With Bobby Valentine officially gone after months of being left dangling on the hook, the focus in Boston has immediately shifted to Blue Jays manager John Farrell. And I’m left to wonder why.
Now, Farrell had a sterling reputation in five years as Boston’s pitching coach. But managing a team is a different animal. And little Farrell has done in his two years in Toronto suggests that he’s very good at it. The Blue Jays’ lack of leadership was lamented by Omar Vizquel, Jason Frasor and Adam Lind of late, and while they were citing the players, too, it certainly doesn’t reflect well on the manager that they felt the need to speak out…
Under Farrell’s guidance, the Jays played .500 ball in 2011 and finished 73-89 this year. It was their worst record since 2004. They allowed their most runs since 2004, even though offense is on the decline.
Now, much of Toronto’s pitching struggles have been the result of injuries, and I’m not going to blame Farrell for the fact that the Jays can’t seem to keep their pitchers healthy. But if pitching is Farrell’s specialty, it’s hard to see what good he’s doing. Ricky Romero and Brett Cecil have regressed under his watch. Only Brandon Morrow has taken a big step forward, and he was limited to 21 starts this year.
So, no, I don’t see Farrell as the answer in Boston or really anywhere else.
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1. The District Attorney Posted: October 04, 2012 at 04:05 PM (#4254363)No. Only Farrell is available. They're not allowed to sign anyone else. Just Farrell. The sooner the better.
I suppose it will be nice for a manager to manage someone after the jays for the first time since Bobby Cox or whatever.
Maybe BBC will follow the DH league after all
YES! GET FARRELL! Man, the Sox taking Farrell would be the greatest thing ever.
I'm quite happy to have Farrell go to the Red Sox. But for political / p.r. reasons, they would have to get some compensation out of Boston to placate the fan base just on general principles.
Seriously, Brian Butterfield has been with the Jays since 2002, and outlasted 4 or 5 managers. Whose corn flakes did he poop in not to get a shot?
Sometimes a guy is so good at doing what he does it's better to let him be.
seems i remember they hired the pitching coach after firing someone the fans hated and THAT sure nuff didn't work out - and then it was grady little and the fustercluck of The Pedro In Too Long Game
I'm neutral on Farrell himself. He has some annoying habits as a manager but I imagine we could do worse.
But I don't like this idea that if the Jays have something that the Red Sox want, then of course the Red Sox' needs take priority. It is very comparable to a Yankees fan saying, of Felix Hernandez or Mike Trout or Brett Lawrie, "He'll look good in a Yankee uniform."
I don't care what the Red Sox think they need or want. They can roll it into a cone and sit on it.
- the pitchers respected and feared him a little bit when he was in Boston. He brooked no crap and the pitchers followed the regimen he provided to them quite closely. I do think that if Farrell were the pitching coach in 2011 the chicken and beer nonsense never happens.
- he's very familiar with the Sox' FO, and they with him. He's clearly very intelligent and worked well with the organization in Boston.
I can't speak to why he was so terrible in Toronto, or why the fans up there hate him so much, I haven't seen enough Jays games to comment on that. I'm just noting why the Sox might want him back in Boston.
But I don't like this idea that if the Jays have something that the Red Sox want, then of course the Red Sox' needs take priority. It is very comparable to a Yankees fan saying, of Felix Hernandez or Mike Trout or Brett Lawrie, "He'll look good in a Yankee uniform."
Who's arguing that?
If the Sox want him then they need to pay compensation to the Jays assuming such a deal can be worked out. If a deal can't be worked out, or if the Jays don't want the Sox to talk to him, then that's that, and the Sox will have to move on to someone else. This isn't a holy war or right of first refusal or anything like that.
Kerrigan? I don't think he got much of a chance.
Bamberger was very successful in Milwaukee, then a disaster with the Mets.
I agree with the first part, but I was also thinking of Bamberger as an exception. Roger Craig too.
I think we would. Farrell was long rumored as Tito's replacement. Around 2008 the Sox either wouldn't allow him or bumped his contract in a way to convince him not to interview for the Pirate managerial job. No matter where he went his name was going to come up as Red Sox manager.
This is pretty simple though. If the Blue Jays don't want him to go, they hold all the cards. They just have to avoid being as stupid as the Sox were with Theo last year. Don't let him interview until AFTER compensation is worked out for example and if they aren't comfortable with him going to a division foe just refuse to allow him to interview for a lateral move as per stated Blue Jay policy.
IIRC at some point the Yankees wanted to talk to him about some FO job and the Sox told them to go screw.
I don't think that's apt. Unlike those players, Farrell has gotten terrible results and the fans, at least, of his team would be happy with him gone. A better analogy to those players would be Joe Maddon, but I haven't heard anyone here implying that the Sox are entitled to the Rays manager. There is a chance that the Bluejays organization doesn't even want Farrell and would welcome the chance not to pay his salary (as they would have to do if they straight-up fired him). Some bluffing may ensue between the teams.
Furthermore, it was the Jays who got him from the Sox organization in the first place...
I agree with your first point but I don't think this is relevant. Farrell got a promotion to go to Toronto, that's not at all an unreasonable or compensation-worthy event.
Sure, but I think it's less obnoxious (in the way that Matthew E was talking about) in this case because of the history.
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Are you going to take advantage of the Sox offer of BP at Fenway?
Unfortunately I don't think I can make it. My office is open Monday so Sunday would be my only chance and I just don't know if I'll have time to squeeze it in. I'm going to try though.
cause come on. #### the red sox.
Would that be construed around the league as mistreating Farrell?
I am going after work today. Not optimistic about my performance but it should be fun.
That would #### Farrell more than the Red Sox. I think that would be an incredible dick move. While I'm sure the Sox want Farrell I don't think Lovullo or Martinez would be that much of a difference.
I have to admit, there is also the fear factor. I'm a lot more Garces than Mortensen in build and not much of an athlete. The idea of jumping in, swinging and missing five times helplessly and jumping out is not exactly ego-friendly.
Iff it came out that Farrell & the Sox were secretly negotiating in September, I'd be down with this.
There's only one good thing I can think of about having Cito Gaston as the Jays' manager in the 21st century: if he's the Jays' manager, then that means that he's not the Jays' GM. Honestly, when Ricciardi was fired, I flashed back to when Ash was fired. Both times I was thinking, "Hire anyone you want but not Gaston. Don't hire Gaston. Don't hire Gaston. Don't..."
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