Lovullo Could be an Option for the Braves' New Managerial Vacancy
(Dec. 31, 1999 - Source: Jim Rogash/Getty Images North America) |
Contributing Writer
Torey Lovullo is that really hot girl who has a really ugly boyfriend, yet stays loyal to him despite every guy and his brother wanting her.
The ugly boyfriend is John Farrell.
After going 28-21 for the second-half of last season, Lovullo, who was the interim replacement for Farrell, was highly coveted over the offseason by many teams. In the past, he's interviewed for openings with the Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs after the 2013 World Series, and the Houston Astros after the 2014 season.
During this past offseason, Lovullo re-signed with Boston to a two-year deal out of loyalty and friendship to Farrell. But in that contract, it does allow him to interview for other managerial positions.
This week, the Atlanta Braves fired their manager Fredi Gonzalez after leading his squad to an MLB-worst 9-28.
Why is this significant?
Because Lovullo would be a prime candidate for the Braves' managerial vacancy. The Braves haven't mentioned his name yet, but they probably will end up giving Tor-the-boar the shoutout at some point. He proved how great he is at handling young players in the ladder-half of last year when he was handed the keys to a failing and underperforming team. The Braves are in the beginning stages of a massive rebuild, so the team is mostly younger guys.
#RedSox bench coach Torey Lovullo, who managed a young team well last summer, should be considered by the #Braves.— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) May 17, 2016
Many people here in Boston thought that Lovullo would be the heir to Farrell. But due to the incredible 24-16 start that the Sox have had, Farrell probably won't need a replacement anytime soon.
As much as I want to keep Lovullo around, Farrell is doing fine and Lovullo does deserve to manage a team. I would love to have him as a safety net and some motivation for Farrell to know that Lovullo is waiting in the wings once he screws up, but hey, other teams need managers too.
Let's just hope that Farrell holds that extra motivation close to him even if Lovullo does end up going to Atlanta.
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