Buchholz era ends in trade for Phils prospect

The inevitable occurred Tuesday morning when the Red Sox dealt right-hander Clay Buchholz to the Phillies for Minor League second baseman Josh Tobias.

After the Red Sox acquired Chris Sale on Dec. 6, Buchholz, 32, looked like he might be the odd man out in a deep Boston rotation that also includes Rick Porcello, David Price, Steven Wright, Drew Pomeranz and Eduardo Rodriguez.

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Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said other clubs had “interest in basically all” of the members of the rotation, but “I think for us, when it came down to it and we looked at all the scenarios, the deal that made the most sense was dealing Clay.

“It was really our choice to really pursue this one more than some of the other guys.”

The Red Sox had picked up Buchholz’s $13.5 million option for the 2017 season, after which he will become a free agent.

According to Dombrowski, the Red Sox’s salary cap calculations indicate they do not have to do any maneuvering to avoid exceeding the limit.

“In fact, we have some flexibility to do things that we want to,” he said. “But again, it’s not a driving force.”

Dombrowski noted that Tuesday’s trade “was not made to create the flexibility to go and pursue other …

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