The detroit tigers have reportedly hired former Minnesota Twins skipper Ron Gardenhire as their new manager. However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic said the two sides are still discussing specifics of the contract before a deal is finalized and made public.There was no immediate development about the signing as MLB discourages teams from making news during the postseason, except for days when no games are being played. The Tigers’ managerial position was vacated after the team decided not to sign Brad Ausmus, who managed the Tigers for four seasons.
According to MLB.com, Gardenhire emerged as frontrunner for the position after he was interviewed by the Tigers Tuesday in Detroit.
After they parted ways with Ausmus, Tigers general manager Al Avila said they will hire a manager with a vast experience in running a team, an aspect where Gardenhire edged out other candidates for the job. Aside from Gardenhire, the Tigers also interviewed Braves and Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez and former Marlins manager Mike Redmond. The Tigers also met with White Sox bench coach Joe McEwing, Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulens and Tigers coaches Dave Clark and Omar Vizquel.
Gardenhire has vast experience as manager
The 59-year-old Gardenhire managed the Twins for 13 straight seasons from 2002 to 2014.
Under his watch, the Twins made the postseason six times but the team went just 6-21 in the playoffs. He was fired after the 2014 season. In 13 seasons with the Twins, Gardenhire tallied a 1,068-1,039 record. Gardenhire took a year off from baseball before he was hired by the Twins as special assistant. Last November, he joined the Arizona Diamondbacks as the club’s bench coach.
The Tigers are on a rebuild after trading their long-time players – starting pitcher Justin Verlander and Justin Upton. The Tigers are also tied to long-term deals with Jordan Zimmerman and Miguel Cabrera. Zimmerman has $74 million in the last three years of the deal while the Tigers owe Cabrera $184 million in the last six seasons.
Red Sox eyeing Alex Cora as manager
The Boston Red Sox are expected to hire Houston Astros bench coach Alex Cora as their new manager, replacing John Farrell. According to Evan Drellich of NBC Sports, a source said that the Red Sox are just waiting for the American League Championship Series to conclude before announcing the move. According to MLB.com, the Red Sox interviewed Cora last week in New York while the Astros were in town to play the Yankees in the ALCS. The Yankees lead the best-of-seven series, 3-2, with Game 6 to be played Friday in Houston.
