Despite being unceremoniously dumped from the playoffs by the Indians in a three game sweep, the Red Sox will keep manager John Farrell in charge for 2017. President of Baseball Ops Dave Dombrowski told Farrell just as much shortly after each other’s end of season press conferences.
“I just thought that, for me, John has done a fine job this year,” Dombrowski said. “I’ve been happy with working with him myself. I think he has the respect of the clubhouse. We played hard. I thought we had a good season. We won the division title. We communicate well with one another. And so, for me, there’s some decisions you just need to address as quickly as you possibly can because you know how important they are. I just thought it was the right time to do it, so that’s why I did it.”
Farrell does have one year left on his contract plus a team option for 2018. Beyond this year, Dombrowski has not indicated whether the team will pick up that option. However, Dombrowski is aware that only committing to Farrell for one season does put him and the team in a tricky situation.
“I need to sit down with ownership and discuss that,” Dombrowski said. “For me, it was just a matter of, I think it’s important for everyone to know he’s our leader going forward. He’s very well respected, and it gives him a clearer mind that he needs to go along with his staff to move forward.”
After back-to-back last place seasons, finishing with 71 and 78 wins respectively, after their 2013 World Series win, the Red Sox won 93 games this season to win the AL East, though that didn’t stop the scrutiny on Farrell’s in-game strategies, which have come under fire.
“I do not feel that in-game strategy is the biggest thing as a manager,” Dombrowski said. “I think it’s important, but there’s other things that I think are probably more important. As I’ve often told managers, to me, the most important thing for a manager is that their club plays up to their capabilities day in and day out, which means that they’re communicating with their players and they’re getting everything that they can and that their club is playing hard.”
Farrell’s entire coaching staff will also be asked to return, Dombrowski added.
[ESPN]
