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.
Bringing to an end a quest that began a year ago, the Red Sox hired John Farrell to be their new manager, signing their former pitching coach to a multi-year deal.
The Sox, who first attempted to hire Farrell in October of 2011 only to be rebuffed by the Toronto Blue Jays' demand for pitcher Clay Buchholz.
After a drawn-out interview process, the Sox hired Bobby Valentine, whom they fired the day after the 2012 season following a 69-73 season, the worst record for a Red Sox team since 1965.
Farrell, 51, managed the Toronto Blue for the last two seasons, compiling a 154-170 record.
The two teams have yet to announce compensation for Farrell, though a source confirmed the Sox will send infielder Mike Aviles to the Jays to complete the deal. WEEI.com was first to report Aviles going to Toronto.
Also, as mandated by baseball rules, the Sox will get a player in return from Toronto, making the transaction an official deal, though the player the Sox get from the Jays is expected to be marginal.
CSNNE: Red Sox hire John Farrell as new manager
Wow, good morning all! Just like that, John Farrell is the new Red Sox manager. Screw all those guys that flew in from the west coast and in the middle of the ALCS, John Farrell was the one no matter what. All the other candidates were just decoys in a plan to fool Alex Anthropoulos. At least there is another manager position available for those decoys.
We can finally put this to rest and look toward getting the team going in the right direction. John Farrell is not the only answer to righting the ship, there is still A LOT more that has to be done.
With Aviles now gone, do the Red Sox just hand Jose Iglesias the starting job at short? Yes.The Red Sox must have been thrilled when they only had to give up Mike Aviles. The job was pretty much Iglesias' anyway, so it was a fantastic deal for the Sox.
The Jays were probably going to fire Farrell anyway, so why not get something for him before you get rid of him. Clay Buchholz didn't wow anyone in 2012, yet was the best pitcher of the Sox' rotation. That is nothing to brag about. The Jays were probably not high on him anymore, so Mike Aviles was the next best thing...I guess.
After finishing his two seasons with the Blue Jays at 154-170, is John Farrell the right guy? His record is not very convincing, but his ability to scare the shit out of the clubhouse was the obvious deciding factor.
We can all rest well now, the Red Sox got their man and are 2 months ahead of last year.
The rest of the links:
Herlad: Red Sox make deal for John Farrell | One-or-done territory for David Ortiz, Sox | Globe: Red Sox name John Farrell manager | WEEI: Red Sox hire John Farrell as manager, send Mike Aviles to the Blue Jays | ESPN Boston: Sox to hire Farrell, send Aviles to Jays | Providence Journal: Report: Red Sox hire Farrell
