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 »

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.

Red Sox shortstop Marco Scutaro remained on the ground for a few moments after trying to slide around the tag of Angels catcher Mike Napoli on a play at the plate. On the play — in which Scutaro was waved in from second with one out on a sharp single to left by Kevin Youkilis, and got gunned down by a sizable margin at the plate — Scutaro said that he hit his right knee hard on the dirt, resulting in some swelling.

“I was trying to slide around and my knee got stuck,” he said.

Still, Scutaro said that he expected to be “fine” and did not anticipate any reason why he would not be available to play on Thursday.

Third base coach Tim Bogar’s decision to send Scutaro with one out on a ball that was sharply hit to left came under some scrutiny. Manager Terry Francona, however, insisted that Bogar made the right decision, noting that the shortstop appeared to bounce over the plate.

“I think Marco, he’s safe if he hits the plate. I don’t know that Bogey can run down. A guy bounces over the plate. I don’t know what to do about that. I don’t think he does either,” said Francona. “That’s just kind of bad luck. Marco is trying to evade and he ends up bouncing over. And again, I didn’t see the replay but that’s what it looked like. At the time it’s a big run. No, I thought it was a good decision.”

Kevin Youkilis was gunned down at the plate after a questionable decision by Red Sox third base coach Tim Bogar. (AP)

On a frigid night at Fenway Park, the Red Sox and Rays engaged in a compelling pitcher’s duel. Yet while Rays starter Wade Davis (5IP, 2H, 1R) and Sox counterpart Josh Beckett (7IP, 4H, 1R, 0ER) were both dominant, neither factored in the decision on a night when offense was in short supply.

Nor, for that matter, did anyone else. With the game tied, 1-1, entering the bottom of the ninth inning, home plate ump and crew chief Brian Gorman called out the tarps with the rains intensifying. Amidst miserable, rainy and cold conditions, the game was not resumed. Instead, the two sides will resume the contest on Saturday evening at 7:10 p.m., prior to the start of the scheduled 7:10 p.m. game between the two teams.

The Sox are scheduled to send David Ortiz, Adrian Beltre and Jeremy Hermida to the plate for the inning. Jonathan Papelbon is in the game for the Sox, while Lance Cormier was announced as having entered the game in the bottom of the ninth for the Rays, just before the tarps were spread on the field.

Ortiz is 1-for-7 in his career against Cormier, while Beltre is 1-for-4 and Hermida is 1-for-5. The Sox will have bench options available in Mike Lowell (3-for-10, 2 double), Victor Martinez (3-for-9) and potentially Mike Cameron (1-for-1) against the Rays right-hander, assuming that he is indeed asked to pitch when the game resumes.

Key Play

The game likely could have ended on Friday night but for the first visible lapse in judgment by new Red Sox third base coach Tim Bogar.

With Kevin Youkilis on first and no outs in the bottom of the sixth, and the game tied, 1-1, David Ortiz rifled a double down the right-field line. But the ball was handled cleanly by Rays right-fielder Ben Zobrist, who cleanly fired the ball back to second baseman Reid Brignac (possessor of a strong arm). Yet Bogar sent Youkilis, who was gunned down handily at the plate on a 9-4-2 relay.

The decision would have been perfectly understandable with two outs, but with none, it was a poor risk. Instead of having runners on second and third with no outs, the Sox had a runner on second with one down.

The threat quickly fizzled, as reliever Grant Balfour settled to get a ground out and strikeout to end the inning. In fact, three Rays relievers (Balfour, Randy Choate and Dan Wheeler) combined to retire the next eight Sox hitters prior to the delay.

What Went Right for the Red Sox

–Josh Beckett was exceptional in his third start of 2010. The right-hander featured a tremendous curveball and an array of fastballs (four-seam, two-seam, cutters) that left the Rays completely unbalanced. Beckett threw seven innings, allowing just one unearned run on four hits and one walk while striking out a season-high eight.

Beckett was on the familiar end of a hard-luck no-decision. Since the start of the 2001 season, there have been 15 occasions on which a Sox starter has gone at least seven innings without allowing an earned run while taking a no-decision. Beckett has three of those, tied with Derek Lowe for the most by a Red Sox in that span.

–With the Sox trailing, 1-0, in the bottom of the fifth, Jason Varitek golfed an 80 mph curveball for a leadoff homer to left against Rays starter Wade Davis. Varitek has now homered three times in his two games this year, marking the first time he’s gone deep in back-to-back games since he homered in three straight contests from Aug. 18-22, 2008.

–Not only did Mike Cameron not require an appendectomy, but he was able to fly back with the Red Sox to Boston on the team charter on Thursday after being diagnosed with a kidney stone. The stone was removed — in terribly painful fashion — on Friday morning, and the Sox were hopeful that their center fielder might be able to return to the lineup as soon as Saturday.

What Went Wrong for the Red Sox

–It started to get ugly for David Ortiz. The Red Sox slugger got booed after striking out in both his first and second plate appearances of the night. In the first, he had a 3-2 fastball down the middle that he fouled back before whiffing on a 95 mph fastball up and out of the zone. In the second, he fouled back a 95 mph fastball down the middle on a 3-1 count, then struck out on a 96 mph fastball on the outside corner.

He did, however, deliver a double down the right-field line against reliever Grant Balfour in the sixth. He now has doubles in each of his last three games.

That gave him greater offensive production than J.D. Drew, whose offensive woes deepened. Batting in the second spot in the order, he was 0-for-3 with a strikeout and walk. Dating to last Saturday, he is 0-for-14 with eight strikeouts (and three walks).

–In fairness to Ortiz and Drew, no one on the Red Sox was hitting. The Sox mustered just three hits, after all.

–The Red Sox defense struggled for the second straight game. Marco Scutaro kicked a two-out Carl Crawford grounder for his second error of the season. After Crawford stole second, Adrian Beltre lost a high chopper off the bat of Zobrist in the lights, kneeing the ball into center field for what was ruled a run-scoring single. On a night when the Sox were struggling for offense, a single unearned run changed the complexion of the game.

Jeremy Hermida likewise whiffed on a Reid Brignac pop-up to left that may have been wind-aided. It was ruled a double.

The net effect of those three plays was not merely to give the Rays an unearned run, but also to force Beckett to throw more pitches than would have been necessary. While Brignac ended up being doubled off of second on a liner, Beckett threw 13 pitches after Scutaro’s two-out misplay, likely resulting in one less inning of work for him.

–The Rays, as expected, ran wild on the Sox. Tampa Bay stole four bases in as many attempts, giving Sox opponents 16 steals in 17 tries this year. Had Crawford not stolen second after Scutaro’s two-out error in the third, he wouldn’t have been in position to score of Beltre’s muff on the next play.

The Rays have now been successful on 35 of their last 39 stolen base attempts against Boston, dating to the start of last year. The game reinforced the notion that the Sox’ defense behind the plate is a growing according to NESN analyst and Hall of Famer Peter Gammons during his Friday visit to the Big Show (transcript), is a growing concern.

“This is an issue,” said Gammons. “I don’t know if, unless [bullpen and catching instructor] Gary Tuck comes up with some miracle way of getting Victor more consistent, I don’t know if they can do this and have so many stolen bases against them. Which may require going out and finding another catcher or bringing up [Mark] Wagner or whatever they want to do.”

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The first days of spring training are usually defined by routine: the familiar sound of ball and bat, the placid sight of a bullpen session.

In that context, flash stands out. And thus it is that Jose Iglesias, in the first day of official Red Sox workouts on Saturday, dazzled.

Iglesias was signed by the Sox to a four-year, $8.25 million major league deal over the summer. While some teams were surprised that the price went that high, there was at least one team — the Cubs — that, according to multiple baseball sources, was willing to pay even more to acquire the 20-year-old, who instead decided to sign with a Boston organization that had been his favorite American team while growing up.

While one should never get carried away with the first sights of spring training — especially since games have yet to begin — it is not difficult to see why teams became so enamored with the native of Cuba. Iglesias’ first day of infield drills drew plenty of attention. One interested onlooker was Sox infield coach Tim Bogar, who was intrigued to see whether the reality of the shortstop’s defense might be anywhere near the reputation.

“My first impression is how calm he is, how mechanically sound he is. Even though he’s capable of doing above-average type of stuff, he’s very mechanically sound, which makes every ball seem easier, playing the hops,” said Bogar. “He intrigues you with just how simple it looks. He does things that are second nature to him that we have to try to figure out. It’s interesting to see. He’s beyond his years fielding-wise, being able to get himself in the right position. That’s the first impression. Obviously, I haven’t seen how things happen in a game. It’s the second day. But I’m very impressed with how he goes about his business, his work ethic.”

But Iglesias demonstrates more than just a precocious professionalism. He also shows stand-out abilities with certain aspects. During the Rookie Development Program in Boston in January, Iglesias extensively with an instructor to practice glove-to-base flips, not bothering to transfer the ball to his hand. On Saturday, Bogar saw how the practice paid off.

“I had heard all these stories about how good he is with his hands, flipping the ball. There was a ball that was hit, he flips to second base with his glove and it was perfect. It was kind of a slow roller, about 15 feet from second base,” said Bogar. “I don’t like comparing guys to other guys. It’s not fair to them. But I came up with Rey Ordonez. Unbelievable hands. He reminded me a lot of Rey, who I spent a lot of time with.”

Bogar knows whereof he speaks. Bogar came up in the Mets system, and so he spent plenty of time watching Ordonez after he signed with the Mets after leaving Cuba. The two were both in the New York organization from 1993-96, and Bogar was captivated by the three-time Gold Glover.

“I was a defensive type of player, so I loved guys like that. So I was always intrigued about how he went about it. He was just as smooth as can be. He was the one who kind of brought the sliding backhand in at short,” said Bogar. “Because Rey was so athletic, he did things that normal guys, we’d need buttons in a video game to try to do. So, I’m interested to see how this progresses this spring, see [Iglesias] play games. He’s exciting to watch. He kind of gives you a, ‘Wow.’”

Certainly, that is the case in something as routine as infield drills, where Iglesias exudes an obvious love for the game. Bogar noted that in the five rounds of batting practice on Saturday, Iglesias stayed at short to work on his craft for the four groups in which he was not hitting. And then, there are the tricks — the shortstop will do things like bounce the ball off the back of his glove a couple of times before firing it to second.

“Guys like him, Rey Ordonez, guys like that – they get bored with regular groundballs,” said Bogar. “It’s like you and me drinking a cup of coffee, and they want a latte or an espresso. He keeps himself working at those other plays.”

Of course, none of the tricks in the world will matter. A dunk contest winner does not an MVP make. And so, while there is a ‘wow’ factor to initial sightings of Iglesias, Bogar notes that it is important to focus on the bottom line.

“I don’t want him to lose [the tricks]. The bottom line is, can I make the right turn into the dugout? He’s got to have his own style and his own flash, but there’s a line where you want to get to with that. You don’t want to become all flash and show. We need outs. He gets that, too,” said Bogar. “He’s very into it. You can tell he wants to learn. His mind is wide open right now. Talking to [minor-league infield instructor] Gary DiSarcina about how quickly he adjusts, he wants to improve. Hopefully I’m going to see that soon.”

For the most part, the Red Sox‘ announcement of their 2010 coaching staff featured few surprises. The hiring of former Sox bench coach Brad Mills as the manager of the Astros created the opportunity to give some loyal members of the organization well-deserved promotions, as DeMarlo Hale was promoted from third base coach to bench coach, Tim Bogar went from first to third base coach and Ron Johnson — the man who, as the manager of Triple-A Pawtucket, has delivered word to dozens of Sox prospects in recent years of their promotions to the majors — got his own call-up, getting appointed to the Sox’ big league coaching staff as a first base coach.

But buried at the bottom of the press release was one unusual position. Rob Leary, the longtime field coordinator of the Red Sox minor league system, was named Major League coaching staff assistant. The job is a new one on the Sox staff, and requires some explanation.

Leary’s duties include the organization of spring training workouts, assistance with pregame on-field activities, assistance in advance scouting and in-game assignments from Sox manager Terry Francona. In many ways, Leary will play something of a hybrid role: He will be a coach who works with players prior to games, and he will be an organizer who handles planning and administrative activities so that the rest of the dugout coaching staff can continue to work more directly with the players.

“We wanted to keep our coaches as coaches as much as possible,” Francona explained. “[Leary] is somebody we’re trying to find a way to get him to the major leagues and this seemed like a perfect time to do it. We could use his organizational skills and also get him acclimated to the big leagues. While he doesn’t know the American League yet, that won’t get in the way because he’s not getting asked to sit in the dugout during the game. He’ll get a chance to learn the league and learn our team and we can use his strengths in the meantime, which are plenty. He’ll help us prepare our scouting, he’ll run our spring training and he has a chance to really help our staff round into shape.”

During games, Leary will be either in the clubhouse or in the stands. In that fashion, his role will be unusual though not unprecedented. Leary’s job was created in part based on the experience of Bogar while he was the “quality assurance coach” for Tampa Bay in 2008.

Bogar was a sort of eye-in-the-sky for the Rays during games, primarily sitting in the stands to observe his own club from the perspective of a scout. He would then take what he had seen back into the clubhouse after games and communicate with Rays skipper Joe Maddon and the rest of the Tampa coaching staff about matters such as defensive positioning and baserunning. Bogar also acted as a point of contact between a number of departments for the Rays, including the advance scouting, player development and major league coaching staffs.

Bogar had no doubts about the merits of his role with the Rays.

“Is it surprising that it hadn’t happened till [2008]? Yeah, I think so,” Bogar said in spring training. “I think it’s one of those things that a lot of teams are going to start doing. Having an extra coach on the field to interact between all those departments is nothing but a bonus. It gives you an advantage. It really does.”

Francona acknowledged that Leary’s role was “very much” based on the one that Bogar served with the Rays — offering a reminder that the Sox, despite being a big-market club, are constantly examining other teams’ best practices regardless of market size in an effort to improve their operations.

Leary, thanks to his years of work across the Red Sox organization with virtually every minor leaguer currently in the farm system, is perfectly positioned to communicate with several different departments. The Sox view the highly regarded instructor as someone who can make an impact as a big league coach while he trains for what could become a larger role in the future.

“Lear is a guy who has had a big impact on our organization,” Francona said. “It’s a great way to get him in a major league atmosphere. The lack of experience doesn’t hurt our staff because he doesn’t have to know the league right now because he’s not going to be in the dugout during the game. But it’s a great way for him to get to know the league and use his strengths to help us and while he’s doing that, he can use the experience of being with our major league team.”

–

As for Hale, who has been interviewed for managerial vacancies in the past, including the Red Sox job that was ultimately filled by Francona following the 2003 season and the Mariners vacancy after the 2008 campaign, the Sox’ only hesitation to make him the bench coach was concern that they would be losing a very fine third base coach.

Hale managed to avoid the infamy associated with the thankless job of Red Sox third base coach (Dale Sveum and Wendell Kim both became punchlines at various points in Boston) because he was quite good at the job and thus rarely the subject of controversy. Nonetheless, while Francona hesitated to remove Hale from a role in which he performed well, he ultimately decided that he wanted someone who would approach the bench coach position with the same meticulousness.

“It’s the toughest market to be at third base and the toughest field and you never heard people talk about him so that was a huge compliment to him,” Francona said. “Part of the reason, a big reason you never heard about him, was because he did such a good job. He will take that and do the same thing as a bench coach.”

“It is rewarding,” Hale added. “This is a great opportunity for me, no question.”

Johnson, who has known Francona since the two were with the Expos in 1984 — in large part because a devastating knee injury to Francona created a roster spot for Johnson to play five games — was thrilled at the prospect of becoming an official part of the big league coaching staff. He and Francona have been in regular contact in recent years thanks to the steady flow of prospects from Triple A to the majors, and so Johnson already described himself as the sort of “sixth man” of the Boston coaching staff.

All the same, the idea that he was getting a big league call-up on a full-time basis reflected a milestone for Johnson’s career. He did not make any effort to conceal his glee.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am about it,” he said. “I think it means more to me because it is the Boston Red Sox. To have an opportunity after all these years, to get an opportunity to go to the big leagues with one of the premier clubs in all of baseball, to me makes me even more proud.”

The Red Sox issued the following press release announcing their major-league coaching staff for next season. As expected, DeMarlo Hale will be bench coach, Tim Bogar will move from first to third base coach and Ron Johnson will move from managing Triple A Pawtucket to serving as first-base coach. In addition, minor-league field coordinator Rob Leary will be added as a Major League coaching staff assistant.

Here is the release:

The Boston Red Sox today announced their 2010 Major League coaching staff.  DeMarlo Hale has been named bench coach, Tim Bogar will serve as third base coach, Ron Johnson joins the staff as the first base coach and Rob Leary has been appointed Major League coaching staff assistant.

Additionally, Pitching Coach John Farrell, Hitting Coach Dave Magadan and Bullpen Coach Gary Tuck will all return in the same roles they held in 2009.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein and Manager Terry Francona made the announcements.

Hale, 48, has served as Boston’s third base coach for the last four seasons.  He was previously the first base and outfield coach for the Texas Rangers from 2002-05 and managed Texas’ Triple-A Oklahoma club during the 2000 and 2001 seasons.  Hale began his coaching career in the Red Sox organization in 1992 and spent seven seasons as a minor league manager in the Boston system from 1993-99, compiling a 491-471 record.  Selected by the Red Sox in the 17th round of the 1983 June Draft, he played five minor league seasons as a first baseman/outfielder in the Boston (1983-86) and Oakland Athletics (1988) organizations.

The 43-year-old Bogar will enter his second year with the Red Sox after joining the club as first base coach prior to the 2009 campaign.  He served as the quality assurance coach for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008 and previously managed in the Houston Astros (2004-05) and Cleveland Indians (2006-07) minor league systems, leading his clubs to a 289-200 mark and three postseason appearances.  A former infielder selected by the New York Mets in the eighth round of the 1987 draft, Bogar played 701 Major League games over nine seasons with the Mets (1993-96), Astros (1997-2000) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2001).

Johnson, 53, will enter his 11th season in the Red Sox organization in 2010, his first on the Major League staff.  He was most recently at the helm of Boston’s Triple-A Pawtucket club from 2005-09.  A minor league manager for the past 18 seasons, Johnson has posted a 1,261-1,262 career record.  He joined the Boston system in 2000 as manager of Single-A Sarasota (2000-01) and also led the Red Sox Double-A affiliates in Trenton (2002) and Portland (2003-04).  Johnson began his coaching career in the Kansas City Royals chain, including eight seasons as a minor league manager from 1992-99.  A 24th-round selection by Kansas City in 1978, Johnson hit .261 (12-for-46) in 22 Major League games over parts of three seasons with the Royals (1982-83) and Montreal Expos (1984).

Leary, who turns 46 on December 3, will enter his ninth season in the Red Sox organization in 2010.  As the club’s Major League coaching staff assistant, his duties will include organizing Spring Training workouts, helping the coaching staff in all pre-game on-field preparations, assisting in the advance scouting effort, as well as completing special in-game assignments as delegated by Manager Terry Francona.  Leary joined the Boston system as a roving minor league catching instructor in 2002 and has served as the minor league field coordinator for the last seven seasons.  He spent seven years with the Florida Marlins from 1995-2001, during which he held the positions of advance scout, director of field operations, minor league field coordinator and catching instructor.  Drafted by the Expos in the 12th round in 1986, Leary played five minor league seasons and served as a player/coach with Single-A Rockford in 1990.  He managed Rockford from 1991-92 and also was at the helm of Single-A West Palm Beach in 1993-94.