One of the biggest offseason topics have been resolved prior to season’d end. Before the finale, the Red Sox have announced John Farrell will be back at the helm for 2016. Farrell has battled cancer and now appears to have a clean bill of health prompting the Sox to bring him back.
The good news for fans is that the Sox also locked up Torey Lovullo, who has impressed as interim manager, for two more years. Some feared that Lovullo would be highly pursued by other clubs seeking a manager which would leave Boston in a pickle should Farrell need more time away. While it isn’t clear that the Sox would deny him permission to interview, locking him up surely makes it unlikely.
While most media members have sidestepped Farrell’s poor tenure as a manager due to much more important health concerns, it is fair to wonder just how close Boston came to replacing the manager. Lovullo almost got this team back to a .500 record which seemed inprobable. Meanwhile the Red Sox under Farrell have finished in the AL East cellar two years in a row and he could be on a short leash if the Sox start next year poorly. Either way, this is a win-win situation. John Farrell beat cancer and both men will return to a Sox team looking to compete in 2016.
Posted by Sean Brannen, Senior Writer for OTWBB
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