Should Boston Red Sox consider trading manager John Farrell?
It has only happened a hand full of times before in the recent history of Major League Baseball. Coincidentally, the last time a manager was involved in a trade transaction, it saw John Farrell being sent to the Boston Red Sox from the Blue Jays following the 2012 regular season. Just how dire a situation is Boston in? Well, Eric Wilbur, a columnist for Boston.com, seems to think Farrell is the problem and he needs to go now more than ever after a Thursday dugout melee between him and pitcher Wade Miley in a loss to the Orioles.
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Farrell is exemplifying the up and down world of professional sports. In 2013, he was seemingly on top of the world. The Red Sox won 97 games and a World Series in Farrell’s inaugural season in Beantown. The Sporting News named him AL Manager of the Year and he finished a close second in the same award category for votes cast by the BBWAA, garnering 12 first place votes to Terry Francona‘s 16. It’s kind of ironic that Farrell lost out to he predecessor in Boston despite winning a championship in the same year.
To be accurate, Francona probably did more with a lesser roster to reach his 92 wins in 2013. The Red Sox had a rotation still featuring Jon Lester then. Veteran John Lackey pitched well for Boston too, and in the 16 games Clay Buchholz did start, he was mostly phenomenal (12-1, 1.74 ERA). Farrell also had Jake Peavy at his disposal for 10 starts and a lineup anchored by Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino and David Ortiz.
2014 was forgettable for Red Sox faithful and 2015 is fast becoming deja vu for Bostonians again. Farrell has not been able to get the most out of his re-built rotation. Newcomers Rick Porcello (4-6, 5.26), Justin Masterson (2-2, 6.37, on 15-day DL) and Miley (5-6, 5.07) have done little to balance out carryover’s Buchholz and Joe Kelly from 2014. The Red Sox have the worst starting rotation in the AL at 4.74 mark.
Even by offensive production standards, Farrell’s bats are not passing many tests with flying colors. Injuries have hardly been a scapegoat for the club this year. High profile free agent signees Pablo Sandoval (.246-5-19) and Hanley Ramirez (.272-13-32) have been decent while Big Papi has been plain ugly (.220-7-22). Wholly though, the bats are struggling.
The last place Red Sox are tanking fast. They cannot pitch and are struggling to score runs. Boston ranks 12th in the AL for runs scored and are second last in the run differential department with a -48 mark, trailing only the White Sox (-49). Now, skirmishes in the dugout between managers and subordinates are becoming a distraction.
So what is the solution? If GM Ben Cherington is no longer all-in on Farrell, firing him or trading him are the options. The last time the organization fired a manager mid-season was when Jimy Williams was let go in August of 2001. But firing Farrell would not be the smartest play. The AL East is still relatively tight and the season could be salvageable. Trading Farrell might be a long-shot, but it’s not a crazy notion.
Boston needs a reliable starter. The Miami Marlins need, well, a manager. Dan Jennings has no previous experience in that capacity. His hiring was controversial to begin with. Since taking over for Mike Redmond, his club has gone 9-14. Farrell has to be a better option. Asking for someone like Jose Fernandez would likely never fly, but Dan Haren could be a solution to Boston’s rotation woes. It’s possible other player’s would need to be included in the deal, but Haren would give the Red Sox stability if he continues to pitch the way he has thus far in 2015. In the final year of his contract, the 34-year-old is 6-2 with a 3.12 ERA this season.
Philadelphia is another option. If ownership were smart, they would fire Ruben Amaro Jr. and rebuild the front office before addressing the roster. Or, they could do both by trading for Farrell. No once can be sure if Ryne Sandberg is an apt manager. He has a .434 winning percentage in 265 games since taking over in 2013. If Boston asked for Cole Hamels in the deal, they could relegate Sandberg to a bench coach position and groom him some more while Farrell remains under contract through the 2017 season with an option for 2018. If the Red Sox get Hamels, in addition they would likely be able to acquire some decent prospects in return from the Red Sox to map out a future with.
Trading a manager with a World Series ring is a highly speculative suggestion. Many Boston Red Sox fans would laugh at the notion and insist the club would be worse off without John Farrell. But 2014 was bad, and 2015 looks like it could be even worse. If the Red Sox manager is to remain at his current post, even then changes still need to be made. Firing pitching coach Juan Nieves five weeks ago has resulted in no real positive takeaways, so maybe, in order for the Red Sox to do something — anything, a drastic course of action needs to come about.
In terms of a possible replacement for Farrell, Rick McNair over at BoSox Injection offers some in-depth analysis and an informed opinion. Some might say the Red Sox don’t need a new direction. However, being on pace for two straight last place finishes in the division should opine otherwise.