Terry Francona Puts Faith in Theo Epstein at Trade Deadline, But Likes Team As Is

Red Sox manager Terry Francona always stresses his role — get the most out of what he has to work with. However, five days before the non-waiver trade deadline, Francona made his own pitch to the front office.

"I like our team," Francona said Tuesday at Fenway Park.

Still, Francona trusts general manager Theo Epstein will do what's in the best interest of the team.

"I've been around here long enough to know that Theo's going to be on the phone, doing his due diligence, which he's supposed to," Francona added. "I don't think I need to sit up here and say what we need because I think my job is to get the most out of these guys, and I like them a lot. But I also know Theo's going to try to make us better if he can."

The one position that has been in the middle of rumors for weeks is right field. The nature of that spot has been dramatically altered in recent weeks with the emergence of Josh Reddick.

That sort of scenario is one reason Francona is often reticent about seeing his front office make a major splash. He is so trusting of the player development "machine" that there's almost always someone like Reddick to fill a gap.

"I do feel pretty strongly, just because I get to hear the conversations, I like our young players in the system," Francona said. "I'm not voting or I'm not saying, 'Hey, don't do this,' because I like our young guys, too. I really like the idea of our young guys coming up and helping us.

"I don't think that hamstrings us one bit."