Former Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said that he feels he’ll be back in baseball next season. He said he doesn’t need to be a team’s president of baseball operations or GM. He said he would accept a lower-level position. But why should he have to?

As far as we know, the Twins’ job could be two-pronged, as a president of baseball operations and GM. Cherington’s excellent farm system record would seem to be a perfect fit in Minnesota. And we’re sure the search firm hired to find the next head of the Twins is aware of that. The only thing Cherington won’t have there is money. The Twins simply don’t spend.

“I think the Twins would love him as their president. Just don’t know if he would move there,’’ said one AL GM.

Cherington’s résumé keeps improving as some of his mistakes in Boston have come up roses.

The pitcher he signed to a four-year, $82.5 million extension before he had thrown a meaningful pitch with the Red Sox — Rick Porcello — has 20 wins in his second season with Boston.

How about the “awful’’ Hanley Ramirez signing — four years, $88 million for a shortstop to play left field? Ramirez has turned into a solid first baseman on the verge of a 100-RBI season, and whose perceived attitude issues have turned into leadership qualities.

The biggest endorsement of Cherington’s time in Boston?

He held on to the player who may be the league’s MVP this year, Mookie Betts. He didn’t give up on the center fielder, Jackie Bradley Jr., who will likely win the Gold Glove and has become the hitter Cherington thought he’d grow into.

Even though Cherington brought Stephen Drew back and moved Xander Bogaerts to third base in 2014, he always said Bogaerts was the future shortstop and refused to part with him despite receiving numerous offers in proposed deals for All-Star players, including Cole Hamels.

Cherington resisted dealing Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez, and stuck with Travis Shaw.

He signed Yoan Moncada, who is now the top prospect in baseball, for what amounted to $63 million — $31.5 million in salary and $31.5 million in signing bonus penalty.

His last draft produced Andrew Benintendi, who looks to be Boston’s future left fielder.

He also traded for Steven Wright, Sandy Leon, and Brock Holt, three players who have come out of the blue to become team fixtures.

But for all of the pluses, there were mistakes that Cherington fully admits to.

The signing of Rusney Castillo for $72.5 million over seven years was a tough one. Castillo was taken off the 40-man roster by Dave Dombrowski.

There was the John Lackey deal, where Cherington felt Allen Craig would rebound from foot surgery, but he never did. Once one of the top hitters in the National League with the Cardinals, Craig is a shadow of his former self, spending this season at Pawtucket mostly injured at $9.5 million. He’s due to make $11 million next season. It does appear that the potential everyone saw in Joe Kelly could finally be realized as a late-inning reliever. This deal can be saved.

Cherington says his biggest mistake was not re-signing Andrew Miller and allowing him to go to the Yankees. He lost him over the $1 million more per year that the Yankees offered over the Red Sox’ final offer.

Losing Jon Lester? Let’s call that an ownership decision.

The Red Sox needed a third baseman and Pablo Sandoval had been a World Series MVP and tremendous postseason performer. In the first two years of a five-year, $95 million deal with Boston, Sandoval has been a major bust through performance, injury, and weight issues.

So there it is, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Besides Minnesota, another possible landing spot for Cherington is Arizona, where Tony La Russa and Dave Stewart are reportedly in hot water after a season of unfulfilled expectations. But there are certainly other places where Cherington could be a valuable adviser.

Cherington has ties with Neal Huntington in Pittsburgh and Dan Duquette in Baltimore. He has ties with Mark Shapiro in Toronto and Chris Antonetti in Cleveland.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman was on the verge of offering Cherington a job not long after he left the Red Sox. Could that be a possibility again?

There’s always the chance of a Theo Epstein/Cherington reunion with the Cubs.

Another ideal place would be Tampa Bay, where Matt Silverman could use another top baseball guy on his staff. The Rays have become so analytical that they need more balance on their scouting side. Cherington can do both.

Cherington has ties with San Diego president Mike Dee, who held a similar position with the Red Sox. Dee’s Padres have started to rebuild with good deals they made with Dombrowski and the Red Sox for Craig Kimbrel and Drew Pomeranz. Cherington would likely not have given up center fielder Manuel Margot in the Kimbrel deal; Margot is another Cherington favorite who should be an excellent player in the majors before all is said and done.

There’s also Seattle. Cherington declined an interview with the Mariners for the GM position Jerry Dipoto got. It was Cherington who hired Dipoto to do a study on the Red Sox farm system and overall organization. Dipoto never got to finish the job for Cherington, but finished it for Dombrowski before taking the Seattle job.

A sign that Cherington may be relocating is his wife, Tyler Tumminia, is leaving The Goldklang Group, which owns a few minor league teams. She will keep keep an ownership stake in the Pittsfield Suns.

There was no way to put a positive spin on Porcello or Ramirez last season. But those bad stories have turned completely around, and other Cherington mistakes could, too.

But for the most part, any GM who wins more deals than he loses has done a pretty good job. And Cherington batted 1.000 in 2013 when he picked up Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, Ryan Dempster, Koji Uehara, Jonny Gomes, David Ross, and Mike Carp, won the World Series, and was named Executive of the Year.

BIRD WATCHING

Blue Jays have big

As we follow the Blue Jays’ lineup this weekend, we wonder if two of their heavy hitters, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, could emerge as candidates to replace David Ortiz as Red Sox DH next season.

Encarnacion, whom Ortiz endorsed as his replacement earlier this year, is having an enormous season. Entering Friday, Encarnacion had 37 homers, 112 RBIs, and a .900 OPS. Bautista has had an injury-riddled season and logged nearly half of his at-bats from the leadoff spot.

Bautista, one of the more unselfish players in the game, volunteered to bat leadoff to take advantage of his normally high on-base percentage while sacrificing his run-production stats, which are important as he enters free agency.

Bautista wanted to help the team — which is what made him a favorite of John Farrell, Torey Lovullo, and Brian Butterfield when the troika managed and coached him in Toronto.

Ortiz’s opinion of Encarnacion, 33, is that he could handle being the full-time DH because playing the field (first base) doesn’t mean that much to him as long as he’s in the lineup. Bautista, who will turn 36 in October, has always been a very good outfielder with a good arm, and can also play first base and third base and is willing to play anywhere.

The Jays have not been willing to negotiate with Encarnacion, which is a sign that they will likely lose him. But which teams will go after him, and at what cost? Encarnacion may be eyeing a five-year deal for at least $100 million. And that number could rise depending on the market. He would have to be at least on par with Hanley Ramirez’s $22 million per and perhaps would ask for Yoenis Cespedes money at $25 million per.

Bautista could emerge as a bargain.

Would Bautista accept a role as a full-time DH? Or would he accept a qualifying offer from the Blue Jays?

Surely, those two players will be high atop Boston’s list of candidates for Ortiz’s potential replacement. Carlos Beltran, Mark Trumbo, and Mike Napoli would all be candidates as well. Or the Red Sox could fill the vacancy from within. But signing a big-name hitter would mean giving up a No. 1 draft pick.

Apropos of nothing

1. Had the season ended Thursday, the AL wild-card game would be Baltimore at Toronto, and the Division Series would be Boston at Cleveland and Texas hosting the wild-card winner. The Giants would host the NL wild-card game against the Mets or Cardinals (Mets had a game in hand), with the Division Series sending the Dodgers to Washington and the wild-card winner facing the Cubs in Chicago.

2. Forty starting pitchers have made their big league debuts this season, posting an 8-17 record and 6.32 ERA in their initial appearance. In 188 innings, they have allowed 223 hits and 140 runs, with 86 walks and 154 strikeouts. Their teams are a combined 16-24 in those 40 starts.

3. When Carlos Santana hit his 30th home run last week, he joined Mike Napoli (31) at the plateau and gave the Indians their first set of teammates with at least 30 homers in a season since 2002 (Jim Thome 52, Ellis Burks 32).

4. Well, I think we know one area where the Phillies will try to improve in the offseason. They are the worst hitting team in baseball this year. They are last in runs per game (3.67), on-base percentage (.295), and OPS (.677), and 29th in batting average (.237). This prompted manager Pete Mackanin to lecture his hitters on taking meaningful batting practice. “Take batting practice the same way you were going to hit in the game, instead of taking it nonchalantly to get loose,’’ he said. “I want them to bear down. I want them to try to take some of that discipline from BP into the game.’’

5. The Mets have such a soft schedule the rest of the way, there’s no excuse for not making the wild card. The Mets play three at Atlanta this weekend, and next weekend start a 10-game home series against the Twins, Braves, and Phillies. They end the season with three in Miami and three in Philadelphia. Other than a three-game set at Washington next week and the series in Miami, it’s Easy Street.

If they don’t make the playoffs by scuffling against the dregs of the NL, there could be major problems in New York.

6. Wonder if A.J. Pierzynski, 39, is finally ready to retire for the broadcast booth. He’s a very good analyst. And how about David Ortiz for a similar role?

Updates on nine

1. Josh Beckett, RHP, retired — Beckett claimed on 98.5 The Sports Hub that the Red Sox made up a lat issue to place him on the disabled list so that pitcher Aaron Cook wouldn’t opt out of his Red Sox contract and sign with the Yankees. One AL GM indicated the Red Sox “faked DL placement many times.’’ Dr. Thomas Gill, chairman of the orthopedic department at St. Elizabeth’s and former Red Sox team doctor, said it was not uncommon for major league teams to create a “pseudo injury in order to make a roster spot for another player.’’

2. Tim Tebow, OF, Mets — There have been mutterings in the Mets organization about Tebow’s presence costing a more deserving young player who has toiled in the system from getting a chance in the instructional league. But the Mets see no downside to the signing. As one Mets official said, “We all know it’s a long shot, but we feel Tim is such a great athlete and such a great person that it can only help our organization and our young players. There’s no downside to Tim going to instructional and start playing baseball. We know he’s 29. We’ll just see where this takes us.’’

3. Ryan Hanigan, C, Red Sox — It’ll be interesting to see what the Red Sox do with Hanigan in the offseason. He has a $3.75 million option with an $800,000 buyout. With Sandy Leon taking the top job and Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart in the wings, it could be Hanigan gets bought out. The team also likes Bryan Holaday and the way he works with David Price, so that’s another consideration.

4. Wilson Ramos, C, Nationals — Ramos, 29, is hitting .306 with 20 homers, 73 RBIs, and an .851 OPS. The pending free agent is bound to land a multiyear deal this offseason. The Nationals could easily re-sign him, but he may get some interesting offers elsewhere.

5. Ryan Braun, LF, Brewers — Given the Dodgers’ interest when Milwaukee claimed Yasiel Puig on waivers and the teams tried to work out a deal, one Dodger source indicated this package likely gets revisited in the offseason. The Dodgers can afford to take on the four years and $76 million remaining on Braun’s deal, and in the process get rid of a player who has caused them so much grief. The issue with Braun is his PED history, but many believe Braun is a different and better person now.

6. Mark Trumbo, RF/DH, Orioles — The Orioles may try to retain Trumbo with a qualifying offer ($16.7 million), but the slugger (who has a career-high 41 homers) could find an interesting landing spot in Toronto if Edwin Encarnacion leaves.

7. Brian Dozier, 2B, Twins — There has been some chatter that the last-place Twins would consider dealing Dozier after an incredible season in which he’s hit 39 homers and driven in 92 runs. Stranger things have happened, but his next two seasons are for team-friendly salaries of $6 million and $9 million. Nevertheless, the thinking behind the chatter is for the Twins to acquire front-line pitching. But the concept seems far-fetched unless the Dodgers offer a ton for him. Dozier could join Ryne Sandberg, Davey Johnson, and Rogers Hornsby as second basemen in the 40-homer club.

8. Joey Votto, 1B, Reds — Votto was born in Toronto. The feeling is if the Blue Jays shed Jose Bautista and Encarnacion in free agency, they could take on Votto with the Reds paying a portion of the $192 million remaining on his deal through 2024. Problem is, the Jays may not have the prospects Cincinnati wants. Therein lies the stumbling block.

9. Chris Sale, LHP, White Sox — Yes, the White Sox will listen on trade proposals involving Sale this offseason, but according to a team source, “The odds of getting what we feel we need to get are slim. That’s why I think Chris will be with us in 2017.’’

Extra innings

From Bill Arnold’s bag of goodies: “MLB teams are on a pace to employ over 30,000 defensive shifts this season, continuing a trend with 6,882 used in 2013, 13,299 in 2014, and 17,714 in 2015.’’ . . . “Also, Dylan Cozens of the Reading Phillies became the first Double A hitter to hit 40 homers in a season for an Eastern League team since Ron Kittle accomplished the feat for the Glens Falls White Sox in 1981.’’ . . . Happy birthday, Jacoby Ellsbury (33), Ellis Burks (52), and Jeff Newman (68).

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickcafardo. Material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.