The Boston Red Sox have a pitching coach vacancy after letting go of Dave Bush and seemingly have their preferred successor.
The aforementioned target is a former Red Sox player who has a close relationship with chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. Unfortunately, Boston will have to outbid the New York Yankees for his services, and appear to be a step behind.
"It’s understood throughout the industry that the Red Sox would like Andrew Bailey to be their next pitching coach to replace Dave Bush," MassLive's Sean McAdam wrote Monday.
"But the Red Sox are not alone in their pursuit for Bailey," McAdam later continued. "According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Bailey is interviewing with the New York Yankees Monday for their bench coach vacancy. It’s rare for players with a pitching background to be considered for a bench coach role, but the Yankees obviously think Bailey could be a good fit in that spot."
The bench coach position is the second in command to the manager at most organizations, typically the one who would be the interim manager should the manager get ejected. Considering Bailey has a shot to be directly under Aaron Boone, he'll have his fair share of impromptu managing opportunities.
McAdam also notes interest from the Baltimore Orioles and possibly the Miami Marlins but the Red Sox should have the upper hand there.
Maybe Bailey would prefer to work exclusively with pitchers and his relationship with Breslow can overcome the odds but New York is offering a job one tier higher than Boston, so the Red Sox's odds of landing their ideal candidate cannot be very high. To secure Bailey, Boston will have to pay him generously.
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