The Latest On Boston's Pursuit of Thad Levine

I hope Levine gets his chance at the top. Seems like an upstanding guy who has been second in command for awhile. Unless he wants to see this to the end. The team is at a turning point at this stage to take that next step to WS contender. Do you finish what you started or do you take a maybe once in a lifetime opportunity?

"The Red Sox originally asked to interview Derek Falvey, but he prefers to stay in Minnesota."

Or, Derek prefers a location not spoiled by two decades of winning to create something durable before taking on one of the microscopically examined GM roles. Fine by me, whatever the reason. I never expected to feel this way after September 2022, but the fruits of his and Thad's labor has borne fruit aplenty.

It's now been 7 years since Falvey and Levine took over here. I am just now starting to feel confident that the organization is positioned for, to use Seth's words, sustainable contention. One should not expect things to happen much faster than this for a low-to-mid-revenue franchise because this is baseball. It takes time to build a reliable staff of scouts and player development people and it takes time for the players themselves to develop.

I expect that Levine will want assurances that ownership will be patient enough to allow an organizational system capable of producing sustainable contention to mature. One way the Red Sox could show faith in whomever they hire would be by agreeing to a guaranteed long term contract, of at least five years or so. Based on their recent history I have some doubt that they would have such patience, although they do have enough resources (in other words, money) to allow this timeline to be shortened somewhat. If the Red Sox seem reticent about doing this or too impatient I think he'll stay put in Minnesota.

9 hours ago, TNtwins85 said:

I hope Levine gets his chance at the top. Seems like an upstanding guy who has been second in command for awhile. Unless he wants to see this to the end. The team is at a turning point at this stage to take that next step to WS contender. Do you finish what you started or do you take a maybe once in a lifetime opportunity?

This will be the third time there is an opening in Boston in the last 10 years. Levine is not that old that this is a once in a lifetime chance

I really appreciate that Falvay is willing to stay.  I wonder if that means that Levine is the one more responsible for any of the bad moves that have been made on behalf of the Twins. There's been some boondoggles. I think that working for the Red Sox is only a once in a lifetime opportunity because it's mostly about the money, how to make more money & how to spend more money on behalf of the team that you're only going to work for once. I guess Levine is a sharp guy when it comes to analytics. But if he goes to work for the Red Sox I'm not going to feel sorry for him when he gets fired. I hope that he doesn't come back crying to the Twins about it.  Good luck & don't let the door hit your backside on the way out Thad.

That would be quite a difference in pressure level, going from second fiddle in MN to top dog in Boston.  I'd like to quantify changes in his sense of humor fall 2025 versus now.

12 hours ago, Nine of twelve said:

Based on their recent history I have some doubt that they would have such patience, although they do have enough resources (in other words, money) to allow this timeline to be shortened somewhat. If the Red Sox seem reticent about doing this or too impatient

I agree with that. Boston has never seemed like a patient organization in that respect. Both the ownership and the fans there want immediate results. 

5 hours ago, Jocko87 said:

You've also pointed out why he might not want that job.  It’s a 5 year job in a two year town.  In fact, it’s his third in his lifetime chance at it. 

Epstein did fine after being fired from Boston as did Dombrowski. Being fired from Boston isn’t a career killer 

1 hour ago, Jocko87 said:

Why would you take a job with a high chance of getting fired?  You only do that when you don't have options.

They all get fired at some point in time. Some quit because the situation changes, they are going to get fired,, bored with it, or won their World Series and quitting while they are ahead