Rangers Rumors

Cubs Exercise Cole Hamels’ Option, Trade Drew Smyly To Rangers

By Steve Adams | November 2, 2018 at 11:30am CDT

11:30am: The Rangers have formally announced the acquisition of Smyly and a player to be named later in exchange for a different player to be named later. The Cubs have also announced the moves.

9:42am: The Cubs will exercise their $20MM club option on left-hander Cole Hamels today and also trade fellow left-hander Drew Smyly to the Rangers, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). Late last night, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that a long-term deal between Hamels and the Cubs was unlikely and that the team could make a move to clear some salary before agreeing to pay Hamels at a $20MM rate for the 2019 season.

Hamels will step into the rotation spot that had been earmarked for Smyly when he signed a two-year, $10MM deal with Chicago last offseason. Rehabbing from Tommy John surgery at the time, Smyly inked a back-loaded, two-year contract that calls for a $7MM salary in 2019. However, Hamels’ eye-opening resurgence to nearly ace-level status with the Cubs presented Chicago with what it clearly deems a preferable alternative to Smyly.

The Cubs have been weighing all week whether to exercise Hamels’ option or opt for a $6MM buyout. The wrinkle in that scenario is that, under the terms of the trade that sent Hamels to Chicago, the Rangers would be on the hook for the buyout sum. That Texas would pay the $6MM buyout seemed little more than a formality at the time; there was little thought that Hamels would pitch well enough to merit a $20MM salary for the upcoming season.

In essence, then, the reportedly forthcoming trade is a somewhat creative means of the Cubs retaining Hamels while still receiving the benefit of the same level of financial compensation from the Texas organization — if not a bit more. The Rangers will absorb either all of Smyly’s $7MM salary or, speculatively speaking, could agree to pay $6MM of that sum with the Cubs eating $1MM in cost in order to keep the dollars at the same level they’d have been had Texas merely paid the buyout.

In the end, the Rangers will receive a desperately needed rotation piece, while the Cubs will retain the former Phillies ace who immediately won the hearts of Cubs fans with an otherworldly run of success following the trade. Hamels allowed just five runs, total, through his first seven starts with the Cubs and finished out the season with a 2.36 ERA in 76 1/3 innings for the Cubs.

While his 82.3 percent strand rate isn’t sustainable and points to some degree of regression, Hamels nonetheless looked legitimately improved following the trade. He should slot comfortably into the middle of a Cubs rotation that’ll also feature Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana and a hopefully healthier Yu Darvish in 2019. The Cubs also have Mike Montgomery on hand as a valuable safety net for the rotation as well as righty Tyler Chatwood, though his three-year contract has been a bust to this point. It seems likely that the Cubs could look for opportunities to unload the remaining $25.5MM on that ill-fated signing this offseason in order to further clear some salary.

That, perhaps, is the largest remaining question at play here. Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has been vocal about his desire to improve an offense that, as he put it, “broke” late in the 2018 season and certainly in the team’s National League Wild Card loss to the Rockies. It’s seemed fair to assume that the Cubs would be prepared to spend aggressively as a means of doing so, either by investing in the free-agent market or looking at established bats on the trade market.

However, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted this morning that other teams have gotten the sense that the Cubs’ payroll flexibility is far more limited than one might think. If that’s the case, moving Chatwood or some other money could be something of a prerequisite for further additions. Even with Smyly off the books, Hamels’ salary will push the Cubs’ payroll north of the $200MM mark (when factoring in arbitration-eligible players and pre-arb players) — quite possibly close to the $206MM luxury tax barrier; Smyly’s contract came with a $5MM luxury tax hit, whereas Hamels’ deal after the option is exercised effectively becomes a seven-year, $158MM contract and would carry a $22.5MM luxury hit. The maximum capacity of the Chicago payroll remains unknown, but the Cubs have already pushed into record territory by exercising Hamels’ option, and the offseason has yet to truly begin in earnest.

As for the Rangers, while Smyly’s health is an unknown, he’s the type of arm they can dream on as they strive to cobble together a rotation after virtually everything possible went wrong on their starting staff in 2018. Mike Minor and Smyly are the only real locks for the Texas rotation next season, but Smyly brings significant upside to a team whose internal options beyond Minor were otherwise uninspiring.

General manager Jon Daniels will still need to add further established options and depth pieces to the starting staff, as the current best options after Minor and Smyly look to be Ariel Jurado, Yohander Mendez, Adrian Sampson and Austin Bibens-Dirkx. None of that quartet has found success at the big league level yet, and most of the bunch even struggled in the upper minors.

The further upshot for the Rangers is that as they enter a possible transitional or rebuilding phase, Smyly could very well emerge as a coveted trade asset on the summer market. Smyly hasn’t pitched since the 2016 season due to ongoing injury troubles — most notably the aforementioned Tommy John surgery — but he sports a career 3.74 ERA with 8.7 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 1.22 HR/9 and a 36.3 percent ground-ball rate in 570 1/3 innings. Smyly has shown flashes of brilliance at times and looked like a potential impact starter — perhaps never more so than when starring for Team USA in the most recent World Baseball Classic — though he’s yet to consistently tap into his talent while also struggling to stay on the field.

The Rangers’ Managerial Search

By Jeff Todd and Steve Adams | November 1, 2018 at 5:40pm CDT

After parting ways with Jeff Banister late in the season, the Rangers are working to decide who’ll lead their dugout in 2019. GM Jon Daniels and company originally looked at a broad slate of possibilities, including late-season interim skipper Don Wakamatsu, but have now opened the search up to additional potential candidates.

We’re tracking developments in the hiring process in this post. The latest:

Latest Updates

Both Twins bench coach Derek Shelton and Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward have emerged as “strong” candidates in the Rangers’ managerial search, per Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes of The Athletic (Twitter link). Rosenthal notes that Woodward, who interviewed earlier today, was “extremely” impressive in his interview.

Click below to review the prior updates to the search and additional remaining candidates …

New Candidates Under Consideration

Twins bench coach Derek Shelton was given permission to chat with the Rangers after he was bypassed for the Minnesota managerial opening, per reports from Dan Hayes of The Athletic (via Twitter) and La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune. He interviewed yesterday, Jeff Wilson of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram adds. Shelton has held his current position for one season after spending time with the Blue Jays, Rays, and Indians in quality control and hitting coach capacities.
The Rangers are still working to bring in additional candidates for chats, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News has covered of late. D-Backs VP of player development Mike Bell — the brother of prior candidate David Bell, who’s now the Reds manager — is said to be getting a look. Additionally, the Texas organization is believed to be scheduling a chat with Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward and perhaps also Red Sox bench coach Ron Roenicke, both of whom just finished up duties in the World Series.
Though there are already a number of candidates considered to be finalists, as noted below, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets that the Rangers are holding a first meeting with Eric Chavez. The former All-Star third baseman began the year as a special assistant to Angels GM Billy Eppler and finished out the year as the Halos’ Triple-A manager. He was considered to be a prime candidate to take over the Angels’ managerial post, but they’ve since named Brad Ausmus their skipper. Now, it seems that Chavez could at least potentially jump ship to a division rival.
Wilson reports that the Rangers have also interviewed Cardinals’ Triple-A skipper Stubby Clapp over the phone multiple times. But Clapp was just named first base coach on the St. Louis MLB staff, which appears to indicate that he is going to remain with that organization.

Still Under Consideration (as of Oct. 21)

With Girardi and Bell out of the picture, Sullivan noted earlier Sunday that Wakamatsu, Tingler, Hyde, Wathan, Espada and Baldelli are the only known candidates left. Those are indeed the finalists from among the original slate of candidates, per the Star-Telegram’s Jeff Wilson. As of the date of this report, the club had not even had a face-to-face meeting with Espada yet.

Previously Considered

Don Wakamatsu, interim manager, Rangers. GM Jon Daniels announced that Wakamatsu would receive consideration for the post.
Jayce Tingler, assistant GM, Rangers. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram identified Tingler as a candidate; Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweeted that he has interviewed.
Brandon Hyde, bench coach, Cubs. Recently became one of the earliest outside candidates to interview, per Grant.
Joe Espada, bench coach, Astros. Interviewed via phone due to current duties, per Grant. First identified by Wilson as a candidate, Espada is in his first year as bench coach after taking over the post from current Red Sox manager Alex Cora.
Rocco Baldelli, field coordinator, Rays: Health problems derailed his promising major league career, but Baldelli has carved out a new path in the game. The 37-year-old has been on the Tampa Bay MLB coaching staff since 2014. MLB.com’s TR Sullivan tweeted that Baldelli had interviewed; he was originally tied to the Rangers by Grant.
Dusty Wathan, third base coach, Phillies: He’ll sit down with the Texas brass, Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Wathan, a former Triple-A manager, was considered a leading candidate for the Phillies’ managerial post last winter and ended up joining the staff of Gabe Kapler.

Other Candidates

Sandy Alomar Jr., first base coach, Indians: The long-time MLB backstop, who has come up frequently in past managerial searches, is also expected to get a look, according to Wilson.
Grant lists Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward and Padres Triple-A manager (and former Rangers catcher) Rod Barajas as other possible candidates. The Rangers “have done significant due diligence” on each of Alomar, Espada, Woodward, Barajas and DeRosa, per Grant, though it’s not yet clear which of that bunch will sit down with the organization for a formal interview.
Having started with around forty potential candidates, per MLB.com’s TR Sullivan, the Texas organization evidently still has some paring to do. He names a host of other new possibilities, though it’s unclear whether any are going to receive an opportunity to interview. Rangers third base coach Tony Beasley is a possibility, as others have mentioned previously, as is Triple-A skipper Jason Wood. Other names of note include Omar Vizquel (White Sox minor-league manager), who is said to have “received initial consideration,” along with Gary DiSarcina (Mets third base coach), Jay Bell (Yankees minor-league manager), and Hensley Meulens (Giants bench coach).
Prior indications are that long-time Rangers second bagger Michael Young would be a strong candidate if he had interest in the position. To this point, though, there’s no indication that he does. As noted in that link and in another recent MLBTR post, a whole host of other names have been floated as possibilities. To this point, though, only those listed above have emerged as clear candidates. (And for those who are wondering, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan wrote in a recent Rangers Inbox column that Adrian Beltre “has expressed zero interest in managing.”)

Not Under Consideration

Former Yankees and Marlins manager Joe Girardi has been informed that he’s no longer in the running, as reported by Wilson as well as Fancred’s Jon Heyman.
The Rangers had interest in former big leaguer and current MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa, per Grant, but MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reports that DeRosa is enjoying his current position and has declined the opportunity to interview (Twitter link).
Former Giants VP of player development David Bell interviewed for the position, per MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan, but he’s since been named the new manager of the Reds, with whom he signed a three-year contract.

Elvis Andrus Will Not Exercise Opt-Out Clause

By Steve Adams | October 29, 2018 at 1:36pm CDT

Elvis Andrus is forgoing the first of two opt-out clauses in his eight-year contract with the Rangers, tweets Fancred’s Jon Heyman. Andrus has four years and $58MM remaining on his contract and will earn $15MM in 2019 before again being having the opportunity to opt out of his contract and explore free agency.

Andrus had already told reporters that he planned to be back with Texas in 2019, making the decision largely a formality for the Scott Boras client. This was the logical route for the shortstop, who sustained a broken elbow upon being hit by a pitch early in the season and never really rounded into form after a roughly two-month absence. Andrus, who turned 30 in August, was batting .327/.426/.500 through his first 61 plate appearances of the season when he was hit on the elbow. The injury ultimately him to 97 games, and he was clearly still feeling the effects of the injury upon return, as he batted just .256/.308/.367 when all was said and done.

That’s an enormous departure from the combined .299/.348/.457 batting line that Andrus posted in 2016-17. Paired with well above-average baserunning and a reputation as a quality defender at shortstop, that 2016-17 level of offensive output would’ve created a legitimate case opting out had Andrus managed to sustain it. Instead, he’ll hope to return to form in 2019, at which point he’ll have to consider whether he can top three years and $43MM in free agency as he heads into his age-31 season.

Quick Hits: Twins, Price, Rangers

By Steve Adams and George Miller | October 26, 2018 at 10:23pm CDT

The Twins’ decision to hire Rocco Baldelli as their new manager meant also passing over incumbent bench coach Derek Shelton and hitting coach James Rowson for the position, but both chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and GM Thad Levine were adamant in expressing their hope that Shelton and Rowson will return to the staff in 2019, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic (subscription link). “We thought all three of those men were worthy of being managers,” said Levine of the trio before adding that it’d be a “tremendous competitive advantage” to have all three on the coaching staff. Shelton, who was the runner-up to Baldelli, took the news professionally but with clear disappointment, according to Levine. “The analogy we presented to Derek (on Wednesday) that we truly believe in is, (Falvey) and I are tackling the role of general manager together,” Levine continued. “We are hopeful that he would be open-minded about tackling the leadership in our clubhouse with Rocco Baldelli.”

A few more notes on some coaching situations around the league…

Former Reds manager Bryan Price is drawing interest around the league as a pitching coach, tweets Jerry Crasnick. Price, who was dismissed by Cincinnati in April, was a well-regarded pitching coach with the Mariners and Diamondbacks before serving in that role for the Reds. He ultimately succeeded Dusty Baker as the skipper, but didn’t find much success (not that anyone else would likely have fared much better). In all, Price has 13 years of experience as a big league pitching coach between the three organizations, so he’d bring plenty of experience to a new club in a return to that role.
The Rangers’ meandering search for a new manager could suggest some indecisiveness on the team’s part, writes Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram. It originally appeared that the club would choose one of eight initial interviewees, but after three of that group — Joe Girardi, David Bell, and Rocco Baldelli — were eliminated, the Rangers have changed course, expanding the search and interviewing more candidates. With no decision imminent, the hiring process may not conclude until after the World Series. Among the most notable names linked to the job are Eric Chavez, Stubby Clapp, and Astros bench coach Joe Espada.
Shiraz Rehman, recently hired by the Rangers to be their new assistant GM, has the potential to one day shed the “assistant” from that title, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. In addition to tracing Rehman’s path to this point of his career, Grant covers the reason for his decision to leave the Cubs to join the Texas organization. Although his title will remain unchanged, it appears that Rehman will enjoy an expanded role and take up a loftier spot on the decisionmaking ladder with his new club. He’ll also be looking at ways to squeeze value out of the team’s resources. Among other things, Rehman says he sees “some real low-hanging fruit, especially in player development,” that he hopes to take advantage of.

Joe Girardi Out Of Running For Rangers’ Managerial Job

By Connor Byrne | October 21, 2018 at 12:49pm CDT

12:49pm: The Rangers actually informed Girardi that “they were going in another direction,” Heyman tweets.

9:54am: Joe Girardi has withdrawn from the Rangers’ managerial search, as Jon Heyman of Fancred reports and as Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telgram first suggested. As of now, it appears Girardi will work as a television analyst for the second straight season in 2019.

Girardi previously exited the derby to become the Reds’ next manager, which helped lead to David Bell’s hiring on Sunday. Bell was also a candidate with the Rangers, who are likely now down to six choices for their managerial job, per TR Sullivan of MLB.com. Aside from Girardi and Bell, the Rangers have reportedly discussed the position with Rocco Baldelli, Don Wakamatsu, Jayce Tingler, Brandon Hyde, Dusty Wathan and Joe Espada.

On paper, Girardi would have been an odd fit for either Cincinnati or Texas, given that neither team looks like a short-term contender. The 54-year-old most recently managed the Yankees from 2008-17, a decade-long span in which they went 910-710 in the regular season, earned eight playoff berths and won a World Series title (2009).

Rangers Hire Shiraz Rehman As Assistant GM

By Jeff Todd | October 16, 2018 at 8:24am CDT

The Rangers have officially struck a deal to hire Shiraz Rehman to an assistant general manager post. The Cubs Insider blog reported the news late last night.

Rehman had been with the Cubs for seven seasons, the last five of those coming in an AGM capacity. Most recently, he was tabbed to head up the Chicago organization’s “strategic initiatives.” When he received that assignment before the current season, Rehman was said to be charged with “evaluating existing systems, and recognizing and applying solutions in an effort to create competitive advantages for the organization.”

Rehman will be occupying a “similar role” in Texas, but he’ll do so in a kitchen with somewhat fewer cooks. Presently, the organization lists three assistant GMs underneath general manager Jon Daniels: Josh Boyd (professional scouting, R&D, & pacific rim operations), Mike Daly (major league operation & international scouting), and Jayce Tingler (player development), with Tingler widely expected to take a uniformed role in 2019. Rehman had also been one of three AGMs in Chicago. But that department is headed by both executive VP/GM Jed Hoyer and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, with senior VP Jason McLeod also a noted senior decisionmaker.

It seems reasonable to presume that, even if his title won’t change much, Rehman will be moving into a somewhat loftier spot on the totem pole with his new organization. Indeed, the club’s announcement provides that he’ll “assist President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Jon Daniels in the day-to-day management of Major League operations of the baseball department, including player acquisitions, roster management, player contracts, and salary arbitration.”

Cubs Name Anthony Iapoce Hitting Coach

By Steve Adams | October 15, 2018 at 3:01pm CDT

The Cubs have hired hitting coach Anthony Iapoce away from the Rangers to fill the same role in their own organization, the team announced Monday. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram had reported just before the formal announcement that Iapoce had already informed the Rangers of his decision to take the Cubs’ offer. Iapoce has been serving as the Rangers’ hitting coach since the end of the 2015 season, when Texas hired him away from the Cubs organization. Chicago dismissed 2018 hitting coach Chili Davis last week after just one year in the organization.

A former minor league outfielder who had an 11-year professional career, the Rangers were Iapoce’s first big league coaching assignment, although the 45-year-old had previously worked in the Cubs’ player development department, where he oversaw their minor league hitting program and served as a special assistant to GM Jed Hoyer and president of baseball ops Theo Epstein. He’s also previously worked as a minor league hitting coordinator with the Blue Jays.

With the Cubs, Iapoce will be tasked with helping to revitalize an offense that, as Epstein put it, “broke somewhere along the lines” in a late-season slump that extended into the National League Wild Card game. Given his past experience with the club, Iapoce will already have some degree of rapport with Epstein, Hoyer and manager Joe Maddon, all of whom were in the organization along with Iapoce back in 2015.

The Rangers, meanwhile, are already looking for a new manager and were already in search of a new assistant hitting coach after letting go of Justin Mashore. As Wilson notes, Texas GM Jon Daniels had already given the rest of his coaching staff freedom to pursue other opportunities after telling them that their 2019 fates would not be determined until the Rangers name a new manager. Texas will now be assured of further turnover in the dugout as the organization looks to piece together a developmentally-focused field staff to work with an expected youth movement.

Quick Hits: Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Orioles

By TC Zencka | October 13, 2018 at 12:54pm CDT

The Yankees were impressed enough with Aaron Boone’s first season at the helm to bring back his entire staff for 2019, tweets George A. King III of the New York Post. Boone made a number of changes to the staff after the 2017 season, promoting Marcus Thames to hitting coach and installing bench coach Josh Bard, third-base coach Phil Nevin and first-base coach Reggie Willits, among others. The 2018 coaching crew will get a chance to run it back after an impressive 100-win season and a second straight playoff appearance.

Here’s a couple other notes from around the MLB…

The Diamondbacks are replacing their natural playing surface with artificial turf in advance of the 2019 season. Arizona’s baseball operations staff conducted in-depth research, finding their new dual-fiber surface provides performance and health benefits previously unavailable. The retractable roof at Chase Field made it increasingly difficult to maintain consistent growing conditions for their natural surface. Arizona will join Tampa Bay and Toronto as the only franchises to utilize an artificial turf, though the Rangers are reportedly considering a similar surface for their new stadium. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that Texas has yet to make a decision on the playing surface for the stadium set to open in 2020, but decision-makers within the organization will be closely monitoring the situation in Arizona.
Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun writes that there’s symbolic value to the Orioles’ attempts to woo top Cuban prospect Victor Victor Mesa, even if they can’t close the deal. Considering the Marlins’ recent push to collect international spending pool money and their cultural ties to Cuba, Miami is now widely considered the favorites to sign Victor Victor Mesa, though Mesa’s intentions are as of now unclear.
In a separate tweet, Meoli suggests that the Orioles summer trade of starting pitcher Kevin Gausman to the Braves was motivated by financial considerations. Though not initially presented as a primary concern, the trade cleared Gausman and Darren O’Day’s contracts from the Baltimore ledger in 2019 and beyond. Gausman has two more seasons of arbitration eligibility remaining after making $5.6MM in 2018. Darren O’Day has yet to pitch for the Braves, though he’ll likely have a role in their bullpen next season as he’s under contract for $9MM in 2019.

Players Electing Free Agency

By Jeff Todd | October 8, 2018 at 7:20pm CDT

Quite a few players will hit the open market this fall, and they’ll do so by way of varying mechanisms. The end of the regular season triggered a recent wave of free agents, consisting of a certain subset of players — namely, those who were outrighted from 40-man rosters during the season and accepted minor-league assignments at that time despite having the right to elect free agency. Players in that situation are entitled instead to hit the open market at season’s end, if they were not added back to the 40-man roster in the meantime.

As conveyed by Matt Eddy of Baseball America, who also covers quite a few other minor moves, these players have now elected free agency:

Athletics: RHP Raul Alcantara, LHP Danny Coulombe

Blue Jays: RHP Mike Hauschild, INF/OF Darnell Sweeney

Braves: LHP Rex Brothers, RHP Miguel Socolovich

Cardinals: LHP Tyler Lyons

Indians: RHP Evan Marshall, RHP Alexi Ogando

Mariners: RHP Christian Bergman, LHP Ross Detwiler, RHP Mike Morin, INF Zach Vincej

Marlins: OF JB Shuck

Mets: RHP Chris Beck, OF Bryce Brentz, RHP Scott Copeland, OF Matt den Dekker, INF Ty Kelly

Nationals: LHP Tommy Milone, OF Moises Sierra, RHP Carlos Torres

Orioles: RHP Jhan Marinez, INF Luis Sardinas

Padres: OF Matt Szczur

Phillies: INF Trevor Plouffe

Pirates: LHP Buddy Boshers, RHP Casey Sadler, RHP A.J. Schugel

Rangers: C Juan Centeno, LHP Anthony Gose, RHP Drew Hutchison, INF Tommy Joseph, RHP Chris Rowley

Rays: INF Brandon Snyder, RHP Ryan Weber

Reds: C Tim Federowicz, RHP Kevin Quackenbush

Tigers: INF Dixon Machado, RHP Jacob Turner

White Sox: RHP Tyler Danish

Quick Hits: Managerial Openings

By TC Zencka | October 6, 2018 at 9:34am CDT

Make your pick for the most appealing managerial opening here, but while you mull your options, catch up on the latest rumblings…

The Rangers managerial job is Michael Young’s if he wants it, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The former Rangers infielder is one of many ex-Rangers currently serving as special assistant to GM Jon Daniels, along with Ivan Rodriguez, Darren Oliver, and Colby Lewis. Theoretically, Young would provide philosophical continuity with the previous regime as well as the front office. Conversely, he’s been looked at before, withdrawing himself from consideration before the hiring of Bannister in 2014, and there’s no indication he has any more interest in the position now. MLB TV analyst Mark DeRosa and Yankees third base coach Phil Nevin – Young’s teammates on the 2006 Rangers – continue to pop up as potential alternatives.
The Reds hope to have their new skipper in place by the end of the World Series, per Nightengale. Next on the interview docket: Rays bench coach Charlie Montoyo and Giants bench coach Hensley Meulens will be brought in this week, reports Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Meulens served as Bruce Bochy’s right-hand man last year after eight season as the Giants’ hitting coach. The Curacao native managed the Netherlands for two World Baseball Classics and has been considered a manager-in-waiting for a few seasons – interviewing with the Tigers and Yankees last winter, added Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Charlie Montoyo managed Rays affiliates for eighteen years before coaching third base at Tropicana from 2015-17 and – like Meulens – moving to the bench for 2018. Along with their internal candidates, the Reds have interviewed Joe Girardi, Brad Ausmus, and current Giants VP of player development David Bell, as it appears the Reds search is beginning to take shape. It’s no surprise that they’ll want their new manager installed before the offseason bonanza begins, as they plan to be aggressive in going after pitching. If they can secure a clear, strong voice in the dugout and a few extra arms for the mound, the Reds will have accomplished their two primary offseason goals.

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