Prior to the Boston Red Sox deciding to fire manager Bobby Valentine after just one season, it had been widely speculated that they had their sights on Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell. As the poorly kept secret became official Saturday night, many in the media as well as fans see no issue with Farrell leaving Toronto to go to Boston. Several will sight Farrell's relationship with Boston and the fact he was their pitching coach prior to 2011. And just because of that, there is no issue with John Farrell leaving.
MLB experts will start by citing that this happens fairly often. Ozzie Guillen left Chicago for Miami in a similar situation at the end of 2011. Theo Epstein left Boston for Chicago as well. Over recent history, managers such as Bruce Bochy and Art Howe have gone similar routes. Know what they all have in common? They all served a decent amount of time in their prior organizations. A case could also be made that all had worn out their welcome at their employers and could have been let go had they stayed, particularly in Guillen and Howe's cases. Farrell just finished his second season in Toronto. Yes it was a disappointing run, but Toronto is an up and coming team that could thrive in what would have been Farrell's third year there. It is fair enough to say organizations look to make changes in managers toward the end of the third season. And this only happens when the progress of the team goes down drastically from the manager's first couple of seasons.
Yes, this is an important offseason for the Blue Jays. But, it is conceivable that this team could make the necessary moves to be a legitimite contender for the 2013 season. Outside of Boston's interest, Toronto was not considering a mangerial change. This sets them back, albeit temporarily, until a new manager is hired.
As far as the Boston fans who do not care, these are the same ones who feel they should be able to get whatever player they want. The fact that Farrell was under contract and not on his way out should have led Boston's search somewhere else. Ron Gardenhire and Mike Scioscia are under contract too, why didn't Boston contact them and those organizations? If you think my last sentence is silly, then you re-iterated the point I made in the first sentence of this paragragh. Maybe the Yankees should go after Buck Showalter because he was originally part of the Yankees organization as minor and major league manager. Once again, if you think that was silly and have no issue with Boston taking Farrell away from Toronto, you are being hypocritical.
As far as Farrell is concerned, he clearly betrayed the Blue Jays organization; the one that was willing to hire him as a manager first. Its not like Toronto is going nowhere. It is very safe to say they are closer to winning than Boston is. John Farrell might as well have said he wanted to manage a real baseball team. One that has a history. Toronto was just holding his place until a real team called. I hope Alex Anthopolous feels that way. Farrell would have looked like a loyal manager who believed in the team he was managing if he stayed in Toronto. Instead, he is no different than the free agent fan favorite who flat leaves his fans and team for more money or a bigger market.
Yes, this is an important offseason for the Blue Jays. But, it is conceivable that this team could make the necessary moves to be a legitimite contender for the 2013 season. Outside of Boston's interest, Toronto was not considering a mangerial change. This sets them back, albeit temporarily, until a new manager is hired.
As far as the Boston fans who do not care, these are the same ones who feel they should be able to get whatever player they want. The fact that Farrell was under contract and not on his way out should have led Boston's search somewhere else. Ron Gardenhire and Mike Scioscia are under contract too, why didn't Boston contact them and those organizations? If you think my last sentence is silly, then you re-iterated the point I made in the first sentence of this paragragh. Maybe the Yankees should go after Buck Showalter because he was originally part of the Yankees organization as minor and major league manager. Once again, if you think that was silly and have no issue with Boston taking Farrell away from Toronto, you are being hypocritical.
As far as Farrell is concerned, he clearly betrayed the Blue Jays organization; the one that was willing to hire him as a manager first. Its not like Toronto is going nowhere. It is very safe to say they are closer to winning than Boston is. John Farrell might as well have said he wanted to manage a real baseball team. One that has a history. Toronto was just holding his place until a real team called. I hope Alex Anthopolous feels that way. Farrell would have looked like a loyal manager who believed in the team he was managing if he stayed in Toronto. Instead, he is no different than the free agent fan favorite who flat leaves his fans and team for more money or a bigger market.
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