Phillies Name Ryne Sandberg As Manager

10:30am: The Phillies announced that Sandberg signed a three-year deal through 2016 with a club option for 2017.

10:19am: The Phillies will announce later today that they have removed the "interim" tag on Ryne Sandberg and that he will return as manager in 2014, according to a report from ESPN.com.  The presser is scheduled for 10:30am CST.

Sandberg took over as skipper on August 16th after firing longtime manager Charlie Manuel.  The Phillies lost 19 of 22 prior to Manuel's firing but they have gone 18-16 under Sandberg's watch.  Sandberg is the only Hall of Fame player currently managing in the major leagues and will be the first full-time manager who had a Hall of Fame playing career since Frank Robinson.

Sandberg's return has been said to be a "near certainty" but today's press conference will make everything official.  It's possible that the 54-year-old will alter his staff for next season as well and there is some speculation that he could bring Larry Bowa in as a supporting coach.