Farrell Wants to Manage ... But Not the Pirates

Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell has been linked to the vacant Pirates manager's job, but he announced today that he wants no part of it:

Farrell wants to manage in the majors, and he moved from Cleveland's front office to the Red Sox's bench last season partly for that reason. Farrell, however, said in a statement that this is not the right time to leave a World Series-winning club.

Farrell told Red Sox principal owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner, president Larry Lucchino, general manager Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona of the decision Friday.

Honestly, I can see where he's coming from. Turning around the Pirates is a monumental task, and whomever takes the job now will likely be simply laying the groundwork for someone else to take over in the future. I mean, even in a best-case scenario, the Pirates will be losers for the next few years as the organization rebuilds from the ground up, and if/when the Pirates are finally ready to compete, the guy with a losing record will likely get the ax for a someone with a clean slate.

It's what happened in Detroit with Alan Trammel and Jim Leyland in 2006 (although, for what it's worth, Leyland is a better manager than Trammell ... I'm just saying Trammell never had a chance). Fortunately, Farrell seems to be in a position where he can afford to be picky, at least when it comes to turning down perhaps the least desirable job in the game.

Previously on FanHouse:
Pirates Are Close to Naming a Manager
Pirates Looking at Boston's Pitching Coach