Four in line for Tribe's managerial post
GM Mark Shapiro met with reporters today, following Manny Acta's formal interview for the Tribe's managerial vacancy, and revealed that four candidates are in the hunt for the job.
Acta, the former Nationals skipper, is, of course, a finalist.
The remaining internal candidate is not Travis Fryman, as had been speculated elsewhere, but Triple-A manager Torey Lovullo. Lovullo will interview on Friday.
Former Mets and Rangers manager and current ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine is also in the mix. Shapiro was not yet sure when Valentine will be coming to Cleveland, but it will be sometime this week.
Finally, there is another candidate whose identity Shapiro did not reveal. Shapiro just said that this candidate currently has other responsibilities -- the implication being that he is still involved in the postseason. Though Shapiro didn't say so, Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly is that guy. The Dodgers are down 3-1 to the Phillies in the NLCS, so he could be available to interview soon.
While it's believed these are the final four candidates, there is a chance that one or two others may emerge late. For now, it's down to Acta, Lovullo, Valentine and Mattingly.
MLB.com contributor Steve Herrick will have more on the Indians.com site in a bit.
Wow, didn't expect Lovullo at all... but you know what they say: "When in Rome..."
While the Tribe definitely needs the most help in the pitching department, Mattingly only makes sense to fill Wedge's position. If you can't get Torre, get his successor.
I understand that Valentine and Acta possess some qualifications that will help them interact with international players, but you can bring on assistants for that.
I vote Mattingly.
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Well, I think Mattingly is probably the best in terms of being different than Wedge. Sure, Valentine is probably even MORE different in managing style, but, seriously, I can't picture it. I'm not really sure why they're interviewing him.
It is strange that Mattingly would leave Los Angeles when Torre only has a year left (as AM pointed out elsewhere). I also don't know how you go from coaching in the two biggest baseball markets in the country to Cleveland. But maybe he sees this as an opportunity to make his mark as a manager.
I like Lovullo, but it would be weird for them to pick a guy with no major league coaching experience. I do think, however, that he would make better decisions with the line-ups than Wedge did.
I'm not against Acta.
I'd still like to hear Showalter's name come up.
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