Despite the overwhelming belief that he will be fired after the season, Bobby Valentine plans to return as manager of the Red Sox in 2013.

"I expect to be, of course," Valentine said Friday afternoon. "Until I'm told that I'm not, why would I expect otherwise?"

Valentine, who is signed through 2013 and will earn $2.5 million next season, said he doesn't "see any reason that I wouldn't be in uniform, other than that they figured there's someone better to do the job than I'm going to do here. Then maybe I'll be in another uniform.

"Again, if there's someone better to do this job, 'cause I care about these guys. I think it's a great baseball franchise . . . but I am a big boy. I think what it is, is that a lot of people out there, whoever it is, actually would feel some kind of happiness if I got fired, and I don't ever get that. I don't get feeling good when somebody else does bad. I don't like to make people look bad so I look good. But a lot of people play that game."