As winning seasons pile up under the steady hand of Red Sox manager Terry Francona, he has seen those that assist him year after year become targets for vacancies elsewhere in the majors. The past two offseasons have hit the staff particularly hard, and it remains to be seen what sort of lingering effects there might be when the team heads to Fort Myers in February.
The biggest hit has come in the departure of pitching coach John Farrell, the new manager in Toronto. With him went Torey Lovullo, Pawtucket’s skipper for the past year and already a trusted member of the brain trust in the organization.
Farrell and Francona were not only pals (their story of them having to pull over and make a bathroom break in full uniform at a CVS during spring training was a classic), but there was also a degree of trust that allowed the former to do his job unencumbered and deliver a top-notch pitching staff for the bulk of his four years in Boston.
Farrell’s departure comes a year after longtime bench coach Brad Mills took the manager's post in Houston. In much the same way Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick are given credit for rooting a "coaching tree" that has spawned head jobs for several former assistants in the NFL (Belichick an offshoot of Parcells, of course), Francona has begun to sprinkle the managerial ranks with one-time associates.
If and when DeMarlo Hale nets a managerial gig (he interviewed with Toronto and is also being considered for the New York Mets job) it would give Francona’s coaching tree better than one-eighth of the managers’ posts in the major leagues.
It would also open up a vacancy that others will covet, and that’s the saving grace in this whole cost of success thing.
Francona is often noted as a "player’s manager," a nod to his ability to create an environment in which players want to play. The same can be said for those who coach under him. They are loyal to Francona, thrive in the system and get the notoriety that comes from being part of a consistent winner. And only those on which Francona knows he can lean will gain consideration to work alongside him. Indeed, as long as Francona is around, any vacancies in Boston will be highly sought after, as Farrell's spot was — Curt Young turned down an offer for an extension with Oakland in order to slide across the country and start anew as the pitching coach for the Red Sox.
Others with similar pedigrees will follow, if and when the next position opens up. And it will. Aside from Francona, the only members of the 2007 World Series staff still with the team are hitting coach Dave Magadan, bullpen coach Gary Tuck and Hale. For now.
Someday soon, all three may move on. But expect Francona to find suitable replacements and thrive just the same. Because of his success, he’s become used to losing those by his side.
Each day of November, we will explore a different issue facing the Red Sox this offseason.
Nov. 10: Which players on other teams might the Red Sox target as the trade deadline approaches?
Nov. 12: Who is the most underrated member of the Red Sox’ organization?
