As of Thursday night, the Boston Red Sox had yet to make a formal decision about their next manager.
But with the Los Angeles Dodgers one win away from clinching a spot in the World Series entering their game with the Chicago Cubs, and the New York Yankees one win away from taking out the Houston Astros and clinching their first World Series trip since winning it all in 2009, a window of opportunity will open for the Red Sox to make an announcement.
As soon as Saturday the World Series matchup could be locked in, which means the Red Sox would likely be cleared by Major League Baseball to formally declare their choice for manager and address the public, if their choice has been made.
The World Series doesn’t begin until Tuesday, leaving the Sox some space to take the news cycle if they choose to do so.
But as of Thursday night, the interview process was still ongoing, according to the team president, Sam Kennedy.
Dave Dombrowski, the president of baseball operations, offered a similar response.
“We have not made any final decisions,” Dombrowski said.
Alex Cora, the Houston Astros’ bench coach who has been considered a front-runner since the beginning of the search, was the first to interview Sunday.
He played for the Red Sox from 2005-08 and understands the market, has experience on the coaching staff of a winning team and is considered a strong communicator, all factors Dombrowski has mentioned as important.
Brad Ausmus, a former Detroit Tigers manager, was next to interview. He was Dombrowski’s choice four years ago in Detroit.
Ron Gardenhire, 59, a former Minnesota Twins manager and Arizona Diamondbacks bench coach, 59, is the oldest to be in the mix. He interviewed Wednesday, but on Thursday it was reported the Tigers were going to hire Gardenhire to fill their managerial vacancy.
INDIANS: Michael Brantley, the All-Star outfielder who struggled with injuries the past two years, underwent surgery to stabilize his right ankle.
Brantley is expected to miss 4 to 5 months, putting his status for Opening Day in jeopardy.
Brantley missed most of the final two months of the regular season and was limited in the American League division series with a sprained right ankle. His placement on the ALDS roster was one of the more difficult decisions heading into the postseason. He was largely ineffective, getting one hit in 11 at-bats against the New York Yankees. After Game 5, Brantley was in a walking boot and had surgery roughly a week later.
The Indians have a major decision regarding Brantley and his $12 million club option for the 2018 season. The team has until three days after the World Series to exercise or decline the option.
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