Varitek Favored For Red Sox Job After Cora Fired

The Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal has had a ripple effect across Major League Baseball. A total of three managers have now been fired, including Astros bench boss A.J. Hinch, New York Mets manager Carlos Beltran and Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

The Red Sox are just a year removed from being the World Series winners but they missed the playoffs last year, finishing with a record of 84-78. With a potent lineup, this team is not far off from being a contender once again. The question is who will manage them next? BetOnline has posted odds on the Red Sox job and it’s Jason Varitek who is currently favored to take over.

JASON VARITEK
ODDS: +100

There are actually six candidates at with odds inside of 8/1 but Varitek is the heavy favorite at EVEN money. After being a key member of the 2004 and 2007 World Series championship teams, so he’s popular among the fan base. He’s also been working for the organization since 2012, so he would be an internal hire. The challenge is he’s never been a manager before, so that could hold him back.

RON ROENICKE
ODDS: +400

I’m actually surprised that he’s not the favorite for this job. He was a bench coach under Cora for the last couple of seasons and is familiar with the day-to-day needs of the team. He’s also been a manager before as he managed the Milwaukee Brewers from 2011-15. He even guided them to the National League Championship Series one year. It would probably be a fairly smooth transition under him.

CARLOS FEBLES
ODDS: +700

Febles is another internal option as he’s been the team’s third-base coach and infield instructor over the last couple of seasons. Overall, he’s been with the Red Sox for 13 years. One edge he has over Varitek is that he does have managerial experience as he’s managed 904 games in the minors. The players would likely appreciate this move as it would probably mean there wouldn’t be significant change from Cora.

MARK KOTSAY
ODDS: +700

While the first two are options inside the organization, going with a guy like Kotsay would mean an external hire. Kotsay did spend a year with the team in 2008-09 but has been with the Oakland Athletics in various capacities since 2012. He’s currently the team’s quality control coach. He did get interviews with the San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates, so it’s clear that teams around the league view him as having potential.

EDUARDO PEREZ
ODDS: +1000

Perez currently serves as a baseball analyst for ESPN and is among the names that are being floated for the Red Sox job. In the past, an analyst becoming a coach would have been a stretch but Aaron Boone has done well, making the transition from ESPN to the New York Yankees with success.

Perez has held a number of coaching positions, including being the 2008 Puerto Rico Baseball Manager of the Year. He’s generally liked and is viewed as a sharp baseball mind. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he ended up with the job.

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