Red Sox Hitting Coach Dave Magadan Leaves For A Better Team: The Texas Rangers

The Red Sox still don't have a manager and now, they will also be on the market for a hitting coach. After seven seasons including one World Series title in Boston, Dave Magadan left for the same position with the Rangers. He had an option on his contract but he was allowed to speak to other clubs. Who could blame him from getting out of this quagmire? Texas will probably lose Josh Hamilton in free agency but their lineup is still stacked.

Look, I've always said that the role of manager is vastly overrated in MLB (hi Mike Matheny one win away from the World Series) so that means by extension that hitting coaches and pitching coaches are even more irrelevant. I mean, what can you say to a major leaguer that's struggling in those areas? Swing at better pitches and throw strikes?

Truth be told, the Red Sox' offense was much less of an issue this past season than their god awful starting rotation. Hence why hiring a new pitching coach would seem to have a higher priority.

Speaking of managers, Boston is reportedly in negotiations with Toronto regarding their manager John Farrell. You'll remember he was the pitching coach for the Red Sox from 2006-10 before being the manager of the Blue Jays the last two seasons. They have also interviewed Yankees bench coach Tony Pena, Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach, Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus and Orioles third base coach DeMarlo Hale but from the start, everyone has felt like Farrell is their man. It would be surprising if they went with someone else.

Whomever the Red Sox select, they better learn from their mistakes of last season and let that guy pick his assistants. Sticking Bobby Valentine with a hodge podge of holdover coaches from Terry Francona's regime that he didn't bring with him or select was only one of the million reasons why 2012 was doomed to fail from the start.

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