Sox Lose Farrell to Jays

What most were suspecting this morning has finally become official. The Toronto Blue Jays are set to introduce former Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell as their new manager, ending Farrell's four-year stint as Terry Francona's right hand man. Farrell has previously turned down several managerial offers in the interest of staying with Boston, but after missing the playoffs in 2010, he felt it was time to make the next step in his career.

Farrell played a huge role in regulating and developing several of Boston's young pitchers over his time here. He jumped straight into a world series championship in 2007, and despite going without another ring the rest of his tenure, he progressed this staff leaps and bounds from where it was in 2007.

As for how the team will move forward without Farrell, that remains to be seen. GM Theo Epstein and Francona will likely begin interviewing potential candidates to fill the void left by Farrell in the coming weeks. Francona acknowledged in an interview with ESPN that having such a close friend [Farrell] truly helped get through the bumps in the road of a long season and that it will be difficult to go against him 19 times next season. Still, Francona and everyone else involved knows that it is a business and that Farrell made the choice that was best for his career. Thanks for your service, John. Good luck -- but not too much -- in Toronto.