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Red Sox hire John Farrell as manager, send Mike Aviles to the Blue Jays 10.20.12 at 11:45 pm ET
By Alex Speier

John Farrell has agreed to a deal to be Red Sox manager through 2015. (AP)

According to an industry source, the Red Sox have hired John Farrell as their manager. The team has agreed to hire him on a three-year deal that runs through 2015.

Details of the compensation that the Blue Jays will receive for releasing Farrell from his contract as the Toronto manager have not been confirmed by parties directly involved in the trade. However, an industry source has informed WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford that the Red Sox will send infielder Mike Aviles to the Blue Jays. The Red Sox will receive a player or cash in return, as Major League Baseball rules require that a trade involving one player moving to a team involve either cash or a player going to the other party to the trade.

The Red Sox interviewed four candidates — Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach, Yankees bench coach Tony Pena, Padres special assistant to the GM Brad Ausmus and Orioles third base coach DeMarlo Hale — over the last nine days. However, while the team was amidst its first-round interviews with those candidates, Red Sox officials contacted the Blue Jays to discuss the acquisition cost of Farrell, who had a 154-170 record in his two years as Blue Jays manager, including a 73-89 mark this year.

Farrell spent four years as the pitching coach of the Red Sox from 2007-10. He now returns to an organization with which he has considerable familiarity and for which he has long been viewed as a top managerial candidate. Indeed, the Sox tried to hire Farrell away from the Blue Jays last year, and believed they were close to doing so until Toronto changed its club policy from one that permitted members of the organization to leave in the middle of contracts to one in which lateral moves were no longer permissible. When the Sox reached out to Toronto after the policy change, the Jays suggested that the cost of acquiring Farrell would be pitcher Clay Buchholz, which effectively terminated negotiations.

This year, however, the two teams found middle ground, at a time when the Sox were looking to replace Bobby Valentine after one year and after a challenging season in Toronto that featured what many in baseball described as a chilled relationship between Farrell and members of Toronto’s front office.

Aviles emerged somewhat unexpectedly as the everyday shortstop for the Red Sox for most of 2012. The 31-year-old hit .250 with a .282 OBP, .381 slugging mark, .663 OPS, 13 homers and 14 steals while playing 136 games. Most advanced defensive metrics also suggested that he was one of the top defensive shortstops in the majors last year.

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  • CatscratchFleaver

    Please send Salty…..

    Please send Salty…..

  • Stubbz2007

    Welcome back John, now please clean-up this mess. 

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_Q54USQJSUOS5YOL3FIOXWLDVQY S B

    Mark my words. The Red Sox have now assured that they will finish last or next to last again next year. Farrell had a losing record with Toronto and will do no better in Boston. How they could pass up any one of the other 4 that were interviewed is just beyond me.

  • Miguelabrego24

    thank u god now get bautista for aviles and doubraunt

  • Miguelabrego24

    thank u god now get bautista for aviles and doubraunt

  • jon46

    Aviles played hard. Still, we need upgrades at catcher, firstbase, shortstop, and one outfielder. But knowing how the new GM and ownership will be scared to sign free agents, I predict 75 wins next year.

  • Kylespence2011

    ^this guy has not a clue

  • Kylespence2011

    Hmmmm…strained relationship, encarnotion, and Bautista as the only hitters in the lineup, the pitching staff struggled and got hurt, 3/4 of their roster was triple-A players he had nothing to work with up there

  • nicko

    I don’t understand how you can let your manager go to a competitor in the AL east for what will be a utility infielder for the jays. 

  • Troy Aldrich

    BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I DO NOT WAN’T JF.

  • Troy Aldrich

    Very well said S B. Now watch the Jays nab Tony Pena or B A as manager. I Hate this Move.

  • Thomar4

    Farrell will do fine if they bring in Rick Peterson as pitching coach and of course a top arm, also like a Swisher and a Hunter.  Peterson is a guru.

  • Aircool

    Or starting second baseman? And Escobar gets traded and Hecchavaria plays Short?? Just Saying.

  • Aircool

    … Can One Be This Dumb?

  • Mrk

    Shut the fuuckup u pink hat moron

  • Brian

     Pena isn’t good and Ausmus is a complete unknown.  I’m not a big Farrell fan, but you literally have no idea how Ausmus will do, it’s pure wishcasting because you haven’t seen his faults, you’ve just read a few puff pieces.

  • Bielawski82

    Is it really that bad?  The he knows the system and the players like and respect him.  I think this is the move they had to make, now they can focus on using all that freed up revenue to rebuild the team a little.

  • Brian

    Hunter probably had the luckiest year in baseball this year and will be overpaid as a result.  No point in signing post prime old players at this point.  Hunter’s walk rate was way down, his K rate was way up, his ISO was down, and he had a BABIP of close to .400, just no.

  • Sdaly11

    way to go Ben. Now lets put together a theam that will respect their manager and red sox nation.  abndrsox

  • acrossalloceans

    I dont really think they have assured anything. Yes the other candidates were good choices but then again, they are unproven. That says nothing about if they can do the job or not, just the fact that they never have. Farrell comes to us a lot like Tito did, coming from a club who didnt do much in their time together. So you really never know. Sometimes teams and managers just click the right way and work out. So to say they have assured anything is completely absurd.

  • more days in last place

    we may not know how Asmus will do but we have a 2 year sample with Farrell and is wasnt good! let the dog and pony show continue, how many players are left from when he was here like six? it was time for a new direction and this organization blew it yet again.. How could they have destroyed this team so quickly?

  • Atgnat80

    nice name to unfortunately i think it is also true

  • Terry Francona

    Typical move by this regime. For years they get hung up on certain players without worrying if they will fit in on the team or be able to handle the scrutiny of Boston. Look at players like AGon, Julio Lugo, JD Drew, etc. Hell, they were going to handicap the franchise with ARod until MLB stepped in and vetoed the trade with Texas. They work with blinders on. They’re like children, when they see something new & shiny, they have to have it at all costs. And Farrell is the new ‘it’ item for them. They were hung up on him last offseason and this offseason. When last year didn’t work out they should’ve moved on, but they couldn’t. They were lovesick for Farrell. They couldn’t move past him and now they got what they asked for. I have a feeling that in 2-3 yrs, they’ll be hiring another perfect fit.

  • Blorf

     Ah, I believe that another manager who had a losing record came to Boston and did very well…..Terry Francona

  • Boring media hype

    Looks like they need yet another shortstop….this town just has trouble getting good shortstops and defensive backs….it’s a curse I tell ya!!!  :)

  • Boring media hype

    Ah…true dat!!!  Let’s see what happens but they need some players to make any headway.  The cupboard is mighty bare right now. 

  • Jorgelwolff

    What a bad move  once again , they just did the same thing they did last year , what i wrong with a Brad Asmus or a Tony Pena ,  just whatch there will be a manger and a GM firing in 2013

  • El Rey de Toronto

    As a Jays fan I’m happy to see Farrell and his terrible in game decision making and horrendous management of the bullpen go. Most overrated guy in the game. Thanks Boston, any of the choices you interviewed would have been better. You just allowed the Jays to avoid paying the 3rd year of Farrell’s contract when they fired him.

  • Motorcraft04

    they did get there comp they got adam lind in the deal

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Richard-Walsh/1050485483 John Richard Walsh

    Insane Red Sox go deeper into last place by dismantling Red Sox stars further getting rid of their shortstop Aviles for a failed Toronto manager Farrell. I am disgusted. No Iglesias for Shortstop. Now we need a C, 1B, SS, LF, CF, RF, DH. In other words Red Sox have destroyed their team and have given up being a contender. CF Ellsbury is still injured and unlikely to return to his 2011 form. No starting pitching since Aug 28, 2011, shaky bull pen, no power, no hitters and fans are asked to pay an average of $56 per ticket.  

  • Anonymous

    Does that mean that Ben is NOT in charge ?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Richard-Walsh/1050485483 John Richard Walsh

    Sounds like Red Sox for sale as there is no MLB team left. GM is clueless like Bay State voters.

  • Rodfromcranston

    Cheer up. The Sox likey will have  to also eat Adam Lind’s contract. A very low OBP strikeout king, who was sent to the minors last year, because he stunk.
    Great start, Ben! Meanwhile, the A’s get Chris Young from the DBacks for next to nothing.
    Young would have looked good in Fenway.

  • Ghost of Bobby V’s bloated ego

    Sure he can work with the pitching staff to remedy their problems, but I know that he cant make tasty and delicious wrap sandwiches as well as I can.  I did invent the wrap you know.
     

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