Toronto finished 73-89 under John Farrell this season. (Canadian Press)So the Boston Red Sox finally got the man they've been courting publically for more than a year and the Toronto Blue Jays, well, lost a manager in John Farrell whose heart has always seemed to been in Boston.
In return for giving up their manager who still had one year left on a three-year contract the Blue Jays received 31-year-old infielder Mike Aviles. And though general manager Alex Anthopoulos hasn't come clean and said it yet, the most logical move seems to be to have Aviles fill in a vacant hole at second base left by Kelly Johnson, whose contract expired at the end of the 2012 season.
Jays starting pitcher Ricky Romero told Sportsnet.ca that he was caught off by the news Saturday night that the Jays manager would be heading back to Boston.
"For me it's crazy to think two years ago we were talking about this and two years later we're looking for a manager again," Romero told sportsnet.ca. "All I'll say about it is hopefully the next guy we have can stick with us for quite some time, we can learn to adapt to him, and him adapt to us, and just continue to move forward.
"Am I bitter about it? No, not really. It is what it is, as clichéd as that sounds," said Romero. "You can't sit there and dwell on it, you've got to continue to move forward and see who the next guy in line is. I'm hoping the next guy in line is committed and wants to win."
So no the Jays didn't receive any help on the mound even though Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard were names that Toronto was rumored to be asking for. They did, however obtain a big league player, someone who can start in their infield next season. And in a situation that's only conclusion seemed to be John Farrell as the Red Sox new manager, at least the Blue Jays were able to acquire an asset in return.
Anthopoulos told the Toronto Star Sunday:
"We wanted to get a big-league player back. It's very hard to get middle infielders that can play shortstop for a lot of at-bats and get a great on-base percentage. Those are normally superstar players.
"He's [speaking of Aviles] a hard-nosed player. He's a gamer. He's not without his flaws . . . but he is a high-energy player. He has some power, and the fact that he can play the middle infield, which is so hard to find."
Whether they came out as winners or losers in the unusual trade of their manager, maybe the Jays are better off without Farrell. If Omar Vizquel's comments to Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons at the end of the season hold any truth, and Toronto's staff didn't run a tight enough ship then maybe the Jays are right letting their manager loose and beginning a search for a new clubhouse leader; one whose mind will hopefully be solely on his own team.
Who will that next leader be? Many in the media have already piped in with their opinions.
Ken Rosenthal, MLB analyst for Fox Sports cited Sandy Alomar Jr., in a discussion with Sportsnet's Barry Davis as a name that could be atop the Toronto's list of candidates. He also mentioned current Jays first-base coach Torey Lovullo and Baltimore Orioles third-base coach DeMarlo Hale. The 51-year-old Hale was interviewed for the Red Sox managerial position and Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com actually felt that Hale was the perfect fit for the job in Boston.
Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun agrees that Alomar Jr., is likely the top contender for the job, but also feels Blue Jays bench coach Don Wakamatsu and Los Angeles Dodgers third-base coach Tim Wallach are also top options for the postion.
In time the Jays will hire their new manager, and at that point will be able to put the John Farrell-Red Sox courtship behind them. It's every Blue Jays fan's hope that whoever is chosen lead the clubhouse next can turn a roster that's been said to have a ton of promise into one that can be playing meaningful baseball in October.