Red Sox manage to hire Jays’ Farrell
The Red Sox reached back to better times on Saturday night and landed former pitching coach John Farrell to become manager, according to a report by Comcast SportsNet New England that was confirmed by several other media outlets.
Farrell was Boston’s pitching coach under then-manager Terry Francona from 2007 to 2010 and many within the organization envisioned that he would become manager whenever Francona left the position. But Farrell was offered and accepted a three-year contract to manage the Toronto Blue Jays before the 2011 season.
In three of the four seasons when Farrell was pitching coach, the Red Sox reached the postseason. They won the 2007 World Series.
The Red Sox are sending a player – reportedly Mike Aviles, this season’s starting shortstop – as compensation to the Jays and Toronto is shipping a player along with Farrell to Boston.
Boston explored the possibility of prying Farrell away from the Jays after the horrific 2011 meltdown that precipitated Francona’s firing last October, but couldn’t get him away from their AL East rival after Toronto showed promise by finishing 81-81. Boston instead went with Bobby Valentine, whose drama-filled season ended with the Red Sox in last place and him getting a pink slip. Valentine was dismissed even though he is due $2.5 million in 2013.
Toronto finished 73-89 this season under Farrell.
One Boston pitcher told the Daily News last month that he couldn’t envision that the issues Red Sox pitchers had at the end of 2011 and this past season could have materialized with Farrell in the clubhouse. In the final month of the 2011 season, the Red Sox spiraled and missed the playoffs, and afterward it was was revealed that members of the starting rotation who were not pitching on those days sometimes drank beer during games.
“He was an intimidating guy to a lot of us, a take-no-crap type,” the pitcher said of Farrell. “I was a little scared of him when I first got to the team. I learned a lot from him.”
The Red Sox interviewed four other candidates for the position: Yankees bench coach Tony Pena, Orioles third base coach DeMarlo Hale, Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus and Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach. But Farrell, whose adept handling of the pitching staff was missed the past two seasons, always was the club’s first choice.
Farrell reportedly agreed to a two-year deal. The final part of the negotiation was agreeing to compensation for the Jays.
As Valentine’s season with the Red Sox disintegrated, Farrell was asked on numerous occasions about the idea of returning to Boston. He deftly sidestepped questions because he was under contract with Toronto. But of his time with the Red Sox, he said in September, “Not only are they professional colleagues, on some level they became personal friends and we had success. We shared a lot of challenges along the way.”
FISH SHIP BELL OUT
Heath Bell became the latest player jettisoned by the Miami Marlins when he was dealt Saturday to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who also acquired infielder Cliff Pennington from the Oakland for outfielder Chris Young.
Arizona obtained Pennington and minor league infielder Yordy Cabrera from Oakland for Young and cash, then sent Cabrera to Miami for Bell. The Marlins will pay $8 million of the remaining $21 million Bell is owed.
Earlier in the day, Arizona exercised a $6.5 million option on closer J.J. Putz.
The 35-year-old Bell has 151 saves the past four seasons. He signed a $27 million, three-year contract with Miami last offseason but lost his closer’s job in July. He finished with 19 saves in 27 chances and a 5.09 ERA in 73 games. — AP