As part of their offseason makeover, the Boston Red Sox have fired pitching coach Dave Bush, reports the Boston Globe. The club has also parted ways with third base coach Carlos Febles as well as Triple-A pitching coach Paul Abbott and assistant hitting coach Mike Montville. The Red Sox have not yet announced the firings.
Bush, 43, was named Red Sox hitting coach on Oct. 31, 2019, after spending three seasons working in the team's farm system. In Bush's four years as pitching coach the Red Sox ranked 23rd among the 30 teams with a 4.57 ERA and 20th with 44.4 WAR. This past season they were 21st in ERA (4.53) and 20th in WAR (13.8).
Prior to joining the Red Sox as an instructor, Bush spent parts of nine seasons in the big leagues, pitching to a 4.73 ERA in 1,144 1/3 innings with the Toronto Blue Jays (2004-05, 2013), Milwaukee Brewers (2006-10) and Texas Rangers (2011).
Boston has suffered from a lack of pitching talent more than a lack of coaching the last few years. Under Bush, Brayan Bello emerged as one of the game's top young starters, and others like Kutter Crawford and Josh Winckowski have carved out MLB roles. Injuries, specifically to veterans like James Paxton and Chris Sale, often left the clubs scrambling for arms.
The Red Sox fired chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom last month and have yet to hire his replacement. Executive vice president of baseball operations Brian O'Halloran and assistant general managers Eddie Romero, Raquel Ferreira and Michael Groopman are handling day-to-day duties in the interim.
This past season the Red Sox went 78-84 and finished in last place in the AL East. It is their third last-place finish in the last four seasons. Despite that, manager Alex Cora will return in 2024.
