The Boston Red Sox wanted John Farrell to come back and manage the team. About a month ago there were rumors about Farrell, current Toronto Blue Jays manager and former Boston pitching coach, returning to Boston. The Blue Jays reacted by changing team policy and said firmly: no lateral moves. As the manager position for the Red Sox would be a lateral move, that was the end of the discussion, right? Wrong.
The Sox reportedly talked to the Blue Jays after the no lateral moves announcement (via NECN.com). Boston tried to convince Toronto to let them talk to Farrell. FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal wrote in his report that the "Sox never considered it likely that the Jays would engage in serious discussions about Farrell" and that the discussions broke off at that point.
Farrell is still under contract to manage the Blue Jays for another two seasons. The Red Sox interviewed current ESPN analyst and former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine about the open manager position on Monday.
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