McAdam: Red Sox managerial search starts to heat up, but one potential candidate appears beyond reach

Almost a month after parting ways with manager Ron Roenicke, the Red Sox continue to evaluate candidates to serve as his replacement, with interviews already held with at least two.

Notably, however, they will not be talking to one name who had been linked to the opening: Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro.

Quatraro would seem a natural target, since he has spent most of his coaching and managerial career with the Rays, starting in 2004, filling a variety of roles from minor league catching instructor, hitting coordinator, hitting coach and manager. He's also been part of the major league coaching staff since 2018 -- first as third base coach and then as bench coach. In every year but this past one, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom was with the Rays, too.

But per an agreement with the Rays, forged a year ago when Bloom left Tampa Bay to join the Red Sox, Bloom is prohibited from hiring anyone from Tampa Bay -- both front office and uniformed personnel -- for a period of two years.

(Bloom has hinted that some restrictions were put in place upon his joining the Sox, but has declined to specify them. He declined comment for this story).

It's conceivable that Bloom could go back to his former team and ask permission to interview Quatraro, citing the fact that, agreement aside, protocol within the game is to not block someone from getting a promotion elsewhere -- as going from bench coach to manager would surely qualify.

But the consensus is that the Rays insisted upon this non-compete clause for a reason. Add in the fact that the last thing the Rays want is to be seen as is some sort of small-market franchise serving as a training ground by their big market division rivals and it would seem the chances of Quatraro being given permission to talk with the Sox is slim indeed -- maybe even non-existent.



Industry sources confirmed the Red Sox have also interviewed Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach Don Kelly and Chicago Cubs coach Will Venable for the position. Jon Heyman was the first two report both.

Meanwhile, ESPN.com reported that the Sox again interviewed Arizona Diamondbacks bench coach Luis Urueta. Urueta was one of a handful of external candidates interviewed by Bloom last winter before the organization promoted Roenicke -- first to interim manager, then, when MLB's investigation was complete, manager.

Urueta, 39, has been on the Arizona major league coaching staff for the past three seasons. He's also managed at Rookie Ball, the winter leagues and managed Team Colombia in the World Baseball Classic.

Looming over the process, of course, is the presence of former manager Alex Cora, who is nearly through serving out his MLB-imposed suspension for taking part in the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing enterprise. Cora's suspension will be complete as soon as the World Series is over, which could take place as soon as Sunday night, and no later than Wednesday night.

It remains to be seen whether Bloom is as enamored by the prospect of a reunion with Cora as Red Sox ownership and upper management are.

Cora is clearly the favorite of principal owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner and team president/CEO Sam Kennedy, and likely, the majority of the players -- at least those who were here in 2018-2019, when Cora managed the Sox.

Still, Bloom has publicly remained non-committal about Cora and could be in search of someone whom he deems a better personal fit. Unlike others in the organization, Bloom doesn't have much of a history with Cora, having worked with him only a little more than two months before the Sox and Cora announced they would part ways by mutual agreement.