Red Sox coaches head for the exits as Butterfield, Davis and Willis take jobs elsewhere

When managerial changes get made, often the coaches soon follow.

That was illustrated in a big way Thursday with the news that three Red Sox coaches were taking new jobs elsewhere:  Carl Willis returned to the Cleveland Indians to (again) become their pitching coach, while third base coach Brian Butterfield and hitting instructor Chili Davis were hired by the Chicago Cubs.

All three were under contract with the Red Sox through 2018, but were given permission to seek other positions when John Farrell was fired two weeks ago.

There had been thought that Butterfield, regarded as one of the game’s best infield instructors, might survive the regime change and remain with the Red Sox.

But Butterfield had no real relationship with incoming manager Alex Cora and, according to a source, felt it best to allow Cora to handpick his own staff.

Butterfield will serve in the same capacity with the Cubs – coaching third and working with the infielders.

“As a native New Englander, it was always my dream to play for the Red Sox,’’ said Butterfield Thursday. “But I did the next best thing. I spent five great years in a Red Sox uniform and won a World Series. I leave with nothing but good thoughts and no regrets.’’

Butterfield was instrumental in working to help develop shortstop Xander Bogaerts and was seen as someone who would continue to help rookie third baseman Rafael Devers develop in the future. Butterfield was also credited with helping Hanley Ramirez make a successful transition to first base in 2016.

His tireless work ethic earned him the respect of the players. He encountered criticism for his work in the third base coaching box when the Red Sox led the league in outs made at home plate in 2017, but that baserunning aggressiveness was part of a team-wide philosophy, developed to overcome the lineup’s lack of power.

Davis, who had served as hitting coach for the past three seasons, oversaw a lineup that scored more runs in the last three years than any other team in the game.  But after leading all of baseball in runs scored in 2016, the Sox saw a dropoff this past season, along with an alarming dip in power and home runs.

A number of young players – including Bogaerts and Mookie Betts – experienced regression at the plate in 2017, though that didn’t dim Davis’s reputation around the game.

Davis had also spoken to the San Diego Padres about their hitting coach vacancy before accepting the job with the Cubs.

Earlier in the day, Willis, who was hired by the Red Sox early in the 2015 season to replace Juan Nieves as Red Sox pitching coach, was hired by the Indians to serve as their pitching coach.

Willis rejoins an organization with which he’s had a long history. Willis was the Tribe pitching coach from 2003 through 2009 under manager Eric Wedge.  He later served as pitching coach for the Seattle Mariners before returning to the Indians in 2014 as a special assistant. He was working as the Triple A pitching coach in 2015 when the Red Sox hired him away to replace Nieves.

Like the rest of the 2017 Red Sox coaching staff, Willis was under contract through 2018. But once Farrell was fired, the coaches were told they could seek employment elsewhere.

Willis had interviewed with the Minnesota Twins for their pitching coach vacancy two weeks ago. He inherits a talented staff in Cleveland, led by ace Corey Kluber. The Indians finished with the lowest ERA of any team in baseball in 2017, and their starters and relievers each had the lowest ERA in the American League.

He was a personal choice of Farrell, and thus, unlikely to be retained by Cora.

The Sox have been linked to several pitching coach candidates in the interim, having interviewed former Tampa Bay Rays coach Jim Hickey.  The New York Post speculated recently that the Sox might have some interest in Rickey Bones, who worked as the Mets bullpen coach, as their pitching coach.

Other high-profile options include Mike Maddux (a free agent after Dusty Baker was fired by the Nationals), and Yankee pitching coach Larry Rothschild, who presumably will be available to look elsewhere after the Yanks decided not to retain manager Joe Girardi Thursday morning.