Now, finally, the team can turn to the future, having filled the fissures.
“It’s exciting,’’ second baseman Dustin Pedroia told WEEI. “Just excited to have a manager. It took a long time. I think the search is over and now we can all get ready for next year. And I bet all the fans are excited too.
“He’s been around. He’s done it before in a big market. So it’s going to be fun.’’
Under new general manager Ben Cherington and Valentine, the Red Sox will devote their full attention to constructing a roster for next season. Part of that will be reshaping the coaching staff.
Four members of Francona’s coaching staff remain under contract: third base coach Tim Bogar, bench coach DeMarlo Hale, hitting coach Dave Magadan, and catching instructor Gary Tuck.
Cherington said earlier this month that none have guarantees to be on the major league staff but some would receive “strong recommendations’’ once a new manager was in place.
Typically, when the team fills several slots on a staff, the manager is given latitude on some choices and other roles are filled by mutual agreement.
Magadan is likely to return for a sixth season given the elite performance by the lineup last season. The Red Sox led baseball in runs, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.
The organization also thinks highly of Tuck, a five-year veteran of the staff. His role in the development of Jarrod Saltalamacchia is significant.
Bogar may not necessarily return at third base but is well-regarded by Cherington.
Hale, who has close ties to Francona, is up for a spot on Buck Showalter’s staff in Baltimore.
The most important hire will be the pitching coach, who will become the third in as many years. Curt Young, who replaced John Farrell after the 2009 season, returned to Oakland after a rocky season with the Red Sox. There is no obvious in-house candidate, although the Red Sox could turn to newly hired scout and instructor Bob McClure, a former pitching coach for the Royals.
Valentine is sure to have his choices. He has worked before with Dave Wallace, who was the Red Sox pitching coach from 2003-06. Wallace is now in the Atlanta organization but maintains a residence in Massachusetts.
