We continue to keep tabs on executive and coaching movements around the league, as they have the potential to directly impact the Cubs.
The Mariners have named Angels executive Scott Servais their new manager, which is the kind of thing that ruffles feathers around the league (Servais has no managerial experience), and could make you wonder how well he’ll work with players. Then again, Servais was, himself, a long-time big leaguer (including a stint with the Cubs – he was the primary catcher on the 1998 playoff team), so there should be a reasonable level of trust and connection among the players. Servais was close with now-Mariners-GM Jerry DiPoto with the Angels, so this all makes sense. Having synchronicity between the front office and the manager can be a very valuable thing, as we saw first-hand with the Cubs.
At present, then, the Dodgers, Padres, Nationals, and Marlins are your four teams still looking for a manager. I’d be shocked if we don’t soon hear about an interview for Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez with at least one of those teams. I also wonder if pitching coach Chris Bosio could get a look, considering how well-regarded he is.
Elsewhere, the Phillies are expected to decided on their new GM early next week, and multiple reports have them down to three finalists. Todd Zolecki reports that the three names are Angels AGM Matt Klentak, A’s AGM Dan Kantrovitz and Rays VP of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom. If Zolecki is correct, you can safely relax that no top Cubs executives are in the mix for that particular job, which should be especially attractive, given the resources, young talent, and commitment to rebuild.
That doesn’t mean there won’t still be executive movement when everything shakes out – the Cubs have already lost Tim Wilken to the Diamondbacks – but it’s good to know that one of the most attractive jobs out there appears to be on its way to being filled by someone outside of the Cubs’ organization.