Farrell out

drbretto

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Cool. Here's hoping they find the right fit! I see a lot of young talent that could still use some development.

Best wishes to Farrell! I hope he finds the right fit for him, too.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Ownership and DD saw a problem and didn't let superficial achievements cloud their view of substantive problems with the team. Good on them.

This is the right move for a young team.
 

rymflaherty

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Thanks for the magical 2013 (on the field).
That said, i’m not going to shed any tears for this departure. Now it’s up to the FO to find the correct person(s) that can maximize this talent, hopefully they’re up to that task.
 

Van Everyman

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Ownership and DD saw a problem and didn't let superficial achievements cloud their view of substantive problems with the team. Good on them.

This is the right move for a young team.
Agree with everything but calling winning two division titles "superficial." The team has performed decently the last two years -- but not exceptionally.

Wondering what else we may hear about now that he's gone.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Agree with everything but calling winning two division titles "superficial." The team has performed decently the last two years -- but not exceptionally.

Wondering what else we may hear about now that he's gone.
93 wins each time, which most years might get the WC.

Two division titles got them 1-6 in the playoffs. In the end they didn't matter. Kudos to DD for recognizing that fact.
 

Papo The Snow Tiger

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I'm not surprised, but surprised it happened this quickly, It's good that they didn't let him twist in the wind for a few days like they did with Tito. I hope Farrell finds the right fit for himself too.
 

yecul

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Inevitable at this point and should not come as a surprise. Right move to make. You need to win in the playoffs to stick.
 

John Marzano Olympic Hero

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That was quick.

Like johnmd20, I'm shocked (mostly at the speed) but I had gotten to the end of my rope with him.

I don't like seeing a person lose his/her job. No matter the industry, it's not a thing to celebrate. BUT, I think that Farrell pretty much was done here. Especially the way this team cratered in the last two weeks of the season two years in a row.

If you look at the sum of the parts, I should like John Farrell: he seems like an intelligent guy, he went to bat for his players, he played an aggressive style of baseball (which, I guess in theory I like, but man did it piss me off this year) and for the most part, he seemed to know what was going on. He was a welcome hire after the crap wrap that was the Bobby Valentine experience and he brought normalcy and a World Champion to Fenway.

But man, there were a lot of things that he did over the past couple of years that left me wondering what the hell was going on. I hope he hooks on somewhere else and thanks for 2013.
 

canderson

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Thanks for everything John, especially 2013. Hope you land on your feet and keep winning.

Let's all hope Alan Trammell doesn't walk through that door.
 

Rasputin

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Just for God's sake, get a good manager and get him fast. Say...before the world series ends.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Does he keep his job in 2014 if he didn't get ill?
Nope.

And the idea of a guy keeping his job just because he got sick is really bewildering. Drew Bledsoe didn't get his back, Tony Romo didn't get his back, because the men brought in to replace them were better at the job.

Theo Epstein, who knows a little bit about running a successful baseball organization, had no problem firing Rick Renteria when Joe Maddon became available, even though Renteria had been there only one year and the move was widely seen as callous. If a better man for the job becomes available, you go get him. Period. Renteria got a million bucks in the wake of his dismissal, I'm sure Farrell would have gotten the same had the Sox made the decision that Lovullo was the better man to lead the team going forward.
 

nattysez

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Lovullo and Roberts would both have been great picks, but I'm sure neither is going anywhere. Cora seems like an obvious choice.
 

RedOctober3829

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I have no problem with Farrell being fired. The team did not play well enough in the postseason and he had many moves that really called his job into question. However, if the end game is Brad Ausmus then that's the wrong move.
 

AlNipper49

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As a Red Sox fan for many years I don't like firing not-epic-horrible-managers. Since I've graduated college we've employed Grady Little, Bobby Valentine and Jimy Williams.
 

glennhoffmania

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I hope that Farrell catches on somewhere as either an assistant coach or a personnel guy. He seemed to do well in both of those roles. I don't think he's meant to be the head guy though. This is the right move and hopefully they figure out who they need to get more out of the roster.
 

pk1627

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Well let’s wait for the leaks. Sox like to twist the knife when someone leaves.

To me, it’s about who they get to replace him. He was fine. I enjoyed the division titles. But if we do better, great
 

MuzzyField

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I wonder if it came down to DD not offering an extension? Hey John, two current lame-ducks are still alive in the playoffs and I’m not willing to extend you and John Farrell pulling his own plug.
 

Remagellan

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I honestly don’t know how to feel about this. Tito never should have been fired so in a perfect world he’d still be managing this team. I just hope they do a better job hiring a manager to replace one who recently led us to a World Series title than they did the last time. And I pray they have some sense of how this will play with the players before doing this.
 

Tyrone Biggums

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I have no problem with Farrell being fired. The team did not play well enough in the postseason and he had many moves that really called his job into question. However, if the end game is Brad Ausmus then that's the wrong move.
Ausmus is the one move that could cause regression. Fast. I appreciate what Farrell did in 2013 in righting the ship but the time has come. Good on DD to see that.

The list should start with DeMarlo Hale and Alex Cora. Especially Hale. He’s been ready for a good 5-6 years now.
 

Snodgrass'Muff

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Thank you DD. Great move IMO.
Depends on who the replacement is. I'm sure plenty of people thought kicking Tito to the curb was a great move after 2011.

So who are the candidates? I see Cora's name a lot, but he's inexperienced. Not sure you want to put a first time manager in charge of this club. How many of the playoff teams this year brought in a first time manager? None, as far as I can tell. That's probably not a coincidence.

Same goes for Tek, who is even less experienced than Cora.

Ausmus shouldn't be considered. He seems like an awful fit and doesn't really have a rep as a quality manager at this point. Tito didn't either, but at least he bought into the organization's philosophy. Ausmus has publicly stated he's not into advanced stats.

I guess Cora is the best option, even without any experience as an actual manager. Of course, rumors are that the Yankees will also be looking for a new manager this winter, and Cora gets tossed around there a lot as well.

I hope they don't look back in a year and regret this. I just don't see an obvious upgrade right now.
 

Harry Hooper

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Also, it says he won't return: not fired. Any chance this was a mutual decision?
The phrasing may be because he is staying on in the organization in another role, or perhaps he was asked to continue as manager under certain conditions {some coaches fired?} and he declined.
 

TheoShmeo

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I'm surprised that people are surprised. I did not see this as a slam dunk and would have put the chance that he got canned at about 70%.

But at bottom, the Sox front office saw two quick, decisive exits from the playoffs, and a whole lot of off field nonsense during the last season.

Whether it was strictly as a result of that, or more likely, a result of that, PR and other factors, I think it would have been hard for the FO to bring back Farrell.