The Red Sox already have one vacancy on the coaching staff– two-year hitting coach Greg Colbrunn left the team earlier this offseason to spend more time with his family– and could soon have one more. Manager John Farrell‘s right-hand man and bench coach Torey Lovullo is reportedly a legitimate candidate for the Twins’ managerial position, which is open for the first time in thirteen years after the firing of Ron Gardenhire.
Lovullo, who spent eight seasons in the Major Leagues, spending time with seven teams, has begun a successful coaching career in recent seasons. While he’s been passed up in his quests to manage the Red Sox, Dodgers, Mariners, and even the Rangers and Astros earlier this offseason, he served as a manager in the Minor Leagues for many years. Before the 2011 season, he was hired as the first-base coach of the Toronto Blue Jays and he remained on Farrell’s staff in Boston, joining the Red Sox as bench coach.
The Red Sox will have a busy enough offseason even without needing to replace another coach, though the team may not be without a hitting coach for much longer, with that position having been narrowed down to five candidates (my colleague Drew Peabody’s earlier post highlights the five options). With that being said, though, we wish Lovullo all the best in his pursuit of a Major League managerial job and we’ll certainly be rooting for him if he finally does land a job as manager. Of course, Lovullo was a part of the magical 2013 World Championship season and that’s perfectly good cause to cheer for him in his future endeavors.