Toucher & Rich: Who Will Sox Get To Replace Francona?

After the loss to the Orioles on Wednesday night the Red Sox missed the playoffs again for the second year in a row. Reports started to circle early this morning saying that Terry Francona will not be the manager of the Red Sox next season.

Toucher & Rich spoke with Sox insider Peter Abraham about these reports, things that happened in the locker room this season and who would they choose to replace Francona?

Was it always Francona's plan to leave the Sox or did this come about because he felt like no one backed him up at the end of the season or does management want him gone?

"I think there's probably truth to all of those things. It seemed yesterday pretty evident he wanted to be out. He was asked directly whether he wanted to come back as the Red Sox manager and he didn't say yes," Abraham said.

The guys discussed the locker room through the course of this season. Could Francona have felt like he lost control his control over the locker room?

"This was not the same kind of team that they had when they were at their most successful. There seemed like there were a lot of guys on this team who were more concerned about themselves, more concerned about their own business and that comes when you change the roster as much as they have in the last few years," Abraham said.

Once Francona leaves and everything is official who will the Red Sox look at to take the helm?

"Well I'd think they'd have to give some serious consideration to Bobby Valentine. It seems like anytime a baseball team changes managers you try to look for a different kind of guy than the guy you previously had. Francona was a guy who was known as being a players manager, as somebody who took a light touch with the players, tried to treat them like men and created that type of atmosphere. Bobby Valentine is much more of a hands on guy, he's much more of a guy who's considered a motivator a guy who's considered a guy who will get in your face so maybe you get somebody like that to come in," said Abraham.

They also discussed how long it might take until the Sox bring in a new manager?

All this and so much more with our Red Sox insider Peter Abraham.