Manager Bobby Valentine will be fired by the Boston Red Sox. The Red will fire Valentine and soon. You heard it here. That’s all there is to it. There is no more “will Bobby Valentine be fired” conversations left to be said. The question is answered, but not directly by the Red Sox front office or ownership.
It has been answered by Valentine himself. Not in a press conference, interview or press release. Valentine has answered it through his actions and the results he has garnered. This is especially true of what’s happened in the last few weeks.
What has Valentine done? Since August 12th, he’s led the team to a 6-14 mark. The Red Sox have lost 6 straight and 7 of their last 10. He’s overseen the Red Sox worst defeat in over 10 years as the Oakland Athletics destroyed the team 20-2 the other day. The Red Sox are now battling with the Toronto Blue Jays for last in the AL East and they are more than 13 games behind in the Wild Card.
ESPN reports that John Henry and other the Red Sox brass have gone to Seattle where the Red Sox are playing the Seattle Mariners on a fact finding to mission. This is as a result of the terrible road trip the team is on. It would be one thing for Henry and company to fly 3,000 miles if the Red Sox were in the race for a playoff spot. But they are not.
Henry and others must show Red Sox players and fans that they are genuinely concerned about their team, which has become a league embarrassment. Who will they get rid of to prove that? They have already fired the pitching coach (that made things worse). They may fire GM Ben Cherington. But even if they do that it’s not enough. They are trading players to make things better in the future. What is the next logical step? They need to find a future leader. They have already met with Valentine in Seattle.
That means they fire Bobby Valentine now, put in an interim manager and give themselves some time to find a good manager for this talented team. Valentine will not last the season. It’s the best thing that Henry and the rest of the owners can do to help this team and get the fans back on their side.
When will Valentine be fired? I expect that to happen any moment. This is not an attempt to help the Red Sox win any more games. It is an attempt to right the ship and salvage it for next season. A second season with Valentine is simply unacceptable to fans, players and ownership. It is, as I said at the start of this article, that simple.
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