If the Red Sox look outside the organization
Sam Fuld never played in Boston but he’s a New Hampshire native who might be drawn back to New England. He’s currently serving as the Major League Player Information Coordinator for the Philadelphia Phillies. His job is to provide recommendations to players based on analytics, a skill set that might appeal to a Red Sox organization that values this data. Fuld’s name popped up in connection to several vacant managerial spots last year and should be considered an option for teams to consider this winter.
Bloom’s connection to the Rays organization has led to speculation that he might try to pry Kevin Cash out of Tampa Bay but that seems unlikely since he’s under contract through 2024. The Rays are a contender that has no reason to want to part with their successful manager.
Instead, the Red Sox could target Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro. Bloom is familiar with Quatraro, who was as minor league hitting coach for the Rays from 2010-13. After a stint in Cleveland as an assistant hitting coach, Quatraro returned to the Rays as a third base coach in 2017 and was promoted to bench coach last year. Quatraro is viewed as a promising candidate who was a finalist for the job with the Phillies and Pirates last offseason.
Hensley Meulens has a connection to Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts from his time managing the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. It couldn’t hurt to hire a manager who already has a relationship with your star player. Meulens won three World Series rings as hitting coach for the Giants before the Mets hired him as their bench coach this year.
More names will begin to emerge as we get further into the offseason. The list could grow to include some with managerial experience if other clubs part ways with their current manager who could be looking for a fresh start. If Boston values that experience, they might be willing to wait to see who hits the market. Of course, waiting also keeps the door open for a potential Cora return. The Red Sox should be one of the top destinations for candidates looking for a managerial position so they should have plenty of options.