Red Sox Fire John Farrell

The Boston Red Sox fired manager John Farrell because Red Sox ratings on NESN were down 15% this year. Sure other explanations will be given for the firing but the real reason is because NESN's freaking ratings were down and the clowns who own the Red Sox needed a scapegoat.

I'm not kidding.

John Farrell won the AL East 3 out of 5 years he managed in Boston, beat cancer for a franchise forever linked with battling cancer (the Jimmy Fund and Boston Red Sox are synonymous in New England) and HE WON A WORLD SERIES. His job should have been safe if he worked for more stable owners anywhere else in any other sport.

But the Red Sox have the least stable (and likable) ownership of all the four major sports franchises in Boston. Theo Epstein and Terry Francona should still be here and be historically somewhere between the duos of Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens with the Celtics and the all-time great duo of Brady and Belichick (no first names or team citation needed). But no - ownership needed a perceived scapegoat then too!

It will be said that GM Dave Dombrowski wanted "his own man" as manager and that's true to an extent. But the only reason Red Sox ownership let him make this move is because ratings at NESN were down 15% this year. If the rating were flat or down just a couple points - John Farrell would still be managing.

I don't care to engage in everyone's favorite new game of "who will be the next Red Sox manager" but I will make one prediction - rating at NESN will be down another 15% next year too.

Because Red Sox ownership doesn't get it and probably never will. 

State of the Red Sox

The Patriots were nice enough to have their bye-week the same week the 2015 season came to an end for the Red Sox so some fans were drawn back to the last place Sox for one last time. Which was nice since Sunday was also the last game to be called by fan and player favorite Don Orsillo.

Most Red Sox beat writers wasted no time in opining on what the Boston front office needs to do this winter. To save you the time of reading this fluff I'll summarize 90% of the articles: Dave Dombrowski needs to A. get an Ace and B. get rid of Hanley Ramirez. I largely don't disagree but there more work to be done than that.

At catcher the Red Sox seem set with Blake Swihart (who had a slash line of .303/.353/.452/.805 after the All-Star game) and Christian Vazquez (who was on his way to being the best defensive catcher in the AL before he hurt his arm). Does Dombrowski use one of his young stud catchers as a trade chip?

First base is the biggest question. Travis Shaw hit 13 homers in just 65 games but his splits are extreme. At home he has an OPS of  .953 while on the road is just .677. Versus lefties he mashed - batting .329 vs just .243 against righties. Move Hanley Ramirez to first? I'd rather not. A Brock Holt / Travis Shaw platoon might be the best solution if no other pieces are added.

Second (Pedroia), short (Bogaerts), DH (Ortiz) and third (Sandoval) are all-set. I say Boston is set at third mostly because of Pablo Sandoval's contract (he's got 4-years and $78 million left on his deal) but I'm not a fan.

The outfield also seems set with Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts and Rusney Castillo. I'm not sold yet on Castillo but my guess is the Boston brass gives him a full year to see what they've got in him.

Everyone says the Red Sox need an ace with most people pointing to David Price via free agency or Sonny Gray via trade and I'd be happy to get either (unless the asking price for Gray was Betts or Bogaerts). However, as much crap the starting staff took this year - they weren't that bad in the second half of the season.

The bull-pen on the other hand was a mess. I hope this off season sees lots of changes. One person suggested (sorry I forget who) that Dombrowski float a bad contract in Allen Craig (2-years and $21 million remaining) for bad clubhouse person Jonathan Papelbon. Still not sure how I'd feel about that swap.

As always should be an interesting Hot Stove season.