Until Theo Epstein's future is determined, the Sox will not start interviewing candidates to replace Terry Francona. (AP)

The search for the next Red Sox manager will need to wait for the decision about the Red Sox general manager.

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein, after 10 years in the organization and nine in his current role as general manager, is currently at a crossroads. The Cubs have requested permission to talk to him about a position in their organization.

The idea of being the man who not only ended an 86-year championship drought in Boston but also an even longer fallow period (103 years and counting) with the Cubs has undeniable appeal. At the same time, it is not a foregone conclusion that Epstein would leave Boston at this time, with a year remaining on his contract and coming off of two seasons without reaching the postseason, most recently as a result of an unfathomable 7-20 performance in September that cost the Sox a playoff berth on the season’s final day.

According to a major league source, the Sox — who are currently performing due diligence on potential managerial candidates to replace Terry Francona, who left Boston after eight years — will not bring in candidates to interview for the position until after the status of Epstein is resolved. Read the rest of this entry »

Kevin Youkilis

On the heels of the Red Sox’ September collapse and ensuing fallout, third baseman Kevin Youkilis checked in with WAAF’s Hill-Man Morning Show and talked about the controversy in the clubhouse that led to the departure of manager Terry Francona.

“It’s been a crazy month and a crazy five days,” Youkilis said. “I’m still in shock. I don’t think it’s really hit in a lot of ways, whether it be just the bad September, Tito resigning. It’s been wild. And the one thing is I think for a lot of the players is it won’t hit us until we walk through those doors in Fort Myers and realize that Terry’s no longer with us. The crazy thing is we’re all going to be walking into a different environment anyways with the new spring training [facility]. It’s going to be a weird couple of months, but I think hopefully this team will get the pieces together and be prepared for the 2012 season.”

Asked if he saw signs that Francona was having difficulty managing this team, Youkilis said: “I don’t know. It was hard to tell. We started out 2-10. Then we had the most unbelievable months ever where we were just winning like it was the easiest game possible. And then we had the month of September.

“I think the biggest thing in all this is the fact that the thing that is upsetting is there’s so much finger-pointing at this person and that person and this and that. But we’re failing to realize that we’re all at fault. I think everyone needs to understand that every single person on the team — everyone from the coaches to the general manager to the front office — we’re all at fault. We always go with the philosophy that we win as a team and we lose as a team. And we all lost. To sit around and blame this person and that person and try to figure out the answers, too much blame will go around. I think we all need to be accountable. We all were at fault.”

Added Youkilis: “Everyone wants to point fingers. And the finger-pointing is going to go beyond right now. It’s going to be huge, and deservedly so. It’s going to happen. When things like this happen in a town like this that is so passionate about their baseball, they want answers. And you know what? Sometimes there is no answer for it. And we can sit around and make up as much stories as we want and say it was this or that, this person did this. I know there’s a story out there that a source on the team — I hope all the players that want to say what they want to say about this year say, ‘Put my name on it.’ Don’t be a coward. Don’t be a guy that’s going to be ‘the source said.’ Put your name on it and say what you’ve got to say if you want to say it.”

Asked if he was referring to the reports of pitchers drinking beer in the clubhouse during games, Youkilis responded: “I’m talking about everything. If people are going to go talk to reporters, be a man. Put your name on it. Don’t go to this media source to try to get this going. Either players, front office, whoever, put your name on it. Be accountable.”

Following are more highlights from the conversation.

On Jackie MacMullan’s ESPN column last week criticizing Youkilis for negatively affecting the clubhouse chemistry: “Jackie MacMullan, I’ve always respected every time she comes in the clubhouse, which this year was maybe three times, that one really irked me. It really irked me for two things. One, she comes around three times a year, so she really doesn’t know what’s going on in that clubhouse. The funny thing was I read this article and it said that I brought up the Jacoby Ellsbury thing — which, this thing is getting more overplayed than anything I’ve every dealt with in my life.

“She came to me because she was writing a story about Jacoby. So, she asked me what happened last year, what transpired. And then I’m sitting down and I read this article, like, I didn’t even mention this.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Dave Martinez (left) is considered a hot managerial prospect after helping Joe Maddon turn the Rays into one of the top teams in the American League. (AP)

UPDATE: The Red Sox and Terry Francona have agreed to part ways with the team not picking up the two-year option on the manager’s contract.

While one might assume that Boston would look to hire a veteran major league manager with a background of success, John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino have hired one manager with no MLB experience (Grady Little, who was hired one year before Theo Epstein became GM) and another with a losing record (Francona). When Francona was hired, he was selected over Joe Maddon, who did not have any big league managerial experience at the time, while other candidates (DeMarlo Hale, Glenn Hoffman and Bud Black – the latter of whom declined to be interviewed) had never managed in the big leagues.

It is clear, then, that track record is not necessarily the most important thing to Boston’s front office.

Here are are some possible candidates to inherit the reins from Francona.

Dave Martinez — The bench coach for the Rays, Martinez played for nine MLB teams between 1986 and 2001. Considered one of the better defensive outfielders in the game during his career, Martinez was amongst the league leaders in assists and fielding percentage several times in his career. He was hired by Tampa Bay as bench coach in 2007.

DeMarlo Hale — As the Red Sox bench coach for the past two years, Hale would be the most logical in-house hire. Hale has managerial experience at the minor league level. He was named Minor League Manager of the Year by several publications in 1999 when he led the Double-A Trenton Thunder to a 92-50 record. Hale received interest from several MLB teams in the 2010 offseason as a possible managerial candidate.

Ryne Sandberg — A Hall of Famer, Sandberg is the manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate. Spending nearly his entire 16-year career with the Cubs, Sandberg posted a .989 career fielding percentage, first all-time among second basemen. He was a perennial All-Star and Gold Glove candidate.

After spending most of his minor league managerial career with the Cubs organization, Sandberg moved to the IronPigs in 2010 when he did not receive the Cubs’ managerial job following Lou Pinella’s retirement. He interviewed with the Red Sox for the job of manager at Triple-A Pawtucket last year, but accepted the Lehigh Valley job before the Sox had made a decision about a managerial post that went to Arnie Beyeler, who had spent the previous years managing in Double-A Portland.

Torey Lovullo — The first base coach of the Blue Jays, Lovullo spent time in the Red Sox organization as manager of Triple-A Pawtucket during the 2010 season. Lovullo has been interviewing for managing jobs since 2006, when the Dodgers considered him for their open manager spot. He was also a candidate for the Pirates’ job in 2007, but it went to John Russell.

Bobby Valentine — Perhaps the most high-profile candidate, Valentine is a baseball analyst for ESPN. Valentine, of course, would bring plenty of managerial experience. He managed the Rangers from 1985-92, then took over as manager for the Mets from 1996- 2002. Valentine led the Mets to the NLCS in 1999 before taking them to the World Series in 2000, when they lost to the Yankees in the Subway Series. After two subpar seasons, Valentine was fired in 2002. He went on to manage in Japan before landing at ESPN in 2009.

Tim Bogar — The third base coach for the Red Sox, Bogar should be able to make the transition to manager smoothly. Bogar has experience as manager in the minors. He was named Best Manager Prospect in the Eastern League in 2006. The Red Sox hired Bogar in 2008 as first base coach, and he moved to third in 2009.

John Gibbons — Gibbons was the manager of the Blue Jays from 2004-08. During his time in Toronto, Gibbons was known for his feuds with players such as Shea Hillenbrand and Frank Thomas. He was fired in the middle of the 2008 season. Gibbons was then hired for his current position as bench coach of the Royals in October of 2008. Gibbons does have a connection with the Boston area, as his mother is from Gloucester.

Adrian Gonzalez made his only big league outfield appearance as a member of the Rangers in 2005. (AP)

At first glance, the idea seems absurd. Adrian Gonzalez, in addition to being one of the best hitters in the majors, is a Gold Glove first baseman. Putting him in the outfield, in a vacuum, would be crazy.

But in the absence of a designated hitter in National League parks during the interleague schedule, the Sox face a conundrum. They must find a way to be creative with David Ortiz and Gonzalez or else lose one of their bats from the lineup. Given that they both rank in the top four in the AL in OPS, that outcome is anything but optimal. The choice for an individual game is challenging enough, yet there are also longer-term repercussions to consider, chiefly that the Sox will take a red-hot hitter and leave him on the bench long enough that he will turn cold by the time the stretch has concluded.

The options are few. Ortiz can’t play any position but first base. Gonzalez, on the other hand…

He’s done it before. Indeed, back in 2005 with the Rangers, Gonzalez was landlocked behind first baseman Mark Teixeira for playing time. He got some games as a DH against right-handed pitchers, but in the interests of securing more time, he volunteered to work out in right field. Gonzalez played one game there at the end of the year, and he had four chances. He misplayed a single for an error, but he caught the three fly balls in his direction. Still, the terrain was definitely foreign.

“We made the first out of the game,” Gonzalez recalled earlier this year. “I turned around to tell the outfielders [how many outs there were -- as he does when at first base]. It’s the stands. It was like, ‘Hey, guys, we got one down.’”

He would split his time between first base and right field in the Mexican Winter League after the season, but with his trade to the Padres that offseason, the situation was resolved. He has been a fixture at first base ever since. (For more on the history of Gonzalez in the outfield with the Rangers, click here.)

Interestingly, the coach who worked with Gonzalez in the outfield with Texas is now with the Red Sox. Sox bench coach DeMarlo Hale was the first base coach who hit fly balls to Gonzalez back in 2005. He noted that the challenge of getting both Ortiz and Gonzalez into the lineup echoes the challenge that the Rangers faced with Gonzalez and Teixeira.

“Same thing,” said Hale.

Based on what he’s seen in 2011, Hale believes that the 29-year-old can still handle the experiment in limited doses.

“I’m sure it’s an option that if need be, he’s the type of player that is comfortable playing the game of baseball. I don’t think it would be a major concern with him,” said Hale. “I think you have to approach it where defensive positioning would be one of the factors to address, between me and [first-base coach Ron Johnson], really getting into the tendencies of hitters. The good thing, the National League, he’s been there, so he’ll have a sense of comfort with the hitters, and we can remind him of things that will take place – the back baserunner. Those are the things that you can remind them, and in game situations, he’ll remain calm. It would come easier for him [than other players]. He plays the game calm enough that I don’t think he’ll panic. That’s the big thing. He won’t panic no matter what the situation is.”

Padres manager Bud Black was witness to Gonzalez as he won a pair of Gold Gloves at first. He saw attributes that he believes could translate into some spot duty in the outfield.

“I’ve seen it live. I saw it when he was with Texas and I was in Anaheim,” recalled Black, who was the pitching coach when Gonzalez made his lone big league appearance in the outfield. “He’s a good athlete. He’s got good hand-eye coordination. You’ve seen him catch fly balls here. He’s got good hands. Could I imagine it? Yeah. Would he have the range of Carl Crawford? No. [But] I can imagine it. I can imagine it.”

It’s certainly not an ideal situation. The Sox would be diminishing themselves defensively at two positions, both by having Gonzalez play the outfield and by having the defensively challenged Ortiz play first base.

Nonetheless, the offensive impact of keeping both in the lineup is such that the Sox will give a great deal of thought to the possibility. Especially given that the three parks that the Sox will visit — Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PNC Park in Pittsburgh and Minute Maid Park in Houston all feature limited plots of real estate in right field, something that plays into the fact that the Sox are willing to entertain the possibility.

“We’ve actually talked to him about that a little bit. I guess the best answer I can give you is we’ll see,” said Sox manager Terry Francona. “I’m glad he’s willing to do it. I think it’s admirable. I don’t want David to sit nine straight games – that bothers me. I guess the best thing I could tell you is we’ll see. Maybe a couple of times just to kind of get David where he doesn’t go 10 days without playing because that worries me. And Gonzi I know did it. I know he’s done it in winter ball. And there’s a few right fields on this trip that aren’t huge. We’ll see. That’s probably the best way I can say it. It’s got to work though.”

If it does, the Sox would be thrilled, since one of the chief drawbacks of their forthcoming nine-game trip through National League parks will be diminished.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — A quick glance at the lineup posted in the Red Sox clubhouse Sunday morning and you could draw the natural conclusion that it very well could mirror the one that will be in the visitors clubhouse on April 1 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas.

But Terry Francona said the lineup consisting of Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, J.D. Drew, Jason Varitek and Marco Scutaro wasn’t even his creation.

“We make them out three or four days ahead of time. DeMarlo [Hale] may have actually done it,” Francona said.

So, Sunday’s lineup against the Cardinals isn’t necessarily a sign that it’s going to be exactly the same on Opening Day?

“I don’t know,” Francona said. “Probably, no.”

One thing Francona did address is how important it will be to manage the speed at the top of the lineup with Ellsbury and Crawford likely to be somewhere in the top of the order to start the season and Dustin Pedroia in between.

While it might seem Francona would like to control when and how his speedsters run the bases, he realizes that he has to leave that up to the good judgment of his players.

“I don’t know if we really have to pick our spots,” Francona said Sunday. “What we care about is just not making outs. They’re going to get thrown out [stealing] and they’re going to get picked off. They have to but, again, they’re going to have the freedom to run.

“I’ve talked to Pedey because Pedey is going to be smack in the middle of those guys, I don’t want him to just sit there and take pitches, either. If Pedey is a little bit aggressive and they’re running, and Jacoby steals 65 instead of 70, what a weapon to have a guy that’s fast, a hole opening and a good hitter up. That’s a nice combination.”

Francona doesn’t want to hear about how a hitter is bothered by runners dancing off second base. That job is up to the hitter to communicate with his teammate.

“If you have a guy on second and it’s bugging the hitter, then they need to be still,” Francona said. “And that’s their responsibility to know each other. I get aggravated when somebody comes back in July and says [it's bothering me], you should have talked about that two months ago because we encourage guys to be aggressive, they’re fast. We also encourage them to communicate with each other.”

Multiple reports suggest that the Blue Jays have offered Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell the job of Toronto manager, with the two sides trying to work out contract details on Friday night. CSNNE.com first reported the news. One source familiar with the situation suggested that it would be surprising at this point if Farrell did not take over as Toronto manager.

Farrell has been the Boston pitching coach since 2007. Prior to that, he was the head of Player Development from 2001-06 for the Cleveland Indians.

His loss would be significant, as Farrell has received raves from Red Sox pitchers over his four seasons for his work to prepare the pitching staff and for his instruction. Under Farrell, the Sox have seen young pitchers Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz emerge from early-career struggles to achieve All-Star status, weathered the challenging transition of Daisuke Matsuzaka to the United States and managed a diverse array of personalities and pitcher types.

The Sox finished ninth in the American League in 2010 with a 4.59 ERA. In Farrell’s first three years as pitching coach, the team had finished first, fourth and seventh in that category.

While Farrell had a contract clause preventing him from interviewing for managerial vacancies in prior offseasons, that restriction was no longer in place this year. Given the chance to interview, Farrell apparently made a favorable impression on Toronto officials.

The Sox, according to a major league source, would likely evaluate both internal replacements as well as candidates from outside the organization if Farrell leaves. Earlier on Friday, MLB Network and NESN analyst Peter Gammons discussed the challenge facing the Sox in having to replace Farrell.

“I think the Red Sox know that it’s going to be really difficult, given the pitching staff, to replace John Farrell. There just isn’t anybody out there right now,” said Gammons. ”I don’t really think they know what direction they’re going in when John leaves. I think they’re worried about this. Very worried.”

The Blue Jays narrowed their manager search from a wide list. Earlier on Friday, according to reports, Red Sox bench coach DeMarlo Hale was informed that he was no longer in consideration for the job.

Hall of Fame reporter Peter Gammons of the MLB Network and NESN checked into The Big Show from Arlington, Texas, to discuss the playoffs, the forthcoming winter Cliff Lee sweepstakes and the likelihood that a Red Sox coach will be selected to be the next Blue Jays manager, with a decision likely being known as soon as tonight.

Gammons said that the Toronto front office is split between Red Sox bench coach DeMarlo Hale and pitching coach John Farrell, with GM Alex Anthopolous advocating Hale and assistant GM Tony LaCava and others backing Farrell. That said, Gammons suggested that the Red Sox are “very worried” about the possibility of losing Farrell, given the difficulty of replacing someone who does so much to manage such a diverse pitching staff.

“I had three people yesterday who are very close to a couple of Toronto people tell me that it was definitely going to be John Farrell. But I was told during the night that Alex, the general manager, told the Red Sox people that he still hasn’t made up his mind, that DeMarlo Hale really appeals to him. He leans towards DeMarlo Hale, and Tony LaCava and other people lean towards Farrell,” said Gammons. “I think you may know by tonight. I think that decision is supposed to be made and they’re supposed to let the Red Sox know by tonight whether it’s going to be DeMarlo or John.

“DeMarlo Hale is tremendous. I’m a huge fan, going back to when he set the record in the Eastern League for winning percentage in Trenton (in 1997) when he had David Eckstein and those guys. But I think the Red Sox know that it’s going to be really difficult, given the pitching staff, to replace John Farrell. There just isn’t anybody out there right now. … I don’t really think they know what direction they’re going in when John leaves. I think they’re worried about this. Very worried.”

For Gammons’ thoughts on why Cliff Lee might leave the Yankees empty-handed — both in the playoffs, and this offseason — as well as the Sox’ offseason, click here. To listen to the interview, check the Big Show Audio-on-Demand page.