NESN

John Farrell Reiterates That He Is Blue Jays’ Manager, Says Red Sox Speculation Hasn’t Been Distraction

Speculation will continue to run rampant around the Red Sox' managerial opening, but current Blue Jays manager John Farrell is trying to stay above it all. Currently under contract with Toronto, the former Red Sox pitching coach has had his name surface time and again in connection with coming back to Boston.

On Friday, Farrell spoke on MLB Network Radio and addressed the issue by reemphasizing his current employment status.

"I am the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays," he said. "That's where I've been the last two years and that's where I currently am.

"I can tell you this," he continued. "In my conversations with [Toronto general manager] Alex
[Anthopoulos], it hasn't distracted me from my job and what the
commitment there is. I'm extremely challenged, happy as the manager of
the Blue Jays. But its obvious that there's a vacancy to fill there and
they're going about their interview process as it is."

Because Farrell is under contract with the Jays for the 2013 season, the Red Sox would likely need to offer some sort of compensation to pry the manager away. Last year, when Boston was considering Farrell for the job that eventually went to Bobby Valentine, Toronto changed a team policy to no longer allow employees to make lateral moves.

If the Red Sox are still interested in working out a deal with the Jays despite that rule, however, Farrell is unaware. While the Sox have reportedly scheduled interviews with former major league catcher Brad Ausmus and Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach already, there has been no indication of the team's activity in Toronto.

"Nothing has been communicated directly to me. If the Red Sox have
contracted Alex, I'm unaware of that. Where it stands is what I said –
[I'm the] manager of the Blue Jays."

For now.

Click here to see some of the manager candidates the Sox may consider >>