BOSTON -- The Mets announced Luis Rojas as their next manager last Thursday and the Astros seem poised to do the same with Dusty Baker at some point this week. That leaves the Red Sox, just over two weeks after parting ways with Alex Cora, as the only club without a manager as spring training quickly approaches.

Of the three teams leading surprise managerial searches this month, the Red Sox have been by far the quietest. While candidate lists emerged from both New York and Houston, new Sox chief baseball baseball officer Chaim Bloom has pledged stealth and secrecy. At this point, there’s no clear frontrunner, no confirmed interviewees and somehow, not even a clear timetable for a decision.

So where, exactly, do the Red Sox stand?

Bloom is “in the thick” of the interview process, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, so it’s clear potential candidates have traveled to Boston to meet with team officials over the past week and a half. Left unknown are the details of that process, with no indications emerging regarding how many candidates will be interviewed, whether or not the team is leaning toward an internal hire or if rival teams are even willing to grant permission for the Sox to speak with their employees.

All indications are that two of the club’s internal options -- bench coach Ron Roenicke and third base coach Carlos Febles -- will be considered to replace Cora. Roenicke, who managed the Brewers from 2011 to 2015, distanced himself from the league’s ongoing investigation into Boston’s alleged sign-stealing practices during an impassioned session with the media at the team’s Winter Weekend event on Jan. 18. Febles, who managed many players on the current roster and comes with the benefit of being bilingual, would surely be a popular choice among players and expressed interest in the job.

Barring a sudden change, Jason Varitek appears to be a longshot for the position, according to a source with knowledge of the organization’s thinking. Varitek, who has expressed interest in managing in the past, would be a fan favorite if chosen to replace Cora but might not be the right fit for the current roster due to his lack of coaching experience.

The Red Sox are surely cautious that anyone hired from within could be implicated in the league investigation, but Bloom said last week that the search won’t be delayed by MLB’s process. Owners John Henry and Tom Werner both hinted that they don’t think the Sox will be punished severely once the results of the investigation are released and designated hitter J.D. Martinez forcefully claimed Boston would be found innocent.

External candidates are being considered as well, with Athletics quality control coach Mark Kotsay (who played for the Sox in 2008 and 2009) believed to be in the running, according to a source. It’s unclear whether or not the Sox have interviewed Kotsay yet, but the 44-year-old is considered a top managerial prospect and has been interviewed by San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Houston since the end of last season. Kotsay played for Roenicke in 2011 in Milwaukee.

According to a source, the Red Sox have not yet asked the Mets for permission to speak to their bench coach, Hensley Meulens, who was rumored to be a candidate in recent weeks. Baker told reporters in Houston last week that he had not heard from the Sox and, at this point, no other veteran managers who aren’t currently affiliated with teams have been mentioned as strong fits.

Outside-the-box candidates could include former Sox pitcher Craig Breslow or Phillies executive Sam Fuld, a New Hampshire native who played for Bloom with the Rays from 2011 to 2013. Tampa Bay doesn’t seem likely to grant Bloom permission to speak with any of their employees, such as bench coach Matt Quatraro or pitching coach (and former Sox righty) Kyle Snyder.

Similar to how he views roster-building, Bloom is likely casting a wide net in his search, being as creative as possible when assessing all options. Though the candidate pool might be slightly limited due to the nature of the baseball calendar, the Red Sox still appear to have at least a handful of options on the table.