One “great” manager has replaced another in Boston.
That is the view from across baseball’s biggest rivalry, as Yankees general manager Brian Cashman on Friday applauded Bobby Valentine’s hiring by the Red Sox.
“They had a great manager in Terry Francona, and obviously when they made the decision to change there, they just replaced him with someone who is a great manager in his own right,” Cashman said.
“Bobby will be all in with Boston. He knows how to manage. He knows how to do the Xs and Os. He will be more than prepared, as he always is — he’s one of the smartest people I’ve come across in this game in my short time.”
Valentine will be managing in the major leagues for the first time since 2002, when he was fired by the Mets. But Cashman said it won’t be strange seeing him in a different uniform.
Cashman cited financial considerations as the reason it probably took Valentine, who earned as much as $5 million a year managing in Japan, a while to land another major league job.
“He gets paid a lot of money — for good reasons, he’s that good,” Cashman said. “He went to Japan and took his talents to Japan. It was the right opportunity that can come along.
“[Boston] is obviously a great opportunity for anybody, because you have a team that can win now, and a manager that is experienced with media in big markets, so it seems like a perfect fit.”
Cashman spent the morning blocks from the restaurant Valentine owns in Stamford, Conn., rappelling down a 22-story building in a practice run for Sunday, when he’ll participate in “Heights and Lights” to welcome in the Christmas season.
The GM wasn’t afraid to issue a challenge.
“Bobby is welcome to join me any time,” Cashman said. “Actually, I challenge him to join us next year. First week of December, Landmark building, be there, Bobby.
“Add another job to your resume, the Stamford rappelling team. He’s done a lot of great things, but this would be a neat one to add to his resume.”
mpuma@nypost.com