Over the weekend the Sox traded Mike Avilles, a broken fungo, and a bag of baseballs to the Toronto Blue Jays in return for manager John Farrell. Historically, trading for a manager is disastrous. This year the Marlins went 69-93 after trading for Ozzie Guillen last off season, and when the Devil Rays traded for Lou Pinella in 2003 they went 63-99. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the Red Sox will have beter results this year than they had their first years.
Not only are the Sox not located in the hell hole that is the state of Florida, but this situation is completely different from the other two. John Farrell was on the Sox a few years ago and is familiar with the majority of players on the team. He also got out before the shit hit the fan in 2011. Most importantly, the last two years John Farrell was pitching coach for the Sox their startes held opponents to the lowest average in the American Leauge. In theory his presence should have a positive impact on pitching, an area in which the Sox need all the help they can get.
The Sox will not win the World Series in 2013 but they will be much more competitive. They have some holes in the line up that they need to fill but it would be shocking to see them make any major acquisitions this off season. That being said, the American League East is no loger powerhouse it once was. Every team in the division is equally capable of winning the division and falling flat on their faces. A realistic outlook for next season would entail winning 85 games or so and being in contention for the playoffs late into September. While the team will enter next season with a new cast of lesser known names it will be exciting to watch the team's identity transform back towards the winning culture of 2004-2007.
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