Butterfield still candidate for Blue Jays job

According to baseball sources, newly hired Red Sox third base coach Brian Butterfield remains a candidate for the Blue Jays managerial job despite being hired by Boston Tuesday.

Red Sox manager John Farrell confirmed Butterfield's potential candidacy with Toronto on Tuesday night. "Yes, it's a rare opportunity, and we would certainly not block that," Farrell said when asked if, as far as he knew, Butterfield was still in the mix for the Jays job. "But at the same time we're extremely excited about Brian joining us."

The Blue Jays allowed all of their coaches to seek employment elsewhere following the 2012 season, with first base coach Torey Lovullo joining the Red Sox as bench coach after Farrell left his post as Toronto manager to guide the Sox.

"With Butter, we have an outstanding baseball man from a baseball family, his dad [Jack Butterfield] being a longtime developer, person and coach," Farrell said of Butterfield. "Brian is a guy who has a high level of energy, a passion for the game. In the past two years I've had the opportunity to work with him day in and day out. He's a very good third base coach with very good decision-making ability."

Other candidates for the Blue Jays job reportedly include Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr., Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach, Orioles third base coach DeMarlo Hale and Diamondbacks third base coach Matt Williams.

Farrell pointed out that Butterfield also will serve as the team's infield instructor, a title he also held in Toronto.

"He's positive. He always looks for ways to make a positive impact on a player, whether it's with a fundamental technique or talking through the game about challenges they might encounter," the Red Sox manager said. "This is someone who even in his post-playing career he hasn't forgotten how difficult this game is and how fast this game can move. At the same time this is one of the most prepared coaches I've ever been around. The amount of time and energy he puts in video review, the attention of detail which was evidenced by the number of over-shifts we employed the last two years, and he has a creative mind which he carries to the personnel that we have."

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