Raul Ibanez among 3 finalists for Rays' manager job
The Tampa Bay Rays have trimmed the list of candidates for their vacant manager position down to three finalists.
Tampa Bay will chose one of Raul Ibanez, Kevin Cash or Don Wakamatsu to replace long-time manager Joe Maddon, the team announced Friday.
Bench coach Dave Martinez, who was widely viewed as a favorite, is out of the running. Rays president of baseball operations Matthew Silverman said omitting Martinez, who has been a coach with Tampa Bay since 2008, from the search was especially difficult.
But after Maddon and former general manager Andrew Friedman departed the team during what has been an offseason of change for Tampa Bay, the organization appears to have put an emphasis on bringing in outside help.
"Our clubhouse would best benefit from a new voice that will add to our already strong and cohesive culture," Silverman said, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
It was reported earlier Friday that Craig Counsell and Manny Acta were no longer being considered for the opening. Initial candidates also included former players Barry Larkin and Doug Glanville, among others.
"We were very impressed by the 10 finalists we interviewed, and could have envisioned any of them managing our club," Silverman added.
Maddon left shortly after Friedman received a lucrative contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 60-year-old Maddon opted out of his contract with the Rays in October before signing a five-year deal to manage the Chicago Cubs.
Ibanez, who has garnered a reputation as a leader over his 19-year playing career, split time between the Los Angeles Angels and Kansas City Royals in 2014.
Wakamatsu was a bench coach with the Royals this past season and has previous managerial experience. The 51-year-old managed the Seattle Mariners in 2009 and into the 2010 season before getting fired in August.
Cash, meanwhile, enjoyed an eight-year big-league career which included a stop in Tampa Bay. He has served as the Cleveland Indians' bullpen coach for the last two seasons.