These are top candidates to be Red Sox manager

BOSTON -- Spring Training starts in a month. In other words, there is no time like the present for the Red Sox to find their next manager.

On Tuesday, the Sox decided to part ways with manager Alex Cora. The news came a day after Cora was named in Major League Baseball's findings from its investigation of the Astros' sign-stealing allegations in 2017.

Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom will hit the ground running, and here are some names that could pique his interest in his search for the 48th manager in Red Sox history.

Internal candidates

Ron Roenicke
Cora’s trusted bench coach the last two seasons, Roenicke would provide the most seamless transition during this unsettling time for the Red Sox. He also has previous experience, managing the Brewers from 2011-15 and posting a 342-331 record. Roenicke already has good relationships with the players.

Jason Varitek
Boston’s former catcher, captain and two-time World Series champion has been billed as a future manager since his playing days. Perhaps that time has finally come. Varitek has worked in the Red Sox organization since 2012 and is well-versed in all areas of the game. Though his title was as a special assistant to the president of baseball operations, Varitek has done most of his work for the Red Sox on the field. He is an expert on game plans for a pitching staff. This would be a popular choice with the fan base.

Carlos Febles
Febles served as Boston’s third-base coach and infield instructor the last two seasons, and he's been in the organization for 13 years. Febles paid his dues in the Minor Leagues, where he managed 904 games. His easygoing personality would make him a popular choice with the players. Febles knows the mindset of a Major League player, having spent a six-year career with the Royals.

Billy McMillon
A rising name in the Minors, McMillon managed Boston’s Triple-A Pawtucket affiliate last season after serving as the skipper for the club’s Class A affiliates in Greenville and Salem before that. McMillon has strong knowledge of the outfield and baserunning from his six-year career in the Majors.

External candidates

Matt Quatraro
Keep a close eye on this candidate. Quatraro is the bench coach for the Rays, and Bloom is extremely familiar with his ability as a coach. Quatraro was a finalist for the Pirates' manager job and also interviewed with the Giants. He is known for having strong communication skills with players and has the smarts to handle the analytics-driven approach the Rays deploy. MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal reports that Quatraro is unlikely to be a candidate, however. Rays staffers who have left organization to become GMs and managers in the past typically have not taken other employees with them, Rosenthal reports, adding that some teams have rules in place to that effect.

Dino Ebel
Ebel spent more than a decade as a Minor League manager for the Dodgers before getting the chance to coach third base for Angels manager Mike Scioscia in 2005. Ebel coached with Scioscia for more than a decade and was eventually elevated to bench coach. He is currently the third-base coach for the Dodgers and is respected throughout the game for his thorough baseball knowledge.

Joe McEwing
White Sox bench coach Joe McEwing is no stranger to getting interviewed for managerial jobs, having done so four times before. The scrappy attitude that served him so well as a player would certainly play in Boston. McEwing actually finished his playing career for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2007.

Mark Kotsay
The quality control coach for the A’s, Kotsay was a finalist for the Giants’ managerial job, which went to Gabe Kapler. During his playing days, Kotsay had a brief run with the Red Sox from 2008-09 and was respected throughout the clubhouse at that time for his intangibles and work ethic.

Eduardo Pérez
Going from television to managing is hardly a novelty anymore. Aaron Boone did it two years ago, and perhaps Pérez could be next. There are few former players in the game who are more universally liked among peers. Pérez has a natural way of relating to people, which would certainly help him as a manager. And his baseball intellect is well known.

Hensley Meulens
Sure, Meulens just got the job as bench coach with the Mets under rookie manager Carlos Beltrán. But he’d likely jump at the chance to vacate that post and realize his dream of becoming a manager. Keep in mind that Meulens was the runner-up for the Yankees job that went to Boone. Meulens speaks five languages (English, Spanish, Dutch, Papiamento and Japanese), which would be a huge asset in managing a Major League team.