BOSTON – Even as the Red Sox embark on the first round of managerial interviews, the attention remains stuck on Blue Jays Manager John Farrell.

It can’t be helped, apparently, not until we hear about a contract extension for Farrell in Toronto or that the clubs are discussing compensation in order for him to interview for the Red Sox’ position.

So far, tight lips rule and even Farrell, in an MLB Radio interview, conceded he has no inside information that can shed light on what, if anything, is going on.

“I’m the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, that’s where I’ve been the last two years; that’s where I currently am,” said Farrell in the interview. “I can tell you this — in my conversations with (Jays General Manager) Alex (Anthopoulos), it hasn’t distracted me from my job and what the commitment there is. I’m extremely challenged, happy as manager of the Blue Jays.”

Farrell is obviously aware of the hubbub surrounding his status but he did not sound privy to any inside dope about whether or not contact had been made yet between Red Sox GM Ben Cherington and Anthopoulos, team President and CEO Larry Lucchino and Blue Jays President Paul Beeston, or at the ownership level.

“Nothing has been communicated directly to me as far as if the Red Sox have contacted Alex. I’m unaware of that,” said Farrell. “So where it stands is what I said — manager of the Blue Jays.”

When asked a number of Red Sox-Blue Jays questions related to Farrell, Lucchino relayed a “no comment” about the matter.

Last week, Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach had his interview for the managerial vacancy. Wallach, 55, has been considered by many for some time to be ripe for a major league manager job after a lengthy playing career, plus two big league coaching jobs with the Dodgers as well as two years spent as the club’s Triple-A manager.

The only other known candidate at this time is Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus, who has never managed before in the minors or majors but did have a stint this summer guiding Team Israel, which tried unsuccessfully to qualify for next spring’s World Baseball Classic.

NOTES: Fox Business Network, which had a story late in the season stating that the Red Sox were quietly shopping the team to potential buyers, circled back to the story from a different, less dramatic angle. A new story said that principal owner John Henry is looking to sell a minority share of Fenway Sports Group, the holding company that owns, among other properties, the Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club.

Sourcing unnamed baseball executives, the article reports that “Henry is growing increasingly uncomfortable running two high-profile sports franchises that eat a lot of cash without some outside help.”

The story also cites steep losses in his investment company as motivation to generate extra cash.

Like the last time, the Red Sox denied the report.

 

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