Major League Baseball

Reports: Red Sox hire Bobby Valentine

Published Nov. 29, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

Ken Rosenthal

Nearly two months after parting with Terry Francona, the Red Sox finally have settled on a manager.

Bobby Valentine is the team’s choice, according to several reports.

Valentine, the clear favorite of ownership, beat out the other finalist, Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont.

The Red Sox also considered a host of other candidates, but none had the experience of Valentine, who previously managed the Rangers, Mets and Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan.

The AL East will now feature a number of high-powered managers. Valentine joins the Yankees’ Joe Girardi, Rays’ Joe Maddon, Orioles’ Buck Showalter and Blue Jays’ John Farrell in the division.