Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
The Red Sox [team stats] will have an answer shortly on John Farrell. Not might or could or should. They will.
Why? Because logically it is the only sensible outcome for all parties involved.
[...]
These will be tricky waters to navigate from a Blue Jays perspective, because while recent reports have hinted at a growing divide between Farrell and general manager Alex Anthopoulos, Toronto has far more to lose than the Red Sox.
If the Jays let Farrell leave and he rights the ship in Boston, Anthopoulos and Co. will have to answer why they helped a reeling division rival crawl out of last place.
But if the Jays aren’t convinced Farrell is the long-term answer in the dugout, then this is a golden opportunity not just to replace him, but to get something of value for him, too. That gives the Jays incentive to act.
Herald - John Farrell soap opera coming to end
This managerial search is boring me already. As Ben wrote yesterday, its de ja vu all over again -- same storylines, thoughts and concerns as we had last offseason. Yawn.
Although, this morning, Tomase brought to light an angle of the story I hadn't really put much thought into: Toronto's motivation to move fast. If the Blue Jays aren't married to Farrell (and if you look at their record under his watch, why would they be) this is the perfect opportunity for them to let him go. It's the same scenario as a team moving a player they have no intention of re-signing in the last year of his contract: so they can get something of value in return, instead of just letting them walk. Smart move by Toronto, assuming this is true.
But now that Toronto has entered talks with Boston, they can't let it drag on. Granted, we have no idea if the Blue Jays are serious about moving Farrell, or just entering talks hoping to pry someone like Buchholz from Boston, but if they do want to make a move they'll want to do it quickly so they can begin their own managerial search. Dump Farrell, get whatever compensation, deal with a bit of public backlash for handing a division rival their manager, and then bring in a new manager to change the conversation.
The Sox may have had the upperhand here, had they not been drooling over Farrell for the past 12 months.
Maybe it's because I'm bored with him, or maybe because I've looked a little deeper into the job he's done with the Jays, but I no longer want Farrell to manage the Sox. I'd absolutely love for him to be their pitching coach, but not manager. I'm leaning towards Ausmus now, because I think he would bring a completely different attitude and approach to managing that may resonate with the club.
While he'll have some growing pains, the roster will too. Going through that together may be what the franchise needs.
Rest of the links:
Herald - Count Andy Pettitte as Brad Ausmus fan | Yankees crash | Globe -Red Sox, Blue Jays discussing John Farrell | Red Sox interview Brad Ausmus for manager’s job | WEEI -Lamont: Sox 'less chaotic' if he'd been hired | CSNNE - McAdam: Welcome to rock bottom, Yankees | Unclear what Jays would want from Sox for Farrell | Wakeup Call: Not so fast on trading A-Rod
