The Red Sox finalized their 2021 coaching staff on Friday (relayed by Chris Cotillo of MassLive). As expected, Will Venable comes over from the Cubs to be Alex Cora’s bench coach. Also joining the staff is former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, who will step into the newly-created game planning coordinator role. Varitek has worked in various positions in the Boston organization since wrapping up his playing career in 2011. His new job will make him a full-time member of the coaching staff for the first time, Cotillo notes.
Otherwise, most of the 2020 staff is set to return. Hitting coach Tim Hyers, assistant hitting coach Peter Fatse, base coaches Tom Goodwin and Carlos Febles, and pitching coach Dave Bush are all back to reprise their previous roles. Kevin Walker has been promoted from assistant pitching coach to bullpen coach (replacing Craig Bjornson), while Ramón Vázquez has been moved up to quality control coach.
The most notable addition to the Boston staff is obviously Cora, who was again hired as manager after serving a one-year suspension for his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. The 45-year-old skipper is plenty familiar with most of the holdovers, having managed the Red Sox from 2018-19.
Varitek finally taking on more of a role in Boston. Great guy, whose going to be a great presence as we reload.
Varitek moving closer to the game is a good sign. He’s an expert in preparation. Glad to have him on board.
Should be a manager.
I’d like to know more about Tek’s new job, n what his future will be. Please stop with the HATE posts about Cora it’s uncalled for and over unless you’re one a perfect soul wearing wings!
Pasha, what should stop is defending cheaters. Sorry to disagree with you but the league and the Sox continue to take the low road. The lack of real punishment compared to the financial benefits available in the sport continue to encourage cheating in one form or another. I’ve said it before. With the sport’s marriage to legalized gambling, eventually they will lose in court.
Ugh can you just stop already. Nobody, and I mean nobody wants to hear it anymore.
“ugh” is not a word. Try to use real words, it isn’t that hard.
Grow up kid
This is exhausting. He served his time. Stop clutching your pearls and go root for whichever team you’re into.
Cheaters need to be held accountable.
Alex Cora was held accountable.
Move on.
He wasn’t held accountable. He was made an example of, an example that shows everyone cheating is worth it.
Anyway, I sooo hope the Red Sox are good this year because when the Yankees crush them all you Red Sux can make up your excuses. Sale is finished, E-Rod is done, the Sox are a sub-Rays team for the near future and it’s awesome!
Nonetheless, Jason Veritek brings a modicum of respect to the organization that is needed for their fans, the ayers, and frankly, their manager. He’s a good player, a good person, and will contribute to improving organization’s ethical standards. I like it. I hope they prep him for manager.
I mean you did get beat by the Rays, so you also are a sub-Rays team.
MLB held Alex Cora accountable but a Yankee fan disagrees with the resolution … and then tarnishes the reputation Yankee fans. ;-)
Every team except for the Dodgers is a sub-Rays team. But I know Yankees fans gotta keep projecting for the last decade of organizational failures. We’ll all have fun seeing DJ in Queens in 2021!
Hey Clipper, you mean the same Yankees that are still fighting a judge’s order to unseal a letter from Manfred that possibly implicates then of cheating in 2017? The same Yankees who’s defense is that the unsealing would damage their reputation? Ironic.
How was Cora held accountable? Missing a short season when he could have chosen not to manage anyway due to the pandemic. Sorry, but prior blogs and posts show I’m not alone. I just listened to a show where they mentioned only the NFL is doing well ratings wise. Even with people staying sports including MLB lost big in ratings this year. Such is likely to continue in the short run and enabling cheating won’t help in the long term.
XACTLY
Joe Giradi admitted they cheated using a YES camera and the bullpen phone. The NYY s only paid a small fine and had the whole thing hushed up.
Love the Yankee fans comments on cheating. Oh, the outrage! Oh, the irony!
I think the Yankees should vacate all World Series titles won during the steroid era. If they don’t, the game is forever tarnished!!!
Cheaters should get lifetime bans.
You typed a three-line comment.
But your point is still invalid.
If it was in a blog… who could argue?
Then vote Pete Rose in. This is a JOKE.
Cora did his time assigned and is free to resume his life/career. There has been an argument about the severity of the punishment but that isn’t in his control. Not sure what the legalized gambling has to do with it. im pretty sure all of the major 4 leagues are associated with gambling at this point. Does that call into question the other 3 leagues as well? im just curious as to your stance, in general…
At some point, a case will get beyond an early motion to dismiss. If testimony is taken and it’s shown exactly where and when cheating was overlooked or allowed by not having a zero tolerance, gamblers who lost might have a case if the betting playing field isn’t level and the league took inadequate steps to correct it.
Legalized gambling has absolutely nothing to do with it.
Of course it does. If the league continues to look the other way and people can prove they lost because of cheating, congress or the Feds could even get involved. No one wants that. Just think how much was bet on the Astros in 17 and what if it comes out that players have friends who bet? Insider trading is no different. Of course I’m being dramatic but such could certainly have happened or can happen down the road without a truly zero tolerance policy. Do you think Cora would be back if Giamatti or Vincent were in charge?
A former Dodger is now suing.
dodgersnation.com/dodgers-news-astros-lawsuit-gets…
ther
A former Dodger is now suing.
dodgersnation.com/dodgers-news-astros-lawsuit-gets…
there are suits already from gamblers. most will probably get dismissed early on but eventually one will survive and if not settled could get class action status and if it gets that far, the exchange of records including emails and testimony could be explosive.
I see about ten comments and nobody has mentioned Cora until you did. With that said, I’m glad Varitek ia getting a bigger role with the RS.
All I wanted to know Eastsider was what kinda job Tek was gonna do?
He’ll probably be spending the bulk of his working with catchers and pitchers.
You don’t know that.
It’s been stated.
We all know that you’re into anything and everything Red Sox and that’s okay, but your comment about Cora if offbase…..he didn’t do it in 1 place, but 2 which shows a total disregard for rules and an indifference to how that might reflect on not only himself with the win at all costs mentality, but also disrespects the entire league…not even getting into the affects his cheating on the Red Sox and Astros did to other teams players, managers, coaches, fans, etc all around the league…..try and be realistic for a change…..put this in the Brockstar category!
And for a comparison, Pete Rose, probably one of the greatest players in the modern era is banned from baseball yet this guy is allowed to re-enter with his smug me-first attitude.
Rock, I agree and disagree. Brock could have given the fans a little love last year which was nothing but pitiful to watch. Pete Rose voluntarily accepted a lifetime ban and probably blew out an arm or two because he wagered. The only reason why he wants in is $$$. He never truly tried to make amends with the sport. My beef with Cora is in my view it’s too soon and when he came back it should have been in the minor leagues.
The Captain…I LOVE it!
Tek will be the next Boston manager
Let’s GO SOX…
It is still hard to believe how quickly AJ Hinch and Alex Cora were welcomed back into the managerial ranks and the fact that the same team that fired Cora a year ago rehired him shows how little they cared about the weight of the infractions and the punsihment.
And Luhnow is the one that is getting blackballed? He probably had the least to do with what happened and a good GM is way more valuable than a good manager. Baseball is weird.
Luhnow probably had the most to do with it but okay then
That isn’t the case at all. You should do some research.
Difference is Luhnow has never accepted any responsibility. Say what you want about Hinch and Cora, they did accept responsibility and apologized.
That is a good point, Joe Says.
He blackballed himself really. All he had to do was not comment when the Hinch and Cora hiring rumors began circulating. Is anyone really going to believe that he was completely non-complicit of the happenings of an organization he was in charge of? If he was, he’s not a very good GM. On the contrary, I actually thought he was competent and did a good job reconstructing the Astros. Luhnow fell on his own sword.
Both Should have been banned from baseball for life!
Love this x 100 ^^^^^
Luhnow is burning every bridge he crossed, good riddance.
There will be a quiet but huge settlement with Luhnow. MLB does not want testimony to be made public. I’m hoping there isn’t so EVERYTHING has to come out. Let the chips fall!
“Assistant hitting coach” and “game planning coordinator” – not even the dugout is safe from bureaucracy. Nice to see Varitek moving forward with his career.
Do you know what the word bureaucracy means?
How about a poll of whether or not the Sox finish above .500 next year? It doesn’t matter who is sitting in the dugout, players play the game!
Below at least 10 games if not more
Blake Snell told me to tell you “Kevin Cash says hello.”
It seems like the yankees blame each season failure on someone else… who di they blame this year on?
27, 27, 27, 27, 27…
depends heavily on their offseason strategy really
And, whether or not the people in the dugout can relay which pitch is coming next because of their technology, but yeah, for the most part they’re innocuous.
Varitek should be in the Hall imo
His speech when inducted would take 4 hours because he’d walk over and talk to a pitcher before every other sentence.
They should call the new limit on mound visits the Varitek/Posada rule.
Should be Pedro Martinez on stage with ARod in the audience shouting for him to hurry up.
No one does/did it more than Molina which in my view is why the rules were changed. There was a game against Boston a few years back where it seemed every other pitch he went out to the mound. And he will be in 5he HOF, maybe giving a speech in two languages . Might take 8 hours.
As a Red Sox fan… no he really shouldn’t. The man could call a great game and made a good leader but the truth is when you look at catchers in the time when Tek was active there were 7 other catchers with a higher WAR and only one of them made it to the Hall of Fame. As for his caught stealing numbers, he doesn’t even make it into the top 400 of all time catchers.
Let’s remember the man for what he was, a great Red Sox hero who deserves his spot in the Red Sox Hall of Fame. But otherwise, I wouldn’t call him one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
Had a decent career, but not HOF worthy. 61st in catcher JAWS, puts him just below Carlos Ruiz and Salvador Perez and just above Marlins long time catcher Charles Johnson. Good players but nobody who’s making it to Cooperstown.
No he shouldn’t.
Right next to Harold Baines.
I always thought Varitek would be in the dugout as the Boston manager. Nice to see the first steps coming to light. Always loved the way he played and called a game.
Don’t you know they’re riding on the Varitek Express.
Damn it’s a slow news day for MLB
Doesn’t matter who the Red Sox have coaching if they can’t pitch. Who knows what Sale has left in the tank. Im expecting a much better performance pitching wise next season from everyone. Nervous if E-Rod can keep it going.
Glad Tek is getting a supposed bigger role!!
All I wanna know is what that role is/means?
Maybe manager in waiting should Cora get caught cheating again…
My guess is Venable was hired to take the reins if Cora becomes too much of a distraction. Tek might just be there to take some of the pressure off everyone.
I was joking. If it gets that bad, all but Tek will be gone if they think he’s ready.
I appreciate your help but xactly is Teks job mean? I never heard or that sorta job. And I’ve been around a long time!
As much as I like Cora, it’s terrible how they treated Roenicke. I didn’t care for Roenicke, but to fire him and rehire Cora was ruthless.
He was a good soldier and actually planned on retiring before Cora’s suspension. Given how the team basically told everyone he’d be back at that conference when it was announced he wouldn’t manage in 20, he knew other than a 13 type miracle season, he was one and done.
Where did you get this info? I would like to know and appreciate if that is the case.
Read it when he was hired that he retired after the 2019 season to “pause” his career and to see if he wanted to stay in baseball but then the Cora suspension happened. Tried to find it online but couldn’t.
Tek for manager!