A few major-league teams have clarified who will serve as their manager in 2014; the Reds hired Bryan Price for the position, while Don Mattingly will return to the Dodgers. There are still a number of clubs that have an open manager spots, and are currently conducting a search to fill the position:
MLB manager roundup: Williams front-runner for Nationals job, Cubs search still ongoing
Taking a look at the latest news involving teams looking for a new manager.
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Williams the front-runner for Nationals job
Arizona Diamondbacks third base coach Matt Williams is the front-runner to be named the next manager of the Washington Nationals, a source told Bill Ladson of MLB.com. This confirms an earlier report by Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that also placed Williams as the front-runner.
The club’s current bench coach, Randy Knorr, had a “strong” interview with the team, but the job is still expected to go to Williams. The Nationals would like Knorr to stay as a bench coach if Williams receives the position, according to Ladson.
Cubs manager search still ongoing
The Chicago Cubs manager search is still ongoing, according to Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Cubs are waiting to interview Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo, and the team will hold second interviews with some of the candidates. Officials with the club are currently debating a number of potential candidates, including Rick Renteria, Dave Martinez, A.J. Hinch and Manny Acta.
Renteria is reportedly the favorite of the current group of known candidates. There are also two “mystery” candidates for the position whose names have not leaked publicly, according to Wittenmeyer.
McClendon, Ausmus betting favorites for Tigers job
Online gambling website Bovada.lv posted their betting odds for the Detroit Tigers manager position, making Padres executive Brad Ausmus and Tigers bench coach Lloyd McClendon the favorites for the position.
Ausmus has been linked to a number of manager jobs in the past, and seems likely to manage a major-league team at some point in his career. The former catcher has no previous major or minor league managing expereince, but Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski indicated that previous managing experience was not necessarily a requirement for the job.
McClendon served as the Pirates skipper for five seasons, compiling a 336-446 record between 2001 and 2005. He has, however, been on Jim Leyland's staff for eight seasons and will know the team better than any other candidate. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports wrote a nice aricle presenting the case for Detroit to hire McClendon.
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