Brewers Hire Ron Roenicke As Manager

Earlier on Tuesday, it was rumored that the Brewers were going to hire Ron Roenicke to serve as their next manager from a pool of finalists including Bobby Valentine, Bob Melvin, and Joey Cora. And via Ton Haudricourt, we have confirmation:

Roenicke isn’t allowed to say anything on the matter until the team makes an official announcement, but that should come shortly. Unlike the Valentine and Bob Brenly rumors from before, then, there’s fire underneath all this smoke.

In an offseason in which different reports have claimed that the Brewers hired Bob Brenly and that the Brewers reached an agreement with Bobby Valentine, you have every right to be skeptical of a report claiming that the Brewers have hired Ron Roenicke. But this one seems a bit more reliable than the last two:

Earlier Tuesday, we learned that candidate Tim Wallach was no longer under consideration for the vacant Brewers job. That left Roenicke, Valentine, Bob Melvin, and Joey Cora as the presumed remaining finalists, and it would appear that Roenicke won out. It’s possible that the Brewers preferred Valentine, but salary demands got in the way, as Valentine was known to be seeking a significant contract.

Next, Adam McCalvy and Jon Heyman denied that any such agreement was in place.

After that, Bobby Valentine himself said that he had met with the team, but stated in a matter-of-fact fashion that he and the Brewers had not at any point discussed any contract.

It’s been a busy Wednesday morning in the Bobby Valentine rumor department. First, there was word that Valentine and the Brewers had an agreement in place that would bring him on as the team’s new manager. Then, there were statements that no such agreement was in place. Now Tom Haudricourt is attempting to get to the bottom of this by talking to Valentine himself, and Valentine has the following to say:

Valentine confirmed that he and the Brewers had a meeting, indicating that he is one of the team’s four finalists for the managerial vacancy, along with Bob Melvin, Joey Cora, and probably Ron Roenicke. And it’s possible that the Brewers have decided that they prefer Valentine, and are trying to work out a contract that will pay him what he wants. Valentine may simply be playing it coy.

Earlier Wednesday morning, word spread that the Brewers and Bobby Valentine had reached an agreement that would bring the popular managerial candidate on board to replace the departed Ken Macha. However, the rumor couldn’t be immediately confirmed, and now Adam McCalvy says the following:

This comes around the same time that Jon Heyman tweeted that no agreement was in place. Heyman referred to the possibility of Valentine ending up in Milwaukee as “a major coup”.

This, obviously, has not yet been confirmed, and can be considered to be in the rumor stage. The Brewers have already dealt with one false report that strongly linked them to Bob Brenly. However, this isn’t coming out of nowhere, and there is a very good possibility that Valentine and the Brewers really have reached an agreement. Valentine is available, the Brewers need a manager, and the team could use something to drum up a little excitement.

We will await confirmation. Right now, though, it sure seems like Valentine has found his spot. After getting some consideration for the managerial vacancies in Seattle, Toronto, and Florida, Milwaukee may be his new home, where he would inherit a team that is two years removed from making the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

You can go ahead and add two more names to the list of candidates to take over as manager in Milwaukee:

Neither Listach nor Cora has ever managed in the Major Leagues, but they have been considered up-and-coming managers of the future for years, now, and should be close to getting their respective breaks.

Previous reports that the Brewers were close to hiring Bob Brenly to replace the dismissed Ken Macha have proven untrue, as the team remains in search of its next field manager. Perhaps the most prominent name among their list of interview candidates? Bob Melvin.

Melvin, though, is just one of up to ten people the Brewers may interview before making a decision. He’s also one of many people on the Brewers’ list who has or is planning to interview for other current managerial openings around the league, along with established baseball men like Eric Wedge and Tim Wallach.

In what shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody, manager Ken Macha will not be returning to the MIlwaukee Brewers in 2011. Writes Tom Haudricourt:

Macha has been rumored to be on the way out for several weeks, if not months. After making the playoffs in 2008, the Brewers hired Macha to replace Dave Sveum and saw the team drop to 80-82 in 2009 and 77-85 in 2010. The team did not play up to its perceived amount of talent, and though Macha can hardly be faulted for many of the Brewers’ shortcomings, he did not seem to be a good fit in the clubhouse.