The job as manager of the Boston Red Sox is one of the most coveted in baseball.
And now that job is open again. John Farrell was dismissed Wednesday morning, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski indicated the search for a new manager would start immediately. Dombrowski isn’t the only one looking for a new manager.
The Tigers, Phillies and Mets all have openings, too.
MORE: Baseball's winningest managers
Here’s a quick look at potential replacements for Farrell.
Brad Ausmus
Why he makes sense: Yes, he was just fired after four seasons in Detroit. But the guy who is in charge of hiring the new Red Sox manager, Dombrowski, is the guy who hired Ausmus as the Tigers manager in November 2013. And while it’s true that Ausmus’ time with Detroit didn’t produce a championship (or even a single playoff victory), he’s still well-regarded in the sport, and there’s a long history of managers doing much, much better in their second or third job after struggling to win in their first opportunity or two (hi, Joe Torre!). And there are definitely parallels between Ausmus and Terry Francona, the man who brought two World Series titles to Boston. Francona had been a manager before, failing to crack the .500 mark for four years in Philadelphia, before the Red Sox hired him. And it can’t hurt that Ausmus grew up in Connecticut as a Red Sox fan, right?
Jason Varitek
Why he makes sense: Varitek spent his entire playing career — 15 years, including the 2004 and 2007 World Series-winning teams — in Boston and wore the captain’s C on his jersey for years. He would be immediately embraced by the Boston faithful. He’s been a special assistant to Dombrowski the past couple of years, which is a pretty good “in” for the job. But here’s the thing: He’s never managed at any level. In fact, he’s not even coached at any level; he joined the Boston front office immediately after he retired as a player. That would be a pretty big jump.
Alex Cora
Why he makes sense: Cora is seen as one of those “eventually will be a very good MLB manager” guys, and Boston could give him the opportunity. Cora played for the Red Sox from 2005 to 2008, and was part of that 2007 title-winning team. He’s a bench coach for the Astros right now, which means he’s kind of busy at the moment. Houston manager A.J. Hinch was asked about Cora’s contributions last week, and his reply certainly sounded like he was describing a future manager: “His first year of coaching has gone well given his ability to connect with players and given his baseball intellect. He's very sharp, sees the game in an extraordinarily deep way, has really connected well with players in our clubhouse and spent a lot of time developing relationships and being the bench coach liaison to the clubhouse that I asked him to be.”
Dave Martinez
Why he makes sense: When Martinez was a hot name on the managerial rumor mill a couple years ago, here’s what I wrote about the Nationals’ job opening: "We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again (if he doesn’t get this gig) — Martinez will one day be a fantastic major-league manager and will make the GM who hires him look incredibly wise." Yep, that still fits. Martinez has a great job right now, as Joe Maddon’s right-hand guy in the Cubs’ dugout, and it would take an ideal situation to get him to leave. Maybe the allure of being Boston’s manager is that situation.
Ron Gardenhire
Why this makes sense: Gardenhire had a remarkable extended run of success as Minnesota’s manager, winning six division titles in 13 seasons. The guy watching that success closely? Dombrowski, who was Detroit’s front-office guru that entire time. Gardenhire turns 60 in a couple of weeks and spent this season as Torey Lovullo’s bench coach in Arizona.
Sandy Alomar
Why he makes sense: Alomar has earned an incredibly high level of respect in baseball, not just during his playing career but as a coach, too. He’s been on the shortlist for other manager jobs — in Chicago, Boston (before John Farrell was hired), Cleveland and Toronto — but has yet to get the job. Alomar will be an outstanding manager if (when, hopefully) he gets the chance. Here’s the problem, though: He’s the first-base coach in Cleveland right now, and that’s a ball club that’s rather focused on a potentially long postseason run.
Gary DiSarcina
Why he makes sense: When Farrell was thrown out of Game 4 of the ALDS, DiSarcina was in charge for the rest of the game. The Massachusetts native has held a variety of coaching roles in his post-playing career; he’s managed in the Boston system (Single-A, 2007-09 and Triple-A, 2013), he’s been in the front office (Angels' assistant to GM) and he’s been a big-league coach (Angels, both third-base and first-base coach). And this year, he’s been Farrell’s bench coach. He’s interviewed for MLB managerial jobs in the past, too.
