NEWSLETTER
Say what you might about Joe Maddon, but his lieutenants tend to be highly sought-after coaches. They really do. For years, Dave Martinez drew managerial interest across the league, before finally getting his shot with the Washington Nationals last season. And now, Brandon Hyde can’t beat away similar opportunities with a stick.
Yesterday, just after we learned that the Los Angeles Angels became the second team to interview Hyde this offseason (after the Rangers), the Twins invited him for a chat, too. And just one day later, we have a fourth entry to the mix:
#Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde is a candidate for the #BlueJays managerial position, source says. It is not clear if his formal interview occurred already, but his name has been part of the team's internal discussions. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 16, 2018
According to Jon Morosi, who also sourced, confirmed, and reported the Angels and Rangers interviews, Hyde is a candidate for the open Blue Jays gig. This squares with what Morosi said yesterday that he is “now an activate candidate in multiple MLB searches,” and with our perception of his attractiveness throughout baseball, given his connection to Maddon and range of coaching experience.
Indeed, based on the way things have gone, it’s probably only a matter of time until his name pops up in connection to the other two openings in Baltimore and Cincinnati. In fact, given that the Reds have apparently interviewed 12 managerial candidates, it’s completely possible that he’s already been involved, but we just haven’t learned of it yet.
As for if he’ll leave if offered a job, well, I can see it cutting both ways. On the one hand, Hyde is playing bench coach to a manager who does not have a contract beyond 2019. And if another team actually gives you the opportunity to manage, you take it. Those offers don’t come around often. On the other hand, I could *potentially* **imagine** the ***possibility*** of the Cubs winking and nodding – entirely behind the scenes – about taking over for Maddon after 2019. We’re not commenting on the advisability of that (or not). We’re just saying there is some hypothetical imagining that could go on.
Would winking like that and, say, a pay raise, give him enough confidence to turn down a sure-thing managerial job? Eh … I tend to doubt it. Rick Renteria was all but guaranteed to return to the gig in 2015, but Joe Maddon became unexpectedly available and the Cubs did what they had to – and they always will. Hyde will know that and probably make it a part of the calculus. But to Devil’s Advocate everything, I can certainly see Hyde preferring to manage in Chicago. So who knows? Maybe he rolls the dice and thinks “If I’m attractive now, I will be a year from now, as well, so let’s see what happens.”
In any case, it seems like the Cubs could be on the doorstep of losing another talented non-player member of their organization. And more – like Jason McLeod – could be on the way.
