Former big league outfielder (and current Yankees announcer) Paul O'Neill has spoken with Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini about taking over as the club's manager, reports Michael Kay of YES.
Paul O’Neill interviews for Reds managerial job, per report
The former Yankees slugger joins the growing list of potential managerial candidates.
USA Today Sports
More Reds: Dusty's Legacy
The extent of O’Neill’s conversation with Castellini is not known, but it’s probably fair to assume that the former right fielder is now on the organization’s list of prospective candidates. The Reds fired long-time manager Dusty Baker late last week, and likely want to put a new skipper in place before the offseason kicks off next month.
O'Neill, now 50, has no managerial experience, but he does have very strong ties with the Reds franchise. He was drafted by the organization in the fourth round of the 1981 Draft and spent the first eight seasons of his big-league career in Cincinnati, winning a World Series title with the club in 1990.
A five-time all-star and one-time batting champion during his 17-year MLB career, O’Neill certainly has the pedigree to manage a club, but it’s not common for a team to take a shot-in-the-dark on a guy with no coaching experience of any kind. Since his retirement in 2001, O’Neill has worked exclusively as a Yankees broadcaster for the YES Network.
The favorite to take over for Baker is rumored to be pitching coach Bryan Price, but that could change as more candidates emerge in the coming weeks.
More from SB Nation MLB:
See More:
