In 1997, Farrell joined his alma mater,
Oklahoma State University, as assistant coach and pitching and recruiting coordinator. He remained with the college through 2001. From November 2001 through the end of the 2006 season, Farrell served as the director of player development for the Cleveland Indians. In 2003 and 2004, the Indians were named MLB Organization of the Year by
USA Todays
Sports Weekly. In 2003, they were also named as having the top farm system in professional baseball by
Baseball America. Following the 2006 season, the Boston Red Sox hired Farrell as its new pitching coach, replacing
Dave Wallace. Farrell rejoined Red Sox manager
Terry Francona, as they had been teammates together on the Indians.
Toronto Blue Jays During the 2010 off-season, Farrell was rumored to be one of four finalists for the job of manager of
Toronto Blue Jays, along with
Brian Butterfield,
DeMarlo Hale, and
Sandy Alomar Jr. The Blue Jays held a press conference on October 25, 2010, formally introducing Farrell as the team's manager for the 2011 season. Farrell suffered a dislocated jaw while attempting to restrain pitcher
Jon Rauch from going after umpire
Alfonso Marquez, during a game on July 2, 2011. Both Rauch and Farrell were ejected from the game. On August 25, 2011, during a home game against the
Kansas City Royals, Farrell was forced to leave the dugout in the ninth inning due to a then unknown illness. He was later diagnosed with
pneumonia at
Mount Sinai Hospital, and was released from the hospital on August 26. He finished his stint as Toronto Blue Jays manager with a record of 154 wins and 170 losses.
Boston Red Sox On October 20, 2012, it was reported that Farrell had asked to be allowed to interview for the manager position with the Boston Red Sox. The next day the Blue Jays officially confirmed Farrell had accepted the manager position with Boston. In the same transaction, Toronto sent pitcher
David Carpenter to Boston in exchange for infielder
Mike Avilés. In 2013, Farrell became the fifth first-year Red Sox manager to win the
American League pennant. The Red Sox subsequently went on to win the
2013 World Series, going from worst to first under Farrell in just a year's time. It was also the first time in 95 years that the
Red Sox won the Series at home, the last time being the
1918 World Series. However, the team struggled during Farrell's second year as manager and subsequently finished last in their division. Farrell accepted responsibility for their poor performance and also attributed their problems to inconsistencies in their offense. Farrell's 2015 season was cut short in August when he was diagnosed with
lymphoma and forced to seek treatment. By the time of his departure, the Red Sox's struggles were continuing and they again found themselves in last place in their division, where they ultimately finished for the second year in a row. Nevertheless, it was announced that Farrell would return as the Red Sox's manager in 2016. The 2016 season was an improvement for Farrell and the Red Sox, who finished at the top of their division and returned to the playoffs. However, the team would be swept in the
American League Division Series against the
Cleveland Indians, led by their former manager
Terry Francona, under whom Farrell had previously served. The Red Sox again finished at the top of their division under Farrell in the 2017 season, but were also eliminated in the divisional round for a second consecutive year, this time against the
Houston Astros. On October 11, 2017, the Red Sox announced Farrell's termination after serving five years as manager.
Cincinnati Reds In March 2018, the Reds announced that Farrell had joined their organization as a scout, his role to be "evaluating the club's system and also serving on special assignments".
Managerial records ==Broadcasting==