Ruben Amaro Jr. goes from the front office to the baselines

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You've got to hand it to Ruben Amaro Jr. Despite the fact that he was unceremoniously dumped by the Philadelphia Phillies as their general manager, the man has managed to land gracefully on his feet by landing a job with the Boston Red Sox. Oh wait, you're saying that he won't be working in their front office? You're also saying that he's their new first base coach? Yes, this is a thing that's actually happening: Ruben Amaro Jr. will be on the field, wearing a uniform, and helping baserunners make decisions for the Boston Red Sox next season.

To say that Amaro's path from the front office to the first base line is an unorthodox one would be an understatement. We all went crazy back in late spring when the Miami Marlins decided that the best man for their open position of manager was their general manager — a GM who had absolutely no prior managerial experience, mind you. However, Dan Jennings' journey from the skybox to the dugout appears to be a temporary one. Ruben Amaro Jr.'s move to a coaching position appears to be one with the endgame of moving toward a managerial position in the future.

That has to be the motivation behind this type of move, right? If you want to potentially become a manager in this game, then you've got to build up experience somehow, and getting a job as a first base coach is a good way to do it. Otherwise, it takes an extremely humble person to go from having the keys to a Major League Baseball franchise to making sure that your baserunner doesn't get picked off at first. Also, it's in his family's blood, since Amaro's father was also a coach in the big leagues. So, who knows what the future has in store for Ruben Amaro Jr.? This could be the start of a managerial journey, or it could end up being the answer to a wacky trivia question in the future. Either way, this is definitely an intriguing move for the former GM of the Phillies.

• Ruben Amaro Jr. won't have to worry about dealing top prospects for current talent at the moment, but that's something that current Red Sox GM Dave Dombrowski will have to worry about.


• Meanwhile in Philadelphia, Amaro's replacement is probably going to be extremely busy this offseason, as the Phillies begin their reclamation project.


• The Mets have announced their rotation for the World Series. It's pretty fearsome, if we're being totally honest here.


• Speaking of good Mets pitching, Jeurys Familia is putting it all together, and he's picked a great time to do so.


• The Royals' amazing feat of winning back-to-back pennants has the crew on the South Side of Chicago feeling a bit woeful on the 10-year anniversary of their World Series triumph.


• The Marlins have reportedly narrowed down their managerial search to three candidates, with Don Mattingly leading the way.


• Meanwhile, things are getting serious for the Nationals in their managerial search, as they've brought in Bud Black and Dusty Baker for second interviews.


• It's normal for big-time free agents to say that they're willing to return to their current employers before proceeding to test the market, and David Price is no different.


• The Mariners may have hired Scott Servais as their new manager because he can get along with the front office, and that's actually a pretty good thing.