Next step for Alex Cora and Red Sox: putting staff together

Now that Alex Cora has been confirmed, if not introduced, as the Red Sox’ next manager, the Sox are onto their next step: putting together a coaching staff to work with him for 2018.

The current Red Sox’ coaching staff – bench coach Gary DiSarcina, third base coach Brian Butterfield, first base coach Ruben Amaro Jr., hitting coach Chili Davis, pitching coach Carl Willis, assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez and bullpen coach Dana LeVangie – are all under contract through 2018 and are free to seek jobs elsewhere after manager John Farrell was fired.

Willis has interviewed for the pitching coach vacancy in Minnesota, while Davis has spoken with the San Diego Padres. DiSarcina is among a handful of candidates for the Philadelphia Phillies managerial opening.

Additionally, a report in Chicago over the weekend said that former Tampa Bay Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey, a candidate to replace the fired Chris Bosio with the Chicago Cubs, had already interviewed with the Red Sox.
Dave Dombrowski, the Red Sox president of baseball operations, would not comment about Hickey.

Hickey would be reunited with Cubs manager Joe Maddon in Chicago. His hiring in Boston would undoubtedly be welcome by David Price, who had Hickey as his first pitching coach in the big leagues in Tampa from 2008 through 2014. With Hickey, Price enjoyed his two best seasons, finishing second in the Cy Young Award voting in 2010 and winning the Cy Young Award in 2012.

Hickey has already interviewed with the St. Louis Cardinals and is scheduled to interview with San Francisco Giants, who last week bumped longtime pitching coach Dave Righetti into a front office position.

A number of high profile pitching coaches --  including Mike Maddux, released when the Washington Nationals fired Dusty Baker – remain on the market.

Dombrowski, responding to an email about the status of the current coaches and the assembly of next year’s staff, wrote:  “Presently, I am not at liberty to discuss where we are with our coaching staff. Many of these questions need to be discussed with Alex, and respecting his situation with the Astros limits his availability to discuss some of these questions.’’

It’s widely assumed that Cora, who has not yet managed in the big leagues, will want an established hand as his bench coach to help him navigate through games. It’s possible that that bench coach could be a former manager, or, at the very least, someone who has served as bench coach elsewhere.

Cora has a long list of friends in the game, and some of the closest include former Sox players Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek. Though neither has experience as a bench coach, either could serve in another capacity.

For Varitek, who has worked as a special assistant the last few seasons with the Sox, the issue would be more a question of whether he would want to commit the time to be a full-time major league coach, replete with all the travel. Varitek has a young family and may not be ready to make that commitment at this stage of his career.

The expectation is that the Red Sox would prefer to retain Butterfield, who is recognized as one of the better infield instructors in the game and who could continue to work with 20-year-old third baseman Rafael Devers.

A baseball source said Butterfield had received no further clarification on his status since Cora’s hiring was announced.

LeVangie is also a strong candidate to remain, having been a member of the organization – as a minor league player, advance scout and bullpen coach – for more than 25 years.