The Chicago Cubs will name former Padres bench coach Rick Renteria as their new manager on Thursday, reports Peter Gammons of MLB Network. Carrie Muskat of MLB.com and others have confirmed the report.
Cubs to name Rick Renteria manager on Thursday
Chicago will continue the recent league trend of hiring a first-time skipper.
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General manager Jed Hoyer, team president Theo Epstein and the rest of the Chicago brass are expected to finalize the decision to hire Renteria sometime on Wednesday, then go public with their choice on Thursday. The Cubs have been in search of a new manager since firing Dale Sveum last month.
Over past several weeks, the Cubs interviewed several candidates for the manager position -- including Eric Wedge, Manny Acta and Dave Martinez -- but it is Renteria who has emerged as the favorite to take the helm in 2014.
The 51-year-old has never managed at the big-league level, but he does have plenty of experience running a clubhouse. The former infielder has spent seven seasons working as a minor-league manager: three years with the Marlins (1998-2001) and four with Padres (2004-2007). He also helmed the Mexican squad in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Renteria spent the past three seasons as the Padres’ bench coach, meaning San Diego will have to find someone new to assist Bud Black in the dugout next year.
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