John Farrell to manage Boston Red Sox – MLB News
Boston Red Sox’s search for a manager that began almost a year ago finally came to an end as they hired John Farrell for the position on Saturday. Farrell has worked with the Red Sox before. He was the pitching coach from 2006 to 2010 before he decided to
move to Toronto.
Red Sox wanted to hire Farrell in October last year as well but the attempt was refused following Blue Jays’ request for pitcher Clay Buchholz. On December 1, the Red Sox eventually hired Bobby Valentine, who was fired after they ended the season with a
poor 69-73 record, the club’s worst performance in nearly 50 years.
Farrell is an extremely experienced professional. He worked in Toronto for two years, compiling a decent 154-170 record. The Blue Jays finished the season four games ahead of the Red Sox on American League East Division standings table.
The two teams are still having compensation discussions. A source confirmed the Red Sox will send infielder Mike Aviles to Toronto to complete the deal. Major League Baseball rules say the Red Sox will also get a player from Toronto to make the transaction
official. It is likely the Blue Jays will send a Minor League player to the Red Sox.
The teams are preparing to make announcements according to a baseball official who has knowledge of the deal. A three year deal to replace Bobby Valentine is expected to be announced on Sunday morning, the official further added.
The Red Sox started their search for a manager right after the regular season ended. Four other candidates for the opening included Baltimore Orioles’ third base coach DeMarlo Hale, San Diego Padres' coaching assistant Brad Ausmus, New York Yankees’ bench
coach Tony Pena and Los Angeles Dodgers’ third base coach Tim Wallach.
All coaches presented strong cases except Ausmus who had no managerial experience on his CV beyond some work he did for baseball Israel. Farrell was preferred over the others as he is familiar with the organisation’s culture more than anybody else.
It will be interesting to see if Farrell can deliver the goods on a regular basis in the next season to cheer up the disappointed Red Sox’s fans.
Tags: