The Red Sox were ready to turn the page on the 2012 season.
But first, they had to wait until the season was over.
Red Sox players knew as early as August — when a trade with the Dodgers cleaned out the roster and left the Sox scrapping for wins over the final weeks of the season — that their year wasn't salvageable.
But now that the season is in the books and the team is regrouping, the Red Sox can officially start working toward bouncing back. The first step came Sunday, when the club announced that former Blue Jays manager John Farrell had been named Boston's new leader.
"He's excited," Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia said of Farrell on Sunday night, according to ESPNBoston.com. "I'm excited. We're all excited.
"The way last year was, we didn't play well, and after we made that trade, we didn't play good baseball at all, and we lost a lot of ballgames and took some beatings. I think guys are ready for a fresh start and to come into camp ready to go and turn this whole thing around."
Farrell was the Red Sox' pitching coach during his time in Boston, but his influence on the team wasn't limited to those players. Pedroia recalled times when Farrell helped him as a position player and said Farrell's presence is what will make a big difference on a Boston team that needs to head in a new direction.
"He has that instant respect when he walks into the room, because it's leadership, and it's going to be nice," Pedroia said.
The common thought in the Red Sox' pursuit of Farrell — that he could help the pitchers who struggled this past season — was also on Pedroia's mind.
"John has meant a lot to our pitchers and their careers because John helped them out," he said, according to ESPNBoston.com. "He was always with the position players, talking baseball, and you have a sense of comfort with him, and you know he's always going to have your back."
Pedroia's words said as much about what last season didn't have — leadership, comfort, winning — as he hopes this season will have. Pedroia praised the front office and said he was happy to move past last season, which he said was one of the hardest he's experienced due to the losing and turmoil throughout the year.
Now, he's looking for a return to what he knows — both at manager and in the standings.
"Even when we played the Blue Jays, you viewed [Farrell] as one of your guys because of what we went though together from '07 to 2010," Pedroia said. "We went through so much with our coaching staff and your teammates, and I think we're all excited about it. … We have a lot of work to do to get back to where we want to be, and that's to compete for a championship every year."
After a season where all efforts seemed to go for naught, the Red Sox are hoping some instant results will come with the new manager that commands "instant respect."
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