The Red Sox are interviewing Luis Urueta for the club’s open managerial position, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (Spanish-language link). He’s expected to speak with the club today via phone.
Urueta is presently the bench coach of the Diamondbacks, where he serves under skipper Torey Lovullo — who, like much of the top Arizona baseball ops leadership, came over from the Boston organization. The Snakes have given Urueta permission to interview, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).
The 39-year-old Urueta didn’t make it far as a professional player, but he has found quite a lot of success by climbing the ranks as a coach. His roots are in the D-Backs organization. The Colombian has also managed his home nation’s World Baseball Classic team and skippered the Dominican winter ball Licey Tigers.
Urueta’s background is generally similar to that of just-hired Mets manager Luis Rojas. Both clubs faced late hiring searches owing to the involvement of their prior managers in the Astros sign-stealing scandal. Urueta becomes the first Red Sox candidate known to have an interview; Mark Kotsay is also rumored as a potential target.
I want to see Buck in Boston
Bobby Valentine or GTFO.
Yes, I really think Buck or anyone else because I hope Urueta stays in Arizona. We need a sharp, Spanish speaking bench coach.
Never happen! He is too much of a control freak. He would not be a good fit here.
Buck is the definition of mediocrity. Hard PASS on that stooge.
Thanks but I have better things to do.
Who?
Don’t worry Yankees fan it doesn’t concern you
Good point – he won’t be relevant in the postseason where the Yankees will be.
Hey Mick, maybe you’ll get to the WS. Do you even remember what the excitement feels like?
I hate arrogant fans regardless of the rooting interest but your message was simply not called for. By the way dlevin, I’m a Sox fan and I had the same reaction as Yankeefan363.
Looie, which message was unacceptable? I didn’t read anything that was offensive or crossed any lines, nothing insulting or name-calling. Plus I do remember what that was like; but is your comment supposed to be an insult because that was the same or worse than what I said. Don’t take it so personally.
Hey looiebelongsinthehall. Pretty hard to forget what it feels like to get to the WS when it’s happened over a dozen times in your life and they’ve won eight of them. It’s been quite a ride. But who’s counting? Seriously though, if you’re a Sox fan, the Sox have had a great run the past 15 years, too. Isn’t baseball great?
Just the arrogance. As a Sox fan living in NY, local fans became obnoxious with the core four wins and then 2003. I was at the 07/01/04 Jeter catch game and have a picture of a banner that capped everything. Funny how times have twisted since that day when Nomar pouted in the dugout and cemented his soon trade out of town that really changed everything. Wish I could show the pic here. Too long to describe but it centers around the babe’s curse.
Mo, agree. I’ve taken my lumps and even put a Sox cap by my dad’s grave after 04 since he never saw them win. His sister was elderly when they won then and always said she wasn’t leaving this earth until they did. I jokingly called her and said she could now leave. She called me a stinker that was her affectionate response when she was ribbed.
looiebelongsinthehall – 🙂
That’s a good story man. Nice that you were able to enjoy that moment with your aunt
And lose again
Hahaha
I thought Yankee fans knew it all? “Who” is not in Yankee vocabulary.
I’m offended. That’s racist
Louie Urethra, I think he may rise to the occasion and surprise folks with his input.
obligatory “who?” comment
Yankee fan are you lost?
I can’t disagree with Bob, I like Buck too, but I think Bloom is smart n knows what direction to go. Give the fans something to enjoy with all this chaos this off season, including losing Mookie, which hasta be done.
But what are his IT skills?
Columbia’s manager in the WBC. Never coached in Boston’s system.
I think he was only referring to Torey Lovullo coming over from Boston
Hire Joey Cora
I agree, bring in Joey!
LOL, that would be great! Hopefully his brother didn’t taint his opportunity
That would be a mockery of the game. The Astros had the class to make a fresh start of it. Hopefully the Sox will, too.
I don’t know this guy Urueta, but if they hire him I hope he does well and the Sox continue to compete hard and keep at least the top three in the AL East strong. Even as a Yankee fan, I’d support that. But let’s be clear about moving on from Cora and, if the Sox are found to have stolen signs, they should move on from hiring a manager from within the Sox family of players and coaches. Show the sport-wide fandom that they, like the Astros, are committed to start anew chapter toward another WS run.
I’d still bring back Farrell just for this year if he’d take it. I was happy they moved on after 17 but this is a bizarre situation.
Never heard of him.
That should cost Henry about 800K a year…….I wonder if he wants Lovullo back….
The Red Sox have too many balls in the air right now. Time to speed up this managerial search (bring in multiple candidates to interview and pick the best fit) and tell LA & SD it’s time for best and final offers for Mookie (and hopefully Price or Eovaldi). They need both of these issues resolved prior to the start of spring training and one would think they’d like to have a manager ASAP so he can start planning team activities.
Let’s go, Chaim !!!
Quickly hiring a manager risks hiring a manger that would be wrong for a team. I’d make an argument that it’s worse than not having a manager. Ronenicke has enough experience as a manager to wrangle the team and keep everything stable until a permanent manager is named.
@Dorothy Mantooth
Sounds like a solid outlook. I agree that addressing unresolved issues before the start of Spring Training is strongly advised and completely doable if the right approach is taken. And the approaches you outlined would do just fine. Kudos.
Big Papi or Pedro
Big PEDi doesn’t have the knowledge, Baseball IQ, or intelligence and Pedro can’t communicate well enough in English. I can’t understand why ESPN goes to him except for the basic respect issue, because as a communicator he’s nost strong at all.
Mo, agree on Papi. I’ve said it before, in my view he belongs in the Boston HOF for bringing the city together after the bombing but no one I believe cheated should be in Cooperstown. Sox, Yankee, or whatever team they played for. It doesn’t matter to me. Just argued with a relative over Papi who said there is no proof. He was released by Minnesota and suddenly joins a new team where he originally was depth, a part time player. He and Manny clearly cheated. One got caught, the other just has his name in the Mitchell report. If a player identified in it was clean, why not try to clear your name? Back when there were the big three shortstops, I’d go to a game and discuss which were on stuff. The consensus then from those spoken to was Alex definitely, Nomar probably and Jeter no way. If that was true, more the bows to Jeter. I posted previously, my biggest gripe on him was when he fooled the umpire claiming to be hit by a pitch. Gamesmanship is against the opposition, not the umpire.
Agreed. And I feel the same way about A-Fraud, Petitte, Clemens, Giambi… I appreciate their competitve spirit and talent, but it was all marred by their decisions to rig their games.
Totally agree with you Looie and Mo.
And get paid boat loads of money that they didn’t deserve and clearly caused others to not make it to the bigs or not get their fair share financially. Clemons, Giambi and ARod clearly got paid more money for several more years than they deserved and who knows for example what the Yankees would have done payroll wise those last years of ARod and Giambi. Since we know they spent big then, the money would mostly have gone to others.
The Minnesota argument is a lousy one to make. The Twins had a philosophy at the time that went away from power hitting. They emphasized bunting and hitting to opposite fields. When Ortiz got to Boston he was given the directive to pull and use power.
Ortiz struggled in Minnesota because of bad coaching.
Sorry Saber but Ortiz in Boston hit to all fields. I believe his substance use increased his quickness with the bat and increased his power. Nothing but cheating explains in my view 2016 when he had the greatest season ever for a 40 year old hitter. With aching feet to boot.
Everybody hits to all fields, even pull hitters to some extent. The difference is with a pull hitter you see a trend clustered to one side or the other. With Ortiz his trends in Boston showed a clear tendency to pull to right field which is what left handed pull hitters do. Over 70% of his home runs alone were to right or right center.
Fenway was great to Ortiz who got opposite field doubles like other great lefties including Boggs and Yaz but I believe with PED use his bat quickness and power took off. As a big man, Ortiz would have been a power hitter wherever he played but i feel his cheating exaggerated everything.
Are they even trying?
Are they even trying?
They are going to hire a Minority Manager because Cora was a Minority! Dollars to Donuts that is what goes down here.
I doubt minority status has anything to do with it outside certain people’s minds, certain people who are obsessed with the issue and butt hurt about perceived, largely imaginary reverse discrimination.
Don’t know about that, but they are certainly entertaining women. Teams are eager to be the first one to hire a woman for their organization
Who’s in right?
Mookie Betts, hopefully.
I think the Sox would be better served by a media savvy individual who wholeheartedly embraces the value of analytics… I submit David Cone for your consideration.
Interesting suggestion. He certainly has the knowledge, competitive fire, communication skills and public presence. Could BoSox Nation look beyond his Yankee past?
Why not. Desperate times and he has been in a Sox uniform already.
In Theo We Trust….!
In Ben We Trust…?
In Dave We Trust…$
That Chaim guy is supposed be smart, right?
Luvollo was with the Jays originally, no?
Yeah, he was one of Farrell’s coaches in Toronto and followed Farrell to Boston.
Luvollo also was the Pawtucket Red Sox Mgr. He was the heir apparent to Farrell but former Sox Asst GM, Mike Hazen got the GM job in AZ and he hired Luvollo before Farrell was let go. Then it was Cora and who knows maybe Urueta with his experience and ability to communicate in both Spanish and English. Sox have a lot of Latin American players and they have a former very experienced major league Mgr in Ron Roenicke as their bench coach. Maybe Louis Urueta is the guy without the electronic sign stealing capabilities. Hey, if the Sox get Joc Peterson, Alex Verdugo and Lux or May, that might be a very productive trade. I’m assuming Price or others could be involved. This is what I just heard via the big b-ball writers. We shall see.
As a redsox fan, I am taking a year off. Not sure who I am cheering for, but I hope the redsox have optimal turnover…
Ha ha Stevie, I suffered from 67-present. This century is been good for our team, just enjoy the play. And I hope they BRING BK the BROCKSTAR!!!
Dustin Pedroia, Player/Manager
No