extremely proud of the medical staff we have from Mass General and our orthopedists, our internalists, our specialists. We are proud of them, and they do a fine, professional job so let’s dispense with that. We made a change when we got here a year or two into our ownership, and that’s one of the desirable ones.”

What follows are some more highlights from the interview. To hear the interview in its entirety, go to the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page.

Will the news about you guys being above the luxury tax affect how the moves you’ll make before July 31?

We are at the bottom end of the tax threshold. We’re not at the highest tax rate. We’re at the lowest tax rate. But that’s just not true. I’m telling you. I know what our financial plans are, and that is not true. We have money set aside to acquire talent if we can find it, but having said that this is not a promise or a prediction that a trade will happen. We’re not going to do something just to keep our record alive by making deals on July 31.  It’s got to be a deal that makes sense. Theo [Epstein] parts with prospects less willingly than he would part with his first-born.

Is it fair to say that you guys are not in the market for a front-line starter?

I don’t think that’s our highest priority, but I think we will take help where we can get it. I think that bullpen help is important. Catching help could be useful. There are plenty of things we can look at. Once again, I don’t want to raise expectations. There are plenty of teams still in the hunt this year, 17 or 18 teams still think they are within a shot of getting to the postseason. There aren’t as many willing sellers as there often are. So I don’t know what’s going to happen. But the notion that we aren’t going to pull the trigger because we are afraid of taxes is just not accurate. We are committed to winning.

Did Jacoby Ellsbury’s comments seem out of place, and is there a problem with the team’s medical staff right now?

Well, I’ll start with B first. We have a world-class medical staff. That’s not to say that they are perfect in all situations and can foresee the future in all situations. We are extremely proud of the medical staff we have from Mass General and our orthopedists, our internalists, our specialists. We are proud of them, and they do a fine, professional job so let’s dispense with that. We made a change when we got here a year or two into our ownership, and that’s one of the desirable ones.

As far as Jacoby, I didn’t have a strong reaction to that. I thought the picture was becoming bigger than the frame here. The world at large was making too big a deal of this. I think Jacoby had something he wanted to get off his back. I think that was fine that he did. Let’s move on. It was not something that had a powerful and lasting effect on me frankly.

In general, what are your thoughts on the passing of George Steinbrenner, and specifically was he good for Major League Baseball?

George and I crossed swords a number of times, but he brought a certain notoriety and intensity and competitiveness to the Yankees, and I think as a result of that, it’s had a powerful impact on the game. No doubt about that. He suffered in recent years so it’s been a while since I’ve seen him or talked to him, but I think his sons will carry on his legacy and operate the Yankees with the same kind of intensity and competitiveness that George brought to the game.

No one would argue his competitive impact, but was the way he did business good for the game?

There’s so many different approaches on how to do that job that he had, and I think in many ways it was good for the game and in many ways it was not. There’s no simple answer to that question. He did a lot to bring the Yankees back to the forefront of the sport, which is always good. I think to have strong teams like the Yankees and the Red Sox performing well is important for the game and good for the game.

He was a controversial guy. He did some things that baseball went after him for so it’s not a typical question to answer. I’d prefer at this time given his recent passing to focus on the positive things he did for the New York Yankees. My partner John Henry predicted there would be a place in the Hall of Fame for George Steinbrenner so I think you can read from that that he had a powerful impact on the game.