2012 MLB Predictions: Bobby Valentine's Red Sox Tenure Will Be a Disaster

Bobby Valentine's tenure as manager of the Boston Red Sox will end in disaster, and it won't even last to the All-Star break in July.

Valentine is a terrible fit in Boston, and his managing style is exactly the opposite of what the players like. He also won't pair well with general manager Ben Cherington for a number of reasons.

Let's examine why Valentine's tenure in Boston will be short and not end well.

Not a Good Fit

If you didn't follow the Red Sox's epic collapse in September last season, which saw them lose their large wild card lead and miss the playoffs, then you probably don't understand how embarrassing some of their players are.

In short, the Red Sox players, with a few exceptions, are soft, loud-mouthed babies who aren't willing to give the effort required of a major leaguer. Starting pitcher Josh Beckett, who people in Boston have sarcastically nicknamed "Texas Tough Guy," is the example of how the Red Sox are now.

Beckett didn't want to be told what to do. He was one of the players directly involved in the chicken and beer fiasco, and he was out of shape throughout the season. The players got away with this foolishness because manager Terry Francona was soft and lost the clubhouse.

If Beckett and the rest of the players think they can get away with that stuff with Valentine in charge, then they are in for an unpleasant surprise.

Valentine is a strict manager, and when he inevitably tells the players something they don't want to hear, there's going to be a problem. The players are going to hate the managing style of Bobby V because it's not the laid back, do-what-you-want approach that Francona had. It's a complete, 180 degree difference.

Rift between the GM and Manager?

Not only is Valentine's managing style a real issue, his clashes with general manager Ben Cherington are also a real issue.

While manager and GM disagreements are expected and usually healthy for an organization, I don't think it's healthy in this case.

Cherington has been hired to build the Red Sox over a period of about five years, while Valentine has been hired on a short-term basis and could be fired this season if the team struggles.

The two are not on the same development time frame, which means their priorities are going to be different, and that is bad for the team.

For example, Valentine wants to win now because he isn't going to be given a ton of time to win. So, he probably wanted top prospect Jose Iglesias to play shortstop on Opening Day, but Cherington is looking at the future and wants Iglesias to come to the MLB when he's ready. Iglesias is going to start in the minors, so it appears the GM has won this battle.

Another example is pitcher Daniel Bard. Valentine seems to want him in the bullpen because that's the role he's had in his short MLB career, but Cherington wants him to be a starter since that's a role the club envisions him possibly playing in the future.

This clash of priorities is going to be a real issue. People who don't believe there is a rift between the two aren't looking at the situation right. 

Cherington addressed the reports of a rift between him and Valentine earlier this week, saying via the Boston Herald:

"

“I don’t think I need to clarify it, Bobby clarified it,” Cherington said about speculation of a rift between him and Valentine. “It truly is a process where you talk a lot. You debate sometimes the issues and ultimately you make decisions. In every case so far in spring training, in the end, we’ve agreed it’s the right decision.”

"

When a manager is making decisions based on keeping his job and you have a GM with no pressure to win right now, there is going to be a disaster. Cherington won't be fired if the Red Sox are terrible in 2012, but you can bet Valentine won't be as fortunate.

Cherington didn't want Bobby V?

It's believed that when the team was searching for a new manager, Cherington wanted to hire former Red Sox third base coach and current manager of the Chicago Cubs Dale Sveum.

Ownership, however, including Larry Lucchino, who runs the Red Sox, wanted Valentine. As you would expect, ownership won the battle.

Per ESPN Boston:

"

The failure of the Red Sox to extend an offer to Sveum will be perceived as a stunning rebuke to Cherington and his baseball operations staff, who thought they had their man in Sveum. They presented him as such to the Sox ownership troika -- John W. Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino -- when they assembled here for the owners' meetings. And Sveum told close associates he anticipated receiving an offer.

But lunch together Wednesday did not produce said offer, even as word emerged that the Cubs had shown no such hesitation to make one. And now we know why. The Sox owners apparently had their own candidate: 61-year-old Bobby Valentine..."

"

Cherington and Valentine aren't going to be a successful combo, and ultimately, it will end with the manager being fired.

Hiring a manager who is not a good fit and likely not the first choice of the GM is a terrible idea, but making bad decisions on players and coaches is something that the team seems to be doing quite often lately.

Nicholas Goss is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow @NicholasGoss35