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Boston Red Sox season-ending report: Farrell will return

By Mike Shalin, The Sports Xchange
Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell. UPI/John Angelillo
Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell. UPI/John Angelillo | License Photo

BOSTON -- Dave Dombrowski began his first offseason as the Boston Red Sox's president before the season even ended.

He announced manager John Farrell, who just finished chemotherapy as he batted stage-1 lymphoma, would return next season -- if his health allows him to work.

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"At some point, we needed to move forward and kind of set where we're going into the future," Dombrowski said Oct. 4 hours before the final game of the season. "I called John yesterday, and when we've had conversations, all of our conversations that we've had, which haven't been as numerous as would normally be the case if he was healthy of course, have always been toward 2016. But I never really gave him that 100 percent that (he was coming back). I had always given him the indication, but needed to be in a position where it basically closed that loop.

"Yesterday, I called him back and said we're ready to step forward to do this."

After winning the World Series in his first year as manager, Farrell saw his next two Red Sox teams finish in last place in the American League East. In 2013 and 2014, Boston compiled a 121-155 record under Farrell and 26-19 under interim manager Torey Luvollo, who was retained via two-year contract and will be on the scene in Farrell can't continue at any point.

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Despite the team's strong finish until losing the last four games to finish at 78-84, Dombrowski, who was hired when general manager Ben Cherington was fired, has work to do over the winter. At the top of his list might be an impossible task -- getting rid of the contracts of utility man Hanley Ramirez and third baseman Pablo Sandoval, the two softball players the club gave huge contracts to last offseason. Both were hugely disappointing in their first season in Boston.

The 2015 Red Sox tried to get by without a true rotation ace. If Dombrowski gets his way, the 2016 Sox will have that ace and also have a rebuilt bullpen.

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