5 managers the Cincinnati Reds can hire to fix their mess

3. John Farrell

The Boston Red Sox won 93 games in each of the last two seasons under Farrell, but a four-game ALDS loss to the eventual world champion Houston Astros last fall led to his dismissal.

Farrell was a background candidate for some other managerial openings after last year, but he remains available. His success level in Boston, with three 90-win seasons and a World Series title in five seasons, will lead to more opportunities (and better potential fits?) once the 2018 campaign is over.

Farrell is working as an analyst for ESPN. But he’s also doing some scouting for the Reds, under a title as a pitching consultant. His background a former major league pitcher, and pitching coach for the Red Sox from 2007-2010 under Terry Francona, makes him a worthy person to scout and evaluate pitchers.

Pitching has been an ongoing problem for the Reds, due in equal parts to a lack of talent, some injuries and a hitter-friendly home park. Price, as a former pitching coach himself, couldn’t get it right. But maybe Farrell can do something about it, and he’s essentially an internal candidate to be the next manager.