Jeff Passan's Idea for Next Red Sox Manager Likely Too Good to Be True

Fans in Boston tend to love Torey Lovullo

Apr 6, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo (17) signals from the dugout in the first inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

If there's one manager around Major League Baseball the Boston Red Sox might wish they could re-hire, it might be Torey Lovullo of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Lovullo, who spent four years on the major league staff for the Red Sox and guided them to a 28-20 record as interim manager in 2015, took over in Arizona after the 2016 season. He took a plucky, precocious D-backs squad to the World Series in 2023, beating the heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies in the National League playoffs.

Now that Alex Cora is out as the manager in Boston, the hunt is on to figure out who will earn the next permanent label if interim skipper Chad Tracy doesn't stick. Is the thought of bringing back Lovullo too good to be true?

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Lovullo an option in Boston after season?

Apr 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo against the Detroit Tigers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On Thursday, ESPN insider Jeff Passan floated Lovullo as a name for the Red Sox at the end of the season, seeing as the 60-year-old is in the final year of his contract in Arizona.

"Where does Alex Cora, fired by the Red Sox, land?" Passan wrote. "If Torey Lovullo leaves the Arizona Diamondbacks after his contract expires at the end of the season, could he be a fit in Philadelphia, where he knows president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, or Boston, where he served as bench coach for John Farrell?"

Passan wasn't reporting any interest from either side, merely connecting the dots. And that's an important distinction, because Lovullo's deep ties to the Red Sox organization don't automatically mean chief baseball officer Craig Breslow wants him in town.

And at this point, who knows whether Breslow will be the man to hire Cora's permanent replacement. The season has already been so rough, and the turnover so unpredictable, that it would be irresponsible for anyone to predict these things, Passan included.

Lovullo was also in Boston at the same time as Dombrowski, now the president of baseball operations for the Philadelphia Phillies. Philadelphia just fired manager Rob Thomson and went after Cora as his replacement, so as Passan states, the Red Sox might have competition if Lovullo winds up on the market.