The Red Sox’ decision to dramatically shake up the structure of their pitching department by reassigning pitching coach Dana LeVangie and assistant pitching coach Brian Bannister on Tuesday speaks to the broader mission of the franchise this winter -- getting the entire organization to operate in a more cohesive manner with defined philosophies from top to bottom.

After a near-perfect championship season in 2018, the Red Sox appear to have veered away from a cohesive culture in a disappointing 2019 campaign. While it doesn’t appear there were any significant personal issues between the team’s decision-makers, it’s clear some philosophical differences presented challenges on a day-to-day basis.

Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported Tuesday that there was tension within the pitching department over how different coaches approached game-planning. That tension was less of a classic analytics vs. traditional scouting battle, a baseball source said late Wednesday night, and more of a staff-wide frustration over a team philosophy that often felt disjointed.

Manager Alex Cora alluded to an organizational disconnect shortly after the Red Sox were eliminated from postseason contention Sept. 23.

“From top to bottom, we have to do a better job saying, ‘This is what we want at the big-league level,'” Cora said. “From Boston all the way to the Dominican Summer League, we have to stick to the approach. That’s the way you’re going to be successful. That’s the way you maintain a winning culture. You do it from top to bottom.”

As they look to spring themselves back into playoff contention next season, the Red Sox are open to dramatic change. Significant turnover is coming at every level of the organization, with a new head of baseball operations being hired to lead the front office, a new pitching coach joining the coaching staff and a significant number of player transactions expected before Opening Day.

While the fate of the team’s pitching staff largely relies on the arms of Chris Sale, David Price and Nathan Eovaldi, the next pitching coach will be tasked with righting a ship that went off course within a year of a World Series title. Doing that will require significant collaboration with the team’s analytical department and Cora, whose understanding of the pitching side of the game has grown exponentially after being exposed to it for the first time over the last two seasons.

How exactly the Sox plan to reshape their pitching infrastructure remains up in the air and the decision may ultimately be made by the incoming head of baseball operations. It’s unclear if Boston will hire a new pitching coach before making the front-office hire and if they’ll bring along an assistant to fill the void left by Bannister’s reassignment.

If one thing is certain, it’s that the Red Sox are keeping an open mind when it comes to their next pitching coach. Outside-the-box options -- like someone from the college ranks or somewhere else outside of professional baseball -- will surely be considered. For more traditional candidates, the Red Sox will likely look at internal options like bullpen coach Craig Bjornson, pitching coordinator Dave Bush and Pawtucket pitching coach Kevin Walker. External fits include Astros pitching coach Brent Strom, ex-Mets manager Mickey Callaway, ex-Angels pitching coach Doug White, Mets bullpen coach Ricky Bones and Giants bullpen coach Matt Herges.

The Red Sox aren’t certain to hire an analytically minded pitching coach and instead are looking for someone who will fully buy into forming an organizational identity. That makes it exceedingly likely that someone with connections to Cora or the front office will take over for LeVangie.

Since John Farrell left his post to become the Blue Jays’ manager in 2011, the Sox have cycled through six pitching coaches with little luck. The next one will have to be a perfect fit in the eyes of those trying to ignite the unification of a system that clearly wasn’t operating as effectively as possible.