All indications continue to point to Don Mattingly as the leading candidate to become the next manager of the Miami Marlins.
The former Los Angeles Dodgers manager met over the weekend with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria and was discussing the opening with other top club officials Monday, according to multiple reports.
The Dodgers will pay the final year on his contract, but Mattingly made it clear he is eager to return to managing, telling reporters in Los Angeles, “I definitely want to manage, period.”
Washington and San Diego have managerial openings in addition to the Marlins and Dodgers. The Nationals are believed to have narrowed their choice to Bud Black and Dusty Baker.
Hunter retires: Minnesota Twins right fielder Torii Hunter has decided to retire, the team confirmed. Hunter told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis he began the year believing this would be his last in baseball, preferring to focus on his family.
Hunter was still plenty productive at age 40, hitting .240 with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs in 139 games. He hit .277 with 353 homers and 1,391 RBIs in 2,372 games in 19 seasons with Minnesota, the Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers.
Manfred on minority hiring: Minority managers have all but disappeared from Major League Baseball’s dugouts, which next year could have no black skippers for the first time in nearly three decades.
“We have had a year where our numbers are down in terms of the diversity that we have in some of our key positions,” Rob Manfred said Monday in Kansas City, Missouri, a day ahead of the start of the first World Series since he became baseball commissioner. “I think it’s incumbent upon us to come up with additional programs and ways to make sure that our numbers look better over the long haul.”
Atlanta’s Fredi Gonzalez, who was born in Cuba, is the only current minority manager.
Cincinnati fired Dusty Baker after the 2013 season. Last year, Houston’s Bo Porter was let go and Texas’ Ron Washington quit. Seattle fired Lloyd McClendon, the only remaining African-American manager, five days after this season ended.
Phillies: Philadelphia introduced Matt Klentak as its new general manager and vice president. Klentak, 35, becomes the youngest G.M. in team history. He had been the Angels assistant G.M. since November 2011. He replaces Ruben Amaro Jr., who was fired in September.
Brewers: Former Padres interim manager Pat Murphy will be named Milwaukee’s bench coach, sources told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
World Series umpires: Gary Cederstrom will be the umpire crew chief at the World Series. Bill Welke will call balls and strikes in the opener. Welke, Mark Carlson and Jim Wolf drew their first World Series assignments. The crew includes Mike Winters, Mike Everitt and Alfonso Marquez.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
