The Red Sox have eliminated Torey Lovullo from consideration for their manager's job, according to a report by John Tomase in the Boston Herald, narrowing the choice to either Bobby Valentine or Gene Lamont.
According to multiple reports, Lamont had a second interview with the Sox earlier in the week. (Valentine had already interviewed twice.) The team hopes to make a decision early next week in order to have a manager in place for baseball's winter meetings, which begin Dec. 4 in Dallas.
Lovullo, who managed the Red Sox' Triple-A team in Pawtucket in 2010, was the Blue Jays' first-base coach under ex-Sox pitching coach John Farrell last year. By dropping him from the mix, the Sox have apparently decided that prior big-league managing experience was a requisite for their new hire.
Valentine managed the Rangers from 1985-92, and the Mets from 1996-2002. Lamont managed the White Sox from 1992-95 and the Pirates from 1997-2000.