The Boston Red Sox suffered through one of their worst and most tumultuous season's in team history this year, going only 69-93 under first-year manager Bobby Valentine.
The front office fired Valentine on Oct. 4 and immediately started putting together a list of candidates to take the job.
The team has long been interested in Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell, but will start their search on the West coast with an interview with Los Angeles Dodgers third-base coach Tim Wallach.
According to ESPNBoston.com, the team will interview Wallach on Friday before meeting with other top candidates. The team asked the Dodgers for permission to interview the coach and it was granted according to sources.
"It's a great opportunity with one of the best organizations in baseball," Wallach told ESPNLosAngeles.com on Thursday.
Wallach is a former professional player who was a five-time All-Star at third base. The 55-year-old has managerial experience, serving at the leader of the Dodgers' Triple-A team in Albuquerque for two years in 2009 and 2010. In 2009 he was named the Pacific Coast League's manager of the year.
"Certainly I'm interested,'' said Wallach to the Boston Herald. "This is what I've wanted to do and what I've been preparing to do for some time.''
During his 17-year playing career he won three Gold Gloves and was also named the 1994 NL Comeback Player of the Year. The team has stated they want to hire a new manager that has past big-league experience and Wallach would fit that mold. He has served as hitting coach and third-base coach for the Dodgers.
"On third, I'm always thinking about where we are in the game, who's coming up," Wallach said to the LA Times. "It's not the same as managing, but it is as close is it gets."
Wallach was a candidate for the Red Sox job last season, but the team decided to hire Valentine instead.
Other candidates for the job include San Diego Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus, Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo, Chicago White Sox third base coach Joe McEwing and Farrell.
Ausmus is a former catcher who spent 18 seasons in the majors, primarily with the Houston Astros. He has been a special assistant with the Padres since 2010, but has yet to have professional managing experience.
According to ESPN.com, neither McEwing nor Lovullo have been contacted by the Red Sox.
The guy the Red Sox would truly love to hire is Farrell. He previously served as Boston's pitching coach and the team wanted to hire him last year, but were denied permission by the Toronto Blue Jays to speak with him.
The Red Sox were forced to find a new manager after deciding to fire Bobby Valentine after one disastrous season.
The team began 2012 as a playoff favorite, but quickly faded to the bottom of the AL East division. The team eventually gave up on the season, trading a crop of star players to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The teams moved $250 million in future contracts, trading first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, starting pitcher Josh Beckett and outfielder Carl Crawford to Los Angeles.
Valentine got started off on the wrong foot early in the year when he criticized veteran Kevin Youkilis on television in April. Valentine said: "I don't think he's as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason."
It was just the first of many numerous issues Valentine had with his players and with the Boston media. He challenged one radio host to a fist fight after asking a rough question and continued to make comments that just added to the drama.
Prior to Boston's last game of the season, Valentine called out his coaches for being disloyal on WEEI radio, saying: "There's situation during the year I didn't think it was all for one or one for all, whatever it is," Valentine said. "I don't really remember specifically. ... It was just a feeling."
According to ESPN.com, the Red Sox used 56 different players this season, a franchise record. Some of the players that missed time for the team included Carl Crawford, Andrew Bailey, David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury and Will Middlebrooks.
"This year's won-loss record reflects a season of agony," Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said after the firing. "It begs for changes, some of which have already transpired. More will come. We are determined to fix that which is broken and return the Red Sox to the level of success we have experienced over the past decade."
The Red Sox are expected to make a decision within the next two months.
