Mazz: Dave Dombrowski Has Put John Farrell On Notice
BOSTON (CBS) -- With the Red Sox floundering through the entire month of June, the hot seat has found itself firmly planted underneath manager John Farrell.
And so, questions are beginning to be asked.
Boston Herald Red Sox reporter Jason Mastrodonato asked team president Dave Dombrowski via email "if he still believed Farrell was the right person to lead the Red Sox to the postseason."
Dombrowski's answer did not address the question.
"Every club struggles at some time during the year," Dombrowski told Mastrodonato via email. "We have a good club and feel we will start playing to our capabilities soon."
Tony Massarotti reacted to the comment, saying John Farrell may have just been put on notice.
"To me, this thing reeks of, 'We're going to come home, fire the manager, and go into the All-Star break,'" Mazz said on The Baseball Reporters. "Dave Dombrowski has now put everybody on alert that John Farrell is back on the hot seat again. This is coming directly from the organization now. You have the president of baseball operations in the organization answering by email a question about the fate of the manager. Answering by email, meaning Dombrowski got the question and could have ignored it, could have not sent an email back, could have done any one of a million things. But what he elected to do was reply and to say, 'We believe the team will come out of it, saying nothing about the manager.
"And so what I'm telling you is this was an alert that went out to John Farrell and everyone else who follows the Red Sox -- both internally and externally, fans, players, coaches, anyone who has any interest in the team whatsoever -- this was an alert that John Farrell is back on the hot seat. And over the next 10 days, if the Red Sox don't snap out of this thing -- and I say 10 days because the All-Star break is coming up -- I think this is [saying], 'If the team doesn't come out of it, we're making a change at the All-Star break.' I think that everyone has been put on alert now, and we understand what the stakes are."
Jim Murray said he interpreted the comments as Dombrowski announcing that a firing could happen at any moment, that it might not even take 10 days.
"I just hope that they don't wait that long if this series against the Angels is ugly," Murray said. "Because they've got the Rangers too coming up, to wait till the All-Star break, that might be too late as far as the season is concerned."
Whatever the timeline may be, the overriding message seems clear.
"If you're asking me," Mazz said, "the Red Sox made a deliberate step today, a concerted effort to go out there and say John Farrell's job is at stake again in the next 10 days. That's how I interpret it."
Mazz added that the Red Sox probably should have already pulled the trigger on the firing, but the comments at least indicate a move could happen very soon.
"My guess is that late [Thursday] afternoon, Dave Dombrowski replied to Jason Mastrodonato and said, 'We believe we're going to start playing better soon,' and did not even touch or go near John Farrell's job security. He would not come out and say, 'John Farrell's job is safe, we think he's doing an excellent job.' Because, obviously, it's not safe, because it's in play."
Listen to the baseball reporters below:
