Sox manager search on hold for Epstein

According to a major league source, the Red Sox -- who are currently performing due diligence on potential managerial candidates -- will not bring in candidates to interview for the position until after the status of general manager Theo Epstein is resolved.

Epstein's future with the Sox, after 10 seasons with the organization and nine as GM, is uncertain at the moment, at a time when the Cubs have requested permission to talk to him and there is a report of his being seen in a Chicago Starbucks. Given the importance of the relationship between the manager and general manager, the Sox appear set to wait until the identity of the GM is determined before they bring in candidates to investigate their fit for the job.

That said, Epstein's status is only one element in preventing the Sox from interviewing candidates at this point. The team also is likely to interview one or more candidates who are still in the playoffs, something that will not occur until the relevant team or teams are eliminated. The issue is not regarded as a significant impediment for the Sox, given that no other team in the majors is currently conducting a managerial search, and that the Sox did not start their last search -- the one that yielded manager Terry Francona -- until after former manager Grady Little had been fired near the end of October in 2003. Francona, who finished his eight-year tenure with the Sox two days after the end of this season, was not hired until early December 2003.

For more on the situation, visit the Full Count blog. For more Red Sox coverage, visit weei.com/redsox.