John Farrell and the Boston Red Sox are parting ways after a drama-filled five-year stretch.
The Boston Red Sox made a ton of moves to build a strong contender in 2016. After falling short, many called into question the credentials of manager John Farrell, wondering if he was the right guy for the team. The acquisition of Chris Sale and other huge moves last offseason put the manager on the hot seat.
After a second straight first-round exit in the postseason, the Red Sox have decided to part ways with Farrell, avoiding a potential lame duck situation. Though Boston has had a lot of success over the past two seasons, they’ve fallen short each time. And at some point, it becomes far easier to make a change on the bench than it is to make significant changes to the roster. The Red Sox have reached that point.
This concludes a fascinating five-year stretch for Farrell. He started his tenure with the Red Sox by leading them to a World Series title in 2013. However, Farrell’s team missed the postseason in each of the next two seasons. He saved his job for at least one more season by taking the Red Sox to a division title in 2016, but another first-round exit proved to be too much for Farrell to overcome.
In particular, his bullpen management was often criticized. Farrell made some very bold decisions in the postseason this year, including using David Price exclusively as a reliever and sending out Chris Sale from the bullpen in Game 4 of the American League Divisional Series.
The former proved to be a pretty wise decision, as Price was extremely dominant out of the bullpen. For the first time since the 2008 postseason, he looked unhittable on the mound in the playoffs. However, using Sale out of the bullpen proved to be the decision that burned him. Staying with Craig Kimbrell despite early warning signs cemented his fate.
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Boston must look to find the right manager for a team that is aging but still looking to win a World Series. One who is used to the constant high pressure surrounding the Red Sox. Farrell might want to take a year off after an exhausting tenure that lasted half a decade, but he shouldn’t have much trouble finding another job.