As we sit here, right now, he is the best (semi-attainable) person for the job.

The Red Sox are looking for a manager, and it just so happens the guy currently carrying the title for the Blue Jays, John Farrell, represents where the end of the Sox' search should land. 

Exhale, Boston baseball fans. Not going to happen.

Still, let's push back reality for a bit. Compensation be darned, this is the guy the Sox should go after. Joe Maddon would be the best choice from a public relations standpoint, and Bud Black offers familiarity with some key elements on the roster while carrying a healthy resume. But it is Farrell who would truly be worth whatever price such a maneuver would cost.

Sure, the price would be high, but the Red Sox ownership group was ready to pay the piper when going after Oakland general manager Billy Beane in 2002. And a case could be made that while securing the best GM was the be-all, end-all for the organization at that time, finding the right manager is of equal importance this time around.

In '02, the Red Sox needed to rebuild build a roster. In '12, the Red Sox need to rebuild a clubhouse.

But before we get into why exactly Farrell should be the next manager of the Red Sox, let's identify why he won't be.

We can start with WEEI.com's report Sunday that the Sox aren't presently considering interviews with any managers of other teams. So there's that.

But even if the Red Sox did call Toronto general manager Alex Anthopolous -- which, according to a report in the Toronto Globe and Mail, has not happened -- the answer new general manager Ben Cherington would get most likely would not be to his liking. 

Judging by an article written by Sportsnet's Shi Davidi in early October, permission to talk to Farrell -- whose contract runs through '13 -- wouldn't be a problem. Wrote Davidi: "There is no need for rival clubs to formally seek permission for an interview, to work within a negotiating window, or face a request for compensation. Blue Jays employees are free to speak with whom they please, when they please, for as long as they please."

In the same story Anthopolous is quoted as saying, "Selfishly, I don’t want any of our guys to leave, but at the same time I hope all of our employees have opportunities to better themselves, whether it’s responsibilities, financial, whatever it might be."

The problem would come in the cost the Blue Jays would likely affix to Farrell. Forget the fact that we're talking about another team in the American League East (which surely would be an enormous stumbling block when diving into the Maddon pool). In the eyes of Anthopolous -- who, by all accounts, performed one of the most exhaustive managerial searches in recent memory before locking in on Farrell -- the 49-year-old is as much a cornerstone to the Jays franchise as Jose Bautista.

And if Anthopolous does view Farrell's importance to the organization even close to a player who has led the American League in home runs the past two seasons, then what do you think he would be asking from the Red Sox? You can be sure it would be more than a Trey McNutt.

Add in the fact that Farrell appears to like it in Toronto, enjoys working for Anthopolous and the Blue Jays ownership group, and is keen on the construction (and potential) of the team's roster. The former Red Sox pitching coach waited out managerial openings in Seattle, Pittsburgh and Cleveland before identifying the Jays situation as one that could actually lead to success. After an 81-81 season, that perspective doesn't appear to have changed.

So, with all these potential hurdles, you might be wondering why the Red Sox should even bother asking. Let me repeat: John Farrell currently would be the best person for the job.

If we were sitting here last year, and Farrell was coming off another year of serving as the pitching coach for the Red Sox with the Sox and Terry Francona having parted ways, he very well might not have been the right guy. Farrell would be the first to admit that he was surprised by some of the demands that came with living the life of a major league manager (although numerous people in the Toronto clubhouse raved about how he handled that first year at the helm of the Jays.)

History also suggests there is something to be said for having some sort of managerial experience under your belt. There has been just one team (2001 Diamondbacks) in the last last 50 years to win a World Series with a first-time manager (Bob Brenly).

Well, Farrell now has that experience. Many of the candidates that the Red Sox will be interviewing figure to be first-timers, a daunting reality, especially in the situation facing the '12 Sox.

The consensus is that this Red Sox group, despite the presence of a clubhouse full of veterans, need a firm hand from its new manager. But it can't be simply a flat-out, my-way-or-the-highway disciplinarian. That won't fly either.

There has to be just the right balance of comfort and discomfort, which was what seemingly kept the Red Sox pitching staff on a proper path for most of Farrell's tenure in Boston from 2007-10. Did he butt heads with some of the pitchers? Absolutely. But even it was begrudgingly, the players produced at an acceptable level more times than not.

Clay Buchholz has talked openly of initially being afraid of Farrell. Other players, after the September collapse, have surmised that that same fear was a key loss for the Sox clubhouse, with one stating, "Guys had a deep respect for him and were a little scared of him. … It definitely would have been different if he was there."

There would be no guarantees that Farrell's presence would fix what ails this team. Just like there isn't any kind of certainty a first-year manager with no familiarity with the Sox couldn't pull a Brenly.

But, as we sit here, it is hard to come to any other conclusion than Farrell currently is the best fit.

Maybe it's nothing more than a pipe dream, but, right now, the Red Sox should dare to dream.