Pirates Looking at Boston's Pitching Coach

The Pirates have taken their time in their search for a new manager, and that may be because they guy they really want is still under contract. According to the Providence Journal, the new GM Neal Huntington is believed to be looking at Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell:

Farrell, who replaced pitching coach Dave Wallace last winter and is a longtime friend of manager Terry Francona, may be targeted by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a managerial candidate, industry sources indicate.
[...]
Huntington, 37, spent 10 years with the Indians before being hired last month as Pirates' GM, working in player evaluation and scouting. While there, he developed a close relationship with Farrell, who left Cleveland to come to Boston.

I'm not sure the hiring of Farrell would do much to inspire confidence in the fans -- he has no prior managing experience at any level and doesn't have much national name recognition as a coach. That said, Boston's pitching staff had a 3.87 ERA this year, the best in the American League. It's debatable just how much credit a pitching coach deserves for a staff's success, but it certainly seems like he did the best job imaginable.

In the long run, it may not really matter. Huntington is trying to change 15 years of ineptitude; even if he's successful, there's a good chance that the first manager he hires will simply be a stopgap for (yet another) rebuilding era.

Previously on FanHouse:
Andy Van Slyke Will Never Change