Now that Theo Epstein has officially resigned his position as General Manager of the Boston Red Sox, the team is now beginning to turn its search to finding a replacement for manager Terry Francona.
According to a source close to the team, the Red Sox are unlikely to pursue a manager that is currently employed by another team. This would seem to eliminate former Sox pitching coach and current Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell, who was thought to be a potential candidate.
The other candidate that would seem to be out the door, would be Bud Black, the San Diego Padres manager. Black was considered for the position back in 2003 after Grady Little was let go and Francona was hired.
The team likely won't actually begin interviewing candidates for the manager position until after their general manager position is fully settled. It's expected that long time Epstein aide Ben Cherrington will be named the new GM within the next few weeks.