Red Sox Notes: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

It appears as though the Red Sox have been making minor headlines in the past 24 hours, here is a look at a handful of notes to satiate the appetite of the Nation.

THE GOOD.

By all accounts, it appears as though the Sox are going to try and address their pitching issues. According to Alex Speier on WEEI.com, the Red Sox met with agent Bob Garber last evening in Milwaukee. Garber represents free agent right-hander Roy Oswalt and left hander C.J. Wilson.

Many have thought that Oswalt would be an instant fit in Boston for the past several seasons. I, for one, would love to see the man come to town. Oswalt would bring with him a career 3.21 ERA and 1.194 WHIP. You could make the argument that since Oswalt has only ever pitched in the NL, his ERA would jump a whole point in his first season in the AL - but would a 4.21 ERA be that bad as a 4 or 5 starter? That is exactly what he would be in a rotation that includes Beckett, Lester and Buchholz at the front of it.

C.J. Wilson is another interesting candidate. Though I think he is a great pitcher, I don't think he would be more than 3rd in your pitching depth chart in Boston. I also fear for how he would react to the pressure that Boston puts on players. He has a career ERA of 3.60 and a WHIP of 1.291, all while playing in the American League.

A case can be made in favor of Wilson in the AL East though. Looking at his splits, he has faced the Yankees 1 time. In that game the Yanks batted .250 against him with a .364 OBP and only a .649 OPS. Wilson faced the Blue Jays once, they hit .412 with a .500 OBP and a 1.206 OPS. He has faced the Red Sox twice. The Sox batted .217 with a .280 OBP and a .541 OPS. He faced the Rays 3 times. They managed a .147 batting average with a .247 OBP and a .526 OPS. In other words, in his 7 games against the AL East, teams batted .256 against him with a .348 OBP and a .730 OPS, largely thanks to the offense provided by the Blue Jays. It appears he could handle his own, who knows?

THE BAD.

Looks like the Red Sox will not be landing the manager many thought would take the place of Terry Francona. The Boston Globe, Boston Herald, ESPN Boston and WEEI are all reporting that Dale Sveum is close to signing with the Chicago Cubs to be their new manager. This throws a kink in the plans of Ben Cherington and Co.

While I was never on board with bringing in Sveum, I was on board with getting a manager in place and allowing this team to move forward. It appears as though there will be a delay in that happening.

From what I have been hearing, Pete Mackanin is out of the race. That leaves Sandy Alomar, Jr., Torey Lovullo and Gene Lamont as the three remaining previously interviewed candidates. In my opinion, Lovullo would then be the clear leader in the clubhouse, but I have been wrong before. Though I would still love to see Ryne Sandberg or Dave Martinez, I think this is Lovullo's job to lose.

THE UGLY (Part 1.)

This is part truth and part speculation. The truth is that the Red Sox have made an offer to David Ortiz. After the offer was extended, Ortiz made it public that he would be willing to allow any other offers made to him to be matched by the Red Sox.

My speculation: Ortiz is not at all happy with the offer the Sox gave him. If you are in the "bring Ortiz back" camp - this may be ugly for you, as he may not be back.

THE UGLY (Part 2.)

Heidi Watney is leaving NESN for a new position with Time-Warner Cable, working for the Lakers. Watney will be missed.

Cherington Has Proven Me Wrong

Ben Cherington has proven me wrong in regards to the Boston Red Sox managerial search. Back on October 29th I posted a blog predicting Dave Martinez of the Tampa Bay Rays would take over the reigns in Boston, becoming the Red Sox 42nd manager in club history. It seemed like a solid choice at the time.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and this morning on the Remy Report, Jerry linked to an article posted on ESPN Boston stating that Ben Cherington was quoted as saying "I wouldn't rule out adding another person, but there are no plans to." This was in response to the 5 managerial candidates that the Red Sox are interviewing for the position: Pete Mackanin, Dale Sveum, Sandy Alomar Jr., Torey Lovullo and Gene Lamont.

In my original piece I had written off Sveum as being not "high profile" enough, while I stated that according to information posted by Buster Olney, Torey Lovullo appeared to be staying put in Toronto. Sandy Alomar was number 2 on my list while Pete Mackanin was number 4. Gene Lamont was not even on my radar, which says something considering I listed a total of 17 names that were heavily rumored to be "in" on the position.

Of the remaining five candidates my prediction world has been rocked upside down. I still maintain that I do not find Mackanin or Alomar (as much as I like him) to be the man for the job. Gene Lamont would probably have to fall into the 5 spot for me, considering my lack of consideration beforehand. Dale Sveum does not come across to me as the type of manager that would be able to walk into the Red Sox organization and steer this ship. I do think he would make for a fine manager of the Chicago Cubs.

That leaves Torey Lovullo, a man I had written off because of what appears to have been a bad tip. Why does he appear to be the best fit for this team? First of all, he has been in the Red Sox organization, formerly managing the Pawtucket Red Sox. He is well aware of the expectations fans in Boston have of their team. Secondly, he is an 8-year veteran of Major League Baseball, playing 8 seasons between 1988 and 1999. Third, he is only 46 years old. He is young enough to relate to this team.

Lovullo has been coaching for 10 years, breaking in with the Cleveland Indians organization back in 2001. He has been widely considered a rising star in the managerial ranks, doing a fine job everywhere he has been. Lovullo comes across as a man that can handle the pressure in Boston and be able to handle some pretty significant egos in the process.

So, Ben Cherington you proved me wrong. Dave Martinez is not the next manager of the Boston Red Sox; Torey Lovullo is. That is my final answer and I am sticking to it.