Ben Cherington and the Top 10 Candidates to Replace Theo Epstein as Red Sox GM

The Boston Red Sox need to replace Theo Epstein as soon as possible.

They need a new General Manager not just to prepare for the offseason tasks of signing, scouting and trading players. They need a new GM so they can begin the search for a new manager as well.

The departures of Terry Francona and Theo Epstein in a short time frame leaves two large holes within the Red Sox organization. The two men were the key pieces of the team that ended the 86-year drought of a World Series championship in Boston and reversed the fortune of a franchise many faithful fans truly believed was cursed.

The search for a new GM will include candidates from within the organization, outside the organization and some key personnel that used to be part of Epstein's team in Boston.

Here is a look at the top 10 most likely candidates to replace Epstein as the GM of the Boston Red Sox.

6-10. Candidates on the List Who Are Unlikely to Replace Theo Epstein

10. Craig Shipley—Boston Red Sox, Senior Vice President/Player Personnel and International Scouting

9. Josh Byrnes—San Diego Padres, Vice President of baseball operations

8. Al Avila—Detroit Tigers, Vice President, Assistant General Manager

7. Allard Baird—Boston Red Sox, Vice President of Player Personnel and Professional Scouting

6. Brian O’Halloran—Boston Red Sox, Vice President of Baseball Operations

5. J.P. Ricciardi, Special Assistant to General Manager, New York Mets

J.P. Ricciardi has had a wealth of baseball management experience. He worked in the Oakland A's organization from 1986-2001, before becoming the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2001-2009. He currently works as the special assistant to Mets GM Sandy Alderson.

His background is in player development and scouting, which would bring a lot to the table for the Red Sox.

Prior to accepting the job in New York, he was offered a position to work in the Red Sox front office.

4. Billy Beane, General Manager, Oakland Athletics

Mr. Moneyball himself could make a good candidate to replace Theo Epstein as the Boston Red Sox GM.

Billy Beane is most known for his scouting, using sabermetrics as a means of evaluating talent and selecting the right players for the organization. Boston has tried to court Beane into the organization in the past but hasn't been able to get him on board.

Beane has been the general manager in Oakland since 1997, and it could be time for him to move on to a new team. The Red Sox could be a good fit for the man that changed baseball scouting.

3. Andrew Friedman, General Manager, Tampa Bay Rays

Andrew Friedman would be a great option for the Red Sox. He is currently the GM for the Tampa Bay Rays and has arguably done the best job of any executive in baseball. He has built a team with manager Joe Maddon that has made the postseason in three of the last four years including two AL East titles.

He has done that with a payroll that would be considered petty cash in Boston.

If Friedman had access to the amount of money that the Red Sox have to retain and recruit key free agents, the Rays would have at least one World Series championship already.

2. Jed Hoyer, Vice President and General Manager, San Diego Padres

Jed Hoyer is a hometown guy who could easily lead the Boston Red Sox back to championship glory. Originally from New Hampshire, he worked for the Red Sox for eight years, with duties including player development, Major League scouting, quantitative analysis and advance scouting. Since 2009, Hoyer has been the general manager of the San Diego Padres.

However, there was a time when he was the general manager of the Boston Red Sox. Hoyer served as co-General Manager for the Red Sox for 44 days, when Theo Epstein left the team for a brief period. Hoyer helped to complete the trade that brought Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to the Red Sox during that time span. They would go on to win the ALCS MVP and World Series MVP, respectively, on the 2007 championship team.

He replaced Epstein once and can surely do it again.

1. Ben Cherington, Senior Vice President/Assistant GM, Boston Red Sox

Ben Cherington has been described as the heir apparent to replace Theo Epstein as the general manager of the Boston Red Sox.

Cherington has been a part of the Red Sox front office since the 1999 season and has been very instrumental in the team's scouting and player development success. When Epstein became the general manager he was promoted to the assistant director of player development.

Since then his career in Boston has continued to flourish.

He was a co-GM during Epstein's brief departure and was the vice president of player personnel upon Epstein's return. In 2009, he was promoted to his current position as a Senior Vice President and has had his hand in a lot of the operations and contract negotiations.

It is widely expected that he will get the nod to replace Epstein. He is an internal candidate that already knows the organization's culture and the direction that John Henry wants the team to go.