Red Sox hire John Farrell

The Red Sox have announced that they have hired John Farrell as their new manager, and his contract with be a three year deal that will keep him in Boston through the 2015 season. As compensation to the Blue Jays, the Red Sox have traded shortstop Mike Aviles to Toronto in exchange for pitcher David Carpenter.

The Red Sox confirmed in a press release that they received permission from the Blue Jays to talk directly to Farrell. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said that Farrell talked to him a week after the season ended and said that if the opportunity to manage in Boston came up, he wanted to pursue it, calling it his dream job.

"I'm extremely excited to be returning to the Red Sox and to Boston," said Farrell, who was previously Boston's pitching coach, "I love this organization. It's a great franchise in a special city and region, with great fans, and we want nothing more than to reward their faith in us."

As for Aviles, he saw a reduced role in 2012 due to the emergence of top prospect Jose Iglesias. He hit .250 with 13 homers during the 2012 season, but is a career .277 hitter during five big league seasons with the Royals and Red Sox. Aviles will be arbitration eligible this winter and is set to become a free agent after the 2014 season.

Carpenter was previously traded to Toronto in the ten-player deal this summer that involved Brandon Lyon and J.A. Happ. He appeared in 33 games with Houston and Toronto in 2012, posting an 8.07 ERA. He also posted a 3.08 ERA in 23 Triple-A appearances as well.

Analysis: Wow this is a lot to take it. Farrell's name has been linked to the Red Sox over the past few weeks, so it isn't surprising that they hired him. Three years is quite a commitment, so they obviously liked what he did when he was their pitching coach a few years ago. As for the Blue Jays, I guess getting something out of Farrell is good, considering that his contract was set to expire after the 2013 season. Aviles is a nice player but a backup at best. Perhaps this means that Yunel Escobar could be traded and Aviles could slide in as the everyday shortstop, but it is too early to speculate on that. Carpenter is a decent relief pitcher, but had a rough 2012 season in the majors probably due to the tough hitters in the American League. I like the addition though, because he has some upside and Boston is looking to rebuild their bullpen.