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The Boston Red Sox have hired John Farrell as their next manager, a source confirmed to ESPNBoston.com's Joe McDonald on Saturday night.
The sides agreed to a multiyear deal, the source told McDonald.
Farrell, Boston's former pitching coach, had one year remaining on his contract as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays.
As compensation, the Red Sox will send veteran infielder Mike Aviles to Toronto, a source told ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes. The source also said the Blue Jays will send a player to the Red Sox.
Red Sox spokeswoman Pam Kenn said early Sunday the team had no announcement to make. A source, however, told McDonald that an announcement is likely to be made sometime later Sunday.
The Red Sox formally interviewed four candidates -- Los Angeles Dodgers third-base coach Tim Wallach, New York Yankees bench coach Tony Pena, San Diego Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus and Baltimore Orioles third-base coach DeMarlo Hale -- to replace Bobby Valentine, but Farrell had been "at the top of their list" from the start, a team source told ESPNBoston.com earlier this month.
Farrell served as the Red Sox's pitching coach from 2007 through 2010.
The Red Sox attempted to acquire Farrell a year ago, but they weren't willing to bow to Toronto's asking price of what was rumored to be pitchers Clay Buchholz and/or Daniel Bard.
The Red Sox eventually hired Valentine, then fired him the day after finishing their worst season (69-93) in more than four decades.
The Blue Jays chose Farrell to succeed the retired Cito Gaston in October 2010, signing him to a three-year contract. Farrell led the Blue Jays to an 81-81 record in his first season, but the team was 16 games under .500 (73-89) this past season, finishing only better than the Red Sox in the AL East.
Farrell spent eight seasons pitching in the majors, winning a career-high 14 games for the Indians in 1988, before retiring after the 1996 season.
He spent five years as assistant coach/pitching and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater, Oklahoma State. He then returned to the Indians in 2001, serving as the team's player development director for five years before joining the Red Sox.
Even before the announcement, news of the deal trickled out over Twitter, where Blue Jays reliever Casey Janssen wrote: "Want to wish our skipper the best in Boston, good luck!"
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