Red Sox name Tony LaRussa vice president/special assistant to Dombrowski

RedOctober3829

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The Red Sox are expected to announce Thursday that Hall of Fame manager and former Diamondbacks executive Tony La Russa has joined the organization.

His exact role is unclear, but a source told the Herald that La Russa’s next stop will be in Boston following four years in Arizona’s front office, a stint as special assistant to the league’s commissioner, and 33 years as a manager in Chicago, Oakland and St. Louis.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/red_sox/clubhouse_insider/2017/11/tony_larussa_expected_to_join_red_sox_organization
 

Van Everyman

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Not sure what to make of this but I predict two things: 1) Nick Cafardo will love this and 2) SoSH will ... not.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Until his role is clarified, I should probably reserve judgement, but I don't know that his role matters. There's nothing exciting about this at all.
 

Mueller's Twin Grannies

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Are you not familiar with his history?

DD sure as shit didn't hire him to help him make trades.
Maybe something to do with scouting, like heading up that arm (perhaps domestically)? I'm sure he didn't hire him just to hang out and do baseball guy stuff, but the hire of Cora came independent of La Russa, so I can't see Dombrowski then putting him any way in charge of Cora. I have to think it's much more likely to be something related to player acquisition or scouting. I also don't see Dombrowski willing to cede any control, however minute, over the day-to-day on-field stuff to La Russa when he's paying his salary and giving him his marching orders. I also don't see La Russa being willing to serve as a simple intermediary. It has to be something where he'll have some autonomy and freedom while still ultimately reporting back to Dombrowski.
 

JimBoSox9

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Maybe Dombrowski has hired him because he wants somebody around that he can trust to tell him when he's FOS.

I dunno, I'm struggling for glass-half-full interpretations. He has always struck me as a self-important dingbat.
If he's not in a purely advisory role, I wouldn't be displeased if he was given purview over MLB/advance scouting - it's been awhile since I felt like that was an organizational strength.
 

Clears Cleaver

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remember the good old days when the sox were years ahead of the curve in hiring, scouting, analytics, on field management, farm system and development, etc?

this feels like we are back to the days of Haywood Sullivan and Lou Gorman
 

Spacemans Bong

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remember the good old days when the sox were years ahead of the curve in hiring, scouting, analytics, on field management, farm system and development, etc?

this feels like we are back to the days of Haywood Sullivan and Lou Gorman
Unfortunately Ben Cherington translated precisely none of that to on-field performance, bar one season, so I guess John Henry got sick of it all.
 

Pinchrunner#2

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Unfortunately Ben Cherington translated precisely none of that to on-field performance, bar one season, so I guess John Henry got sick of it all.
Well, that is not true. Look at the roster today and see how many players have been drafted while Cherington was here or have been acquired thanks to players acquired by him.

I hate the general direction of Dombrowski and obviously have never liked his work (check the Detroit Tigers today and their scary player contracts).

While everybody else is getting former Ivy leaguers into their FO, the Red Sox are getting old guys with questionable track records in scouting and FO like Frank Wren and Tony LaRussa (check Keith Law's text about LaRussas and Williams work in Arizona before our former GM took over. It's ridiculously bad). I hate these moves. Dombrowski will milk the cow until the very last drop and in a few years we'll have to change the whole FO to rebuild the team and scouting department.
 

TheoShmeo

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I'm a little surprised at the negativity here. LaRussa is another seasoned voice and a bright man who has enjoyed great success in baseball. In my view, having inputs and experience like that in the organization is a positive. If Cora has the interpersonal skills he's reputed to have, he should be able to navigate this without too much trouble. And to the contrary, a rookie manager being able to bounce ideas off of a pro like LaRussa seems beneficial. The last two sentences imply they will have direct dealings, which isn't even assured, but if they do, I see it as a "might help, unlikely to hurt" dynamic.

Another thing is that the Sox organization didn't exactly handle the outsized personality of David Price with ease last year. Switching Farrell out for Cora is a good step in every way, and hopefully regarding Price. But no one covered themselves in glory in L'Affaire Price, and DD having another voice to weigh there strikes me as a benefit.
 

Toe Nash

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Or it could work exactly the opposite way as Price sees LaRussa as another dinosaur trying to tell him what to do...

The report said he's going to be in the front office, so I don't think he's really going to have much to do with the players / managing. We will see what his role is.

But I guess I just don't see what value he would add that they don't already have, and it's not exactly exciting that DD seems to just be going with his friends instead of really finding the brightest people to help him out. (These can be the same people, but often are not).
 

simplicio

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I hate the general direction of Dombrowski and obviously have never liked his work (check the Detroit Tigers today and their scary player contracts).
In Detroit he was working under an owner that wanted to win a series at any cost. Can you point to any scary player contracts he's signed in Boston?
 

Van Everyman

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First, I think we should all get used to images like this:



Putting aside the ridiculous fear mongering about how this move continues a pattern of Dombrowski selling off the farm for Jack Clark’s remains—he’s inked exactly one high price contract and made one deal w prospects over 2.5 seasons—Larussa has some clear value to this team. He may have had a crummy tenure as a FO guy in Arizona but he was pretty much universally regarded as one of the best managers in the game.

I’m not sure why this is so surprising given that we just gave the manager’s job to a guy who’s, well, never managed at this level before. While I’m sure he’ll also help in the scouting department as well, this feels to me to be largely about one thing: giving Cora an old hand to turn to as he gets his feet wet.
 

bosockboy

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First, I think we should all get used to images like this:



Putting aside the ridiculous fear mongering about how this move continues a pattern of Dombrowski selling off the farm for Jack Clark’s remains—he’s inked exactly one high price contract and made one deal w prospects over 2.5 seasons—Larussa has some clear value to this team. He may have had a crummy tenure as a FO guy in Arizona but he was pretty much universally regarded as one of the best managers in the game.

I’m not sure why this is so surprising given that we just gave the manager’s job to a guy who’s, well, never managed at this level before. While I’m sure he’ll also help in the scouting department as well, this feels to me to be largely about one thing: giving Cora an old hand to turn to as he gets his feet wet.
I don’t disagree on premise but DD making one prospect deal? Kimbrel, Pomeranz and Sale alone were 3 major prospect outlays.
 

glasspusher

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remember the good old days when the sox were years ahead of the curve in hiring, scouting, analytics, on field management, farm system and development, etc?

this feels like we are back to the days of Haywood Sullivan and Lou Gorman
Say what you want about Lou Gorman, he was several light years ahead of Buddy LeRoux.
 

Van Everyman

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I don’t disagree on premise but DD making one prospect deal? Kimbrel, Pomeranz and Sale alone were 3 major prospect outlays.
Yikes, that is my bad. I somehow forgot the latter two.

Which I guess is part of the point. There are def. legitimate questions as to whether Dombrowski has the ability to restock the farm system. I get that. But I feel like this chapter of Dombrowski’s career is much less some sort of Back to the Future moment—as noted upthread, there is no Ilyich breathing down his throat here—than Henry trying to see if it’s possible to gain an advantage thru old school scouting now that analytics has become commoditized. The evidence suggests that these past two seasons that’s where this team has fallen short – not with roster construction but approach – with guys like Xander and Mookie grinding too hard, etc.

To me, this Larussa move is consistent with this.
 

joe dokes

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Maybe Dombrowski has hired him because he wants somebody around that he can trust to tell him when he's FOS.
I'm hopeful this is it. I'd like to think its a sign of his strength that DD will have some of those types around.
Didn't Theo still have Bill Lajoie around in 2004?

Or as others have speculating, some sort of scouting/self-scouting type of role. I think he will be far removed from actual decision-making.
 

Mighty Joe Young

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I'm hopeful this is it. I'd like to think its a sign of his strength that DD will have some of those types around.
Didn't Theo still have Bill Lajoie around in 2004?

Or as others have speculating, some sort of scouting/self-scouting type of role. I think he will be far removed from actual decision-making.
Except he already has Wren and Baird .. I echo the paranoia being expressed. This in not a good sign for the direction of the Organization.
 

Cesar Crespo

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I'm guessing this is pretty close to a nothing move that won't really matter. People will have someone new to blame instead of Baird though.
 

RedOctober3829

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The Red Sox announced that Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa is joining the front office as a vice president and special assistant to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

Boston’s announcement says that LaRussa will assist Dombrowski “in all areas of baseball operations, including player development and consultation with the major- and minor-league coaching staffs.”

http://www.providencejournal.com/sports/20171102/red-sox-add-hall-of-fame-manager-tony-larussa-to-front-office
 

Buzzkill Pauley

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I'm guessing this is pretty close to a nothing move that won't really matter. People will have someone new to blame in addition to Baird though.
Just thought I should go ahead and fix that for you.

Count me among those who do not like the direction the Sox are have charted here. Baird, Wren, and now LaRussa as DDski’s talent advisers mean less reliance on analytics, and more old-timey baseball judgments like “makeup” and “dynamism” or whatever other scouting terms will be used. All while the most successful FO’s are consistently going in the opposite direction.

Plus, Cafardo is going to be even more insufferable and unreadable, if that’s even possible. His calls for Cora to be replaced by LaRussa will start the next time a starter is pulled a batter too late, or a reliever gives up the lead. Whichever comes first.
 

charlieoscar

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There are def. legitimate questions as to whether Dombrowski has the ability to restock the farm system.
Like maybe not overnight. Of the young players they have recently brought up, Benintendi was the 7th pick in the 2015 draft (a spot they won't be seeing unless they go back to 2014/15 caliber teams); Bradley was a 1st rounder in 2011 but in the 40th spot (compensation, which is changing): Betts was a 5th rounder in that same draft (I believe he dropped down there because of a commitment to attend college that cost the club $750K); Devers was signed as a 16 year-old free agent in 2013 for $1.5M; and Bogaerts was also signed as a free agent in 2009 for $410K but they also gave his brother a $180K contract). In the case of free agents from other countries, the amount of money they can spend has been capped.

In other words it has become much more difficult to buy unsigned talent. And because front office people have had success in different eras building teams, it does not mean they will be able to do so now.

I somehow/somewhere got the impression that John Henry wanted to build up the team for a World Championship so he could sell it; hence some of these hirings seem nervous maneuvers to me. But then, that is only one way of looking at it.
 

joe dokes

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Just thought I should go ahead and fix that for you.

Count me among those who do not like the direction the Sox are have charted here. Baird, Wren, and now LaRussa as DDski’s talent advisers mean less reliance on analytics, and more old-timey baseball judgments like “makeup” and “dynamism” or whatever other scouting terms will be used. All while the most successful FO’s are consistently going in the opposite direction.

Plus, Cafardo is going to be even more insufferable and unreadable, if that’s even possible. His calls for Cora to be replaced by LaRussa will start the next time a starter is pulled a batter too late, or a reliever gives up the lead. Whichever comes first.

I think the fears are overstated. Except the ones about Cafardo.

I think DD well understands the need for solid analytics. But even the most advanced analytical teams have scouts and similar types giving their "old-timey" judgments. As firmly as I believe in new math, I think there are still some things that are best assessed by eyeballs. Whether these are the right eyeballs is a different question.
 

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
Boston’s announcement says that LaRussa will assist Dombrowski “in all areas of baseball operations, including player development and consultation with the major- and minor-league coaching staffs.”
That wording worries me. Maybe it's just a roundabout way of saying he doesn't really have a definite role. But it could also mean he'll have carte blanche to get in everybody's face and disrupt their work. Introducing VP and Special Assistant Dolores Umbridge?
 

phenweigh

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Maybe Dombrowski has hired him because he wants somebody around that he can trust to tell him when he's FOS.

I dunno, I'm struggling for glass-half-full interpretations. He has always struck me as a self-important dingbat.
Boston’s announcement says that LaRussa will assist Dombrowski “in all areas of baseball operations, including player development and consultation with the major- and minor-league coaching staffs.”
Here's my glass-half-full hope; as somebody with long and direct experience with being the field manager in the field manager to general manager relationship, he'll give Dombrowski some useful advice. Specifically, in not trying to micro-manage Cora.
 

Twalk

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Hey Belichick said he has learned a lot for La Russa. That has to count for something :)

“Tony’s been a great friend,” Belichick told reporters. “Buzz Bissinger, who wrote (La Russa’s) book (“Three Nights in August”), and I went to high school together, so we have some mutual friends. It’s been great. My relationship with Tony has been great. I’ve learned a lot from somebody as accomplished as he is in another sport.” La Russa managed in the big leagues for more than three decades with the Chicago White Sox, Oakland A’s and St. Louis Cardinals, winning 2,728 games and three World Series titles. He once hosted Belichick in the dugout during an exhibition game — an experience the Patriots coach fondly remembers. “He had a great career as a manager, won a couple thousand games,” Belichick told reporters. “I can’t imagine what that’s like, but it must be pretty good. But yeah, we’ve talked a lot about coaching teams, coaching players, dealing with different situations. He’s been in a lot of big games, a lot of championships, World Series, things like that, different organizations. Yeah, he’s helped me a lot and given me a lot of insight.”

Read more at: https://nesn.com/2017/08/bill-belichick-explains-why-tony-la-russa-tom-crean-visited-patriots-practice/
 

shaggydog2000

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It's a make work job for a friend who got kicked out of a high profile gig somewhere else and needs a place to have a job title for a few years before trying to move back into another front office in a real role. It happens. Do you really think Dombrowski would turn over serious power to another high profile figure this soon after getting this job?
 

JimD

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The hand-wringing in this thread is a little over the top. LaRussa has won as many rings in this century as Terry Francona. He was a bad choice to run the Diamondbacks' front office but he was a key part of a very strong Cardinals organization for many years. As special assistants go, Dombrowski could hire a lot worse.
 

Curt S Loew

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It's a make work job for a friend who got kicked out of a high profile gig somewhere else and needs a place to have a job title for a few years before trying to move back into another front office in a real role. It happens. Do you really think Dombrowski would turn over serious power to another high profile figure this soon after getting this job?
Larussa is 73. I don't really think he's looking at spending a few years here before taking on a "real role". I think these will be his real roles from now on out.
 

Cesar Crespo

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If hiring LaRussa means that Allan Baird gets a smaller role, I'm all for it.
I wouldn't be surprised if Baird's real job description was "scapegoat." LaRussa obviously knows some stuff about baseball. It really depends on how they use him. Everyone hated Ruben Amaro too and that didn't kill the franchise.
 

shaggydog2000

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Larussa is 73. I don't really think he's looking at spending a few years here before taking on a "real role". I think these will be his real roles from now on out.
Yeah, I don't think he's being a GM again, but maybe another front office job that isn't just showing up now and then and being on a letterhead, which is what he'll be here.