With Farrell gone, who's next?

You never really hope for someone to lose their job. It was time for a managerial change for the Boston Red Sox though.  Farrell did just enough to win regular season games, but a team with a $200 million payroll with top talent should be winning World Series. There are no excuses in this market and Farrell just wasn’t the right guy.

            So with Farrell gone, now what?

            This team still has a deep ethical problem. They have a bunch of guys that don’t take urgency and responsibility for certain situations. They need leaders and not guys like Dustin Pedroia who claims to be a leader but in reality are just open to talking to the media and fighting back. It’s a similar situation to 2004 when Nomar Garciaparra ran the team. They won games but the attitude was horrendous in the clubhouse because players were looking up to Nomar for guidance, a guy who deflects responsibility and was constantly mad.

            So the new manager’s task is to change this culture. You need a leader and someone willing to keep tabs on players and say “Hey that doesn’t fly in my clubhouse.” The first name that comes to mind is Alex Cora. A utility guy for the Red Sox from 2005 until 2008, Cora is highly respected within the game of baseball. He knows what it’s like to be a journeyman in baseball and takes nothing for granted. He’s a guy I think will be the second in the running to front-runner Brad Ausmus for the job. Cora is the guy I would like to see.

            They also need to change up the core of this team. Andrew Benintendi and Mookie Betts can obviously play. But for the money it will take to keep Xander Bogaerts and/or Jackie Bradley Jr. around, is it really worth it for the amount of production they give?  Is there anyway the team could package maybe Bradley Jr. and a couple of prospects for Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds? Votto is a leader and a producer. He’s averaged 29 homers, 94 RBI, 113 walks and a .313 batting average in his 11-year career. It’s a lot of money to take ($25 million per year) on for a player turning 34 and signed through his age 39 season. But the team needs a true leader like when they had Curt Schilling, Kevin Millar and Pedro Martinez. Even similar to when they had Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino and Johnny Gomes in 2013. They need leaders not players.

            To throw my two-cents in, what about Cal Ripken Jr. as a managerial candidate? The guy has a really good gig on TV and probably has no intentions to ever become a manager, but Ripken Jr. is just the type of guy the Red Sox need. Ripken Jr. was a leader on the Baltimore Orioles. He played the game with heart and people looked up to Ripken Jr. to guide everyone on the field. He would be a perfect guy for the job if not for the circumstances.