Boston Red Sox ownership and departing general manager Ben Cherington have conflicting stories regarding the timeline of the Dave Dombrowski hire.

Cherington said he did not learn of Boston's plans to hire David Dombrowski as president of baseball operations until this past Saturday, but ownership insists he knew before then.

"I was surprised," Cherington said. "I tried to make it clear to John that I wanted to be a participant in that [hiring] process and help him in any way I could to find the right solution for the Red Sox. I felt as long as I was a participant in that process that I needed to be prepared for what that solution might look like, even if it meant a change with me. I told him that.

"It just so happened that what I was told on Saturday just hadn't been part of that conversation. The first I heard of any pursuit of David was Saturday."

In his telling, John Henry cited a specific date when he first informed Cherington of his interest in Dombrowski.

"On Aug. 4, when the Tigers announced a shakeup of Dave leaving, I spoke to Tom and Ben about having a conversation with Dave," Henry said. "Tom and I wanted to see if there was a fit for Dave within the Red Sox organization. Ben did not object. Would our philosophies coincide in the present day?"

Cherington said he and Henry had spoken frequently in recent weeks about how best to address the Sox's ills, and valued those conversations.

"Up until Saturday, all I was thinking about was trying to find solutions for the Red Sox," Cherington said. "It appeared to me that the decision that John and Tom were making, which I respect -- I wasn't part of that conversation in a way I felt I could be all-in and helping it work. That's really what it came down to."