There were indications on Saturday night that the Red Sox were moving closer to a deal that would make John Farrell their next manager, a baseball source said.
A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed that talks with the Toronto Blue Jays, Farrell's present employer, are ongoing. The Red Sox will need to satisfy the Blue Jays' demands for compensation for allowing Farrell to leave the organization with a year remaining on his current contract.
A source said the Sox are hopeful of having a manger in place prior to the start of the World Series, which begins Wednesday in either St. Louis or San Fransisco. The source would not confirm progress toward landing Farrell, but it has been obvious the last few days that the Sox are focused on their former pitching coach who worked for them from 2007-2010.
The Red Sox have already interviewed four other candidates for the vacancy - Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach; San Diego Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus; New York Yankees bench coach Tony Pena; and Baltimore Orioles third base coach DeMarlo Hale.
The Sox were said to be impressed with all four candidates, but none of the four met with ownership while in Boston for their first-round interviews, and given the time table of wanting a manager in place by Tuesday, it's impossible to believe that any of the four interviewed candidates is the primary target.
Coming to an agreement on compensation figures to be the biggest challenge of the process for the Red Sox. One source Saturday said it was expected that the team would have to surrender either a player off its 25-man roster or a significant prospect from its minor league system. A year ago, when the Red Sox first approached Toronto about Farrell's availability, the Blue Jays asked for pitcher Clay Buchholz, ending talks immediately. Boston then hired Bobby Valentine, only to fire him the day after the 2012 season ended.
It's unknown whether the parameters of a deal with Farrell and the Sox are in place but throughout the process,Farrell has done nothing to discourage his interest or eliminate himself from being considered for the position.