Boston Red Sox at least pretending to have managerial search

The Boston Red Sox have finally started interviewing candidates for their managerial opening, finally having something that resembles a managerial search.

The Boston Red Sox had announced that Ron Roenicke would not be returning as their manager with a game left in the regular season. From that point on, there had been silence as to their plans. While other teams that needed a manager had been interviewing candidates, there had been nothing coming out of Fenway.

That has changed in recent days. The Red Sox have finally begun to show signs of life, interviewing several candidates recently. And yet, there has been relative silence about those interviews as well.

Those interviews have also done nothing to change the thinking regarding the Red Sox future manager. Alex Cora had already been considered the front runner for the job, and was likely to return once his suspension ended after the World Series. A few interviews will not change anything in the public eye.

It is possible that the Red Sox move on from Cora. It is entirely possible that one of these candidates impresses the front office to the point where they feel that he is the best option. It happened in Tampa Bay, when Bloom was part of the group that hired Kevin Cash to run the team.

But the Rays process did not have a clearcut front runner like Cora. Likewise, the Rays did not have players coming out and stating their preference, as Christian Vazquez did. Despite his AstroGate related troubles, Cora still commands a great deal of respect in the clubhouse, making him the logical candidate to return.

Nonetheless, the Red Sox have to give the appearance of an actual managerial search. They cannot just sit back for the end of the World Series and announce Cora’s return. While they had managed to escape Rob Manfred’s wrath in terms of punishment, flaunting the system in such a way would not do them any favors.

As such, the process must continue. The Red Sox will continue to bring in candidates for their open managerial position and wait for the time to be right. Then, once Cora is no longer suspended, he will be summoned to Fenway, and essentially asked if he wants to return. The way forward, at least for the Red Sox, is to go back.

The Boston Red Sox are at least pretending to have a managerial search. Yet, even with those interviews, Alex Cora remains the favorite.