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Alomar, Francona To Interview This Week

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Sandy Alomar Jr. and Terry Francona, the apparent frontrunners for the Indians' managerial opening, are expected to interview for the position late this week, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports (on Twitter). The Indians' regular season schedule will conclude Wednesday at which point Alomar, the team's interim manager, and Francona, an analyst for ESPN, can discuss the opportunity with Cleveland's front office executives.

It was reported over the weekend that Francona will interview for the position Wednesday or Thursday. The former Red Sox manager worked with GM Chris Antonetti and president Mark Shapiro as a special assistant for the Indians in 2001. Buster Olney of ESPN.com explained over the weekend that he doesn't expect Francona to end up managing the Indians. As a two-time World Series winner, Francona might command more than the Indians are prepared to pay.

The Indians dismissed manager Manny Acta late last week, replacing him with Alomar on an interim basis. Francona and Alomar are the only two candidates that the team is "publicly acknowledging at this point," Antonetti told Jim Bowden last week.

Teams With Protected First Round Picks

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Playoff races rightfully get most of the attention this time of year, but there’s intrigue at the bottom of the standings, too. Seven teams have clinched protected first round picks in the 2013 amateur draft with three days remaining in the regular season. The Astros, Cubs, Rockies, Twins, Marlins, Indians and Red Sox will have top ten selections in next year’s draft even if they win the remainder of their games. 

These teams can sign elite free agents this offseason (players who turned down qualifying offers from their former clubs) and retain their first round selections. Instead, these teams would surrender second round selections.

As MLBTR detailed last week, the nine teams with the worst records in baseball will have protected first round selections in 2013. The Pirates will also have a protected first round pick, since they did not sign their top 2012 selection, Mark Appel.

The Blue Jays and Royals are currently positioned to obtain the remaining two protected 2013 picks. The Mariners and Mets could pass the Blue Jays or Royals depending on the results of the season's final series.

Rosenthal On Indians, Tracy, Haren, Farrell

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Here's a look at the latest Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • The Indians plans to entertain trade offers for Shin-Soo Choo, Justin Masterson, and others won't change if they hire Terry Francona as manager.  The Tribe doesn't have to shed payroll and their commitments for 2013 are minimal.  The idea of acquiring additional young talent would make sense anyway as Francona helped develop several young stars in Boston.  It's just another reason as to why Tito would almost certainly get a long-term contract.
  • There's only a 50/50 chance that Jim Tracy will return as the Rockies skipper, despite his "handshake agreement" for 2013.  With the Rockies' plan to hire Mark Wiley as the pitching coordinator, it may serve them to also get a pitching-minded manager.
  • The Angels much decide whether to exercise club options on Dan Haren ($15.5MM) and Ervin Santana ($13MM).  The Halos could decline both and make qualifying offers to both hurlers, putting them in position to potentially rake in draft pick compensation.  It would be something of a gamble to risk having one or both back one a one-year, ~$13MM deal, but neither pitcher would be overly tough to trade on a one-year pact.
  • Omar Vizquel's critical comments of John Farrell have shed light on what has become a tough situation in Toronto.  Farrell could be even more open to parting ways with the club and the Blue Jays might be on the same wavelength.  Rosenthal opines that the only thing left to sort out might be the club's compensation deal with the Red Sox.

Indians Will Interview Terry Francona Next Week

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Terry Francona will interview for the Indians' managerial position either Wednesday or Thursday of next week, reports Nick Camino of WTAM 110 (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that Francona is "excited" for the opportunity (Twitter link).

The Indians dismissed manager Manny Acta a few days ago and Sandy Alomar Jr. is serving as his interim replacement. Francona has strong relationships with GM Chris Antonetti and team president Mark Shapiro following his 2001 stint with Cleveland as a special assistant to the GM. Rosenthal hears those relationships are an "overriding factor."

In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says he doesn't believe Francona will end up managing the Tribe. His work with the Red Sox put him in an "elite salary class," perhaps upwards of $3MM annually, which may be too pricey for the Indians. Francona could also seek a job with a team closer to contention, though yesterday MLB.com's Peter Gammons said a comfortable environment could be more important at this stage of his career.

Managerial Notes: Francona, Indians, Varitek

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Soon after the Indians dismissed Manny Acta yesterday afternoon, it was reported that former MLB player Sandy Alomar Jr. is favored to obtain the permanent managerial position in Cleveland. Terry Francona, another candidate for the job, has already had some contact with the Indians. Here are today's managerial links…

  • Francona confirmed that he's interested in managing the Indians and that he plans to interview for the position at some point, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports (Twitter links). "I wouldn't come in and interview if I wasn't [interested]," Francona said.
  • There’s mutual interest between Francona and the Indians, Peter Gammons of MLB Network reports (Twitter link). Gammons points out that a peaceful, understanding environment may be more important than money to Francona, whose tenure in Boston ended poorly. The sides will have a better sense of how to proceed after the weekend, Gammons writes.
  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti told Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio that Francona and Alomar are the only two candidates that the team is "publicly acknowledging at this point" (Twitter link).
  • Jason Varitek joined the Red Sox as a special assistant, but declined to speculate about his future as an MLB manager. “I'm not in a position to make that a 'yes' or 'no' at this point,” he told reporters, including Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (Twitter link).

Central Notes: Cubs, Hoyer, Indians, Astros

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Here's a look at some items out of the Central divisions..

  • Cubs General Manager Jed Hoyer has just $40MM committed to four players for 2013 and says that the rotation will be a priority for the club this winter, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  “We certainly have to be aggressive with starting pitching over the course of the winter," said Hoyer.  Last night, Hoyer indicated that the Cubs are prepared to be active on the open market this winter.
  • A number of candidates have already emerged for the Indians job but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com opines that newly-minted interim manager Sandy Alomar Jr. is the right hire.  Terry Francona, who has also been linked to the gig, appears to be a longshot as Cleveland may not have the money to give him an attractive offer.
  • Randy Harvey of the Houston Chronicle writes that Bo Porter won the Astros' job thanks in large part to his high-level of intensity, something that Brad Mills was not known for.

Alomar Favored To Obtain Indians Position

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4:16pm: Francona has already had preliminary contact with the Indians, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  However, Rosenthal writes that the Tribe may not be able to pay the former Red Sox skipper enough to make him walk from his job as an analyst for ESPN.  Francona earned an average annual salary of $4MM in his final contract with Boston.

3:22pm: Indians interim manager Sandy Alomar Jr. is the favorite to obtain the permanent managerial position, according to multiple reports. Alomar is the “heavy favorite” to obtain the permanent job, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer calls Alomar the "leading candidate" and notes that former Red Sox manager Terry Francona is another possibility for the position, which opened up this afternoon when the Indians dismissed Manny Acta (Twitter link). 

Francona told Heyman he loves working for ESPN, but would “have to think about it” if the right opportunity emerged. However, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe suggests Francona would want to go somewhere he could win right away (Twitter link). Before managing in Boston, Francona spent the 2001 season in Cleveland’s front office.

Meanwhile, general manager Chris Antonetti still has the support of team president Mark Shapiro and CEO Paul Dolan, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports (Twitter link).

Heyman On Francona, Red Sox

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One managerial job was filled today, but hours later another one opened up. The Astros officially announced that they’ll make Bo Porter their next manager just a few hours before Manny Acta was dismissed in Cleveland. Here are some notes on MLB managers from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com…

  • Francona’s name has surfaced in insider circles as a possible manager for the Indians or Tigers, Heyman reports. "I'm really uncomfortable talking about any jobs," Francona said, acknowledging he'd consider certain opportunities. Sandy Alomar Jr. is favored for the position in Cleveland, however.
  • Ben Cherington’s comments on WEEI seemed to suggest the Red Sox would be searching for a manager again this offseason, but the GM told Heyman he didn’t mean to allude to Bobby Valentine during his radio interview this morning. "It had nothing to do with Bobby,” Cherington said. “But if it came across that way, my mistake.''

Indians Dismiss Manny Acta

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Cleveland's second half slide cost Manny Acta his job. The Indians announced that they've dismissed Acta and replaced him with Sandy Alomar Jr. on an interim basis for the remainder of the 2012 season.

"Managerial changes are never easy or taken lightly, but as we approached the end of the season and turned our attention to assessing the year, we determined a change was necessary,” GM Chris Antonetti said in a statement.

The Indians have a 65-91 record, including an American League-worst 21-50 record in the second half. In three seasons under Acta, Cleveland has a 214-266 record.

The Indians will immediately start searching for a permanent replacement and Alomar will be a candidate for the full-time position. The 46-year-old former MLB star joined the Indians' coaching staff in 2010 following a 20-year playing career. The Indians announced that they aren't making further changes to the coaching staff during the season.

Managerial Notes: Tracy, Astros, Ausmus, Indians

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Marlins right-hander Heath Bell told Jim Duquette and Mike Ferrin on MLB Network Radio that he made a poor choice of words yesterday when he implied he doesn't respect Miami manager Ozzie Guillen. Bell said he does respect Guillen, but repeated that he doesn't like hearing things through the media. Here are some more notes on managers and managerial openings from around MLB…

  • The Rockies and Jim Tracy could agree to a role change for Tracy within the organization, leaving the team free to hire a new manager, opines Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  Tracy's "handshake deal" with Colorado only guarantees him the manager's job through 2013, Renck notes.
  • The White Sox and Cardinals' decisions to hire inexperienced managers Mike Matheny and Robin Ventura has thus far paid off for both teams, writes Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • Astros owner Jim Crane says his team has narrowed its search for a manager down to three or four candidates and they hope to have their new field boss in place within a week, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.  An announcement could come later than that if the new manager is currently working for a team going to the playoffs.  Tony DeFrancesco, Tim Bogar, Dave Martinez and Bo Porter appear to be the final field of candidates.
  • While Brad Ausmus is open to interviewing for managerial positions this offseason, he has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Astros’ position, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Ausmus, now a special assistant with the Padres, had interviewed for Houston’s managerial opening.
  • Nothing has been decided regarding the future of Indians manager Manny Acta because the organization must first decide on the future of general manager Chris Antonetti, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. CEO Paul Dolan and President Mark Shapiro are expected to decide on the future of Antonetti, Hoynes writes.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

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