Almost two months after the firing of president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, the Red Sox are set to name Chaim Bloom as their chief baseball officer. Bloom will inherit a team whose coaching staff is just about complete, though manager Alex Cora & Co. still have to find a pitching coach to grab the reins from the reassigned Dana LeVangie. The race consists of five individuals and is nearing a conclusion, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.
Of Boston’s quintet of potential LeVangie successors, the previously reported Bryan Price is the only one with experience as a major league pitching coach, Speier relays. Although Price is best known for his ill-fated run as the Reds’ manager from 2014-18, he’s a former professional hurler who oversaw the pitching staffs of the Mariners, Diamondbacks and Reds for a combined 13 years before Cincinnati chose him for its top job.
It’s not fully clear whom Price is vying against to join Boston’s staff, though Speier notes the club has also spoken with in-house candidates and possibly even coaches from the college ranks. Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal (subscription link) suggested last week that Dave Bush, an ex-big league right-hander who has worked with the Red Sox for three seasons, may be in line for a promotion to take over as either the MLB team’s pitching coach or its assistant pitching coach. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com writes that Bush is “surely” one of the four non-Price choices the Red Sox have interviewed. If true, that still leaves three mystery names in the running for the position.
Perhaps Chaim Bloom may have something to add to this decision.
I believe Price gets the job
Hopefully you mean David Price retires from being an active pitcher and becomes a full time pitching coach
Whomever they get I hope they choose welln the pitchers can relate to him. I kinda wish they give Porcello a 1 yr contract.
Is not happening especially with Bloom in our FO now
Agreed on both comments. Even on a horrible year, he was still healthy and his hidden added value is in how many pitching bullets did he save others from throwing? With the rest of the Sox starters, no one else could be penciled in for 170+ innings every year. I don’t see Chaim re-signing him early on but I see a glimmer of hope in that if he gets no real offer, he could come back and sign a one year low base with incentives and if starts out like 2019, he gets traded or cut before the incentives trigger. Just posting here as I can see the Mets for example even with their financial concerns take a one year flyer if they lose Wheeler. He could do well in that park provided they get revamp their defense.
I’m sure Porcello believes that some team will offer him 3 years.
who would ?
I could see the Phillies, Reds or D-Backs kicking the tires on Rick.
The Reds have no need for an overpriced 5th starter. Mahle is cheap and still has upside.
Porcello might get a two year deal with incentives and a player’s option should he revert back to Cy Young form.
People think Boston will make moves to contend & that may be correct however they will make moves to secure money toi
Al Nipper
If the story goes true that horrid pitchers can become decent pitching coaches? Nipper would be the guy. he had the record at 1 time for the highest ERA to EVER start a WS game back in the ’86 series and was promptly.. horrid in his start.
A matching personality recall perfectly from his Winter haven Red sox days and sense of entitlement.. he probably thinks deserves the job.
Those that can’t do, teach. Except for Nipper. If Price doesn’t take the job, offer it to Bill Lee.
Lee would rather still pitch soft ball in Hawaii. He’d be amazing in today’s game if he could only pass a drug test. His antics with Bernie Carbo and Reggie Cleveland would lead the Internet in posts and I loved Him on the mound as he knew how to pitch.
Signing Porcello right out of the gate would not be a good first look for the Bloom regime. Let him dangle out there for a while and then maybe get him on the cheap. Carrying a torch for your past heroes can really mess up your future. Just ask the Cubs.
My guess is the Chaim Bloom already has someone in mind.
Let’s face it Tampa did wonders with their pitching staffs in the last decade.
It’s likely Chaim knows a sharp guy to evaluate and implement policy in this area.
We could only hope there’s a plan like that in place. Boston has had a very difficult time keeping the same pitching coach for more than a year or two, and the pitching staffs themselves have been wildly inconsistent year to year. Wouldn’t mind some of the strategies they use in Tampa to now be implemented in Boston.