Thursday, November 1st, 2007 by Adam Wagner
Neal Huntington May Have Lost John Farrell
The story out of Boston this morning was that John Farrell is seriously considering keeping his position as pitching coach with the world champion Red Sox instead of accepting a position with the Pirates, who have reportedly not yet contacted him. If this is true, and if Neal Huntington is not interviewing Farrell when he flies to New England tomorrow, then Huntington has dropped the ball.
Farrell, with his experience with both coaching at lower levels and with rebuilding teams, is a necessary asset for any team like the Pirates. Huntington should have focused on Farrell from day one (well, Monday) instead of flirting with Joey Cora and attempting to figure out where Dave Jauss fits in. The on-field manager may not be the main focus right now, but it is a vital position that needs to be filled for the future, and having someone who knows how to handle young players is necessary for the growth of the team.
If Huntington has lost Farrell, the main option appears to be Joel Skinner or Joey Cora. Skinner makes sense because of his experience with Huntington and his time spent managing the Indians’ AAA team. Cora, however, has very little experience coaching at a major league level (neither does Farrell, for that matter) and would be more a interesting candidate once he manages a minor league club where he could prove himself.
Huntington should still do everything he can to convince Farrell to become the Pirates’ next manager, though he has his work cut out for him. Farrell may prefer to stay in Boston to take part in a potential dynasty. This would allow him to essentially pick the job that he wants when he decides to leave (remember, his star was already rising in mid-October), instead of being “stuck” managing a team like the Pirates.
Huntington should have the power to offer Farrell whatever it takes to seal the deal, as the pitching coach appears to be the best fit for the Pirates. The other candidates, specifically Skinner and possibly Cora, would be interesting as mangers, but it is still the difference between picking between a sure thing (Farrell) and a toss-up (the other candidates). Things may work out either way, but one candidate appears to be a much better fit than the other two from afar.
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