Boston Red Sox: 5 Potential Replacements for Terry Francona

On Friday morning, Terry Francona is expected to leave the Boston Red Sox after the team went through the worst collapse in MLB history in September.

While with the Red Sox, Francona had a record of 734-531 good for the second best winning percentage in team history, .580, one point behind Don Zimmer.

Francona is arguably the best manager in Red Sox history with his two World Series victories to go along with the .580 winning percentage and will surely be missed in Boston.

Here are five potential candidates to replace Francona in Boston.

Joe Torre

Joe Torre is currently the MLB Vice President of Baseball Operations and last managed for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010.

In his career, Torre has a record of 2,236-1,997 good for a .538 winning percentage.

While with the New York Yankees, he won four World Series and AL Manager of the Year, twice to form one of the most impressive resumes of managers on the market.

Age may be a factor as Torre is 71, but Jack McKeon managed the Florida Marlins this past season at the age of 81.

Torre could be at the top of the Red Sox wish list for next manager.

What better way to come back and stick it to your old team that fired you for the younger Joe Girardi?

Bobby Valentine

Bobby Valentine is currently an analyst for ESPN and will probably get a call from the Boston Red Sox to see if he would be interested in a potential managing position.

Valentine last managed in Japan for the Chiba Lotte Mariners from 2004 to 2009. He holds a career record of 1,117-1,072, good for a winning percentage of .510.

In his only World Series appearance, Valentine lost to the New York Yankees in the Subway Series while coaching the New York Mets in 2001.

Valentine would be an ideal candidate as he has coached in a hostile market such as New York so he would not be overwhelmed by the media and fans in Boston.

Demarlo Hale

Demarlo Hale is the current bench coach for Boston and should get some consideration for the new vacant managers job.

Hale has never managed in the big leagues but he has held a number of managerial positions in the minor leagues, most recently the Texas Rangers Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma Red Hawks.

In his minor league managerial career, Hale put together a record of 634-614, good for a winning percentage of .508.

Last offseason, he was one of the four finalists for the Toronto Blue Jays manager job and could very well be one of the finalists for the Boston Red Sox manager job now that Francona is out.

Ron Johnson

Ron Johnson is the current first base coach of the Boston Red Sox and should receive some consideration for the vacant manager's job.

Johnson, like Hale, has never managed in the big leagues but has managed in the minor leagues, including many affiliates of the Red Sox, most recently the Pawtucket Red Sox.

In 1995, Johnson won Texas Manager of the Year while coaching the Wichita Rangers.

Johnson may not be one of the favorites for the vacant manager job but he should receive some consideration. 

John Farrell and Brad Mills

Two dark horses for the Red Sox manager position are Brad Mills and John Farrell, two former coaches on Terry Francona's bench.

Both men are currently managers in the big leagues right now, Mills with the Houston Astros and Farrell with the Blue Jays but the Red Sox could possibly pry them away with  the opportunity to coach their big league club. 

Mills has not seen much success in Houston, failing to make the playoffs in his first two seasons and Farrell had some success in Toronto in his first season with a record of 81-81.

If the Red Sox had their choice of they two, they would most likely choose Farrell but Mills will be easier to get as he coached the Astros to the worst record in baseball this season. 

Neither man will be easy to obtain but both will get some consideration from the Red Sox front office for the vacant manager job.