Rays manager search to kick off Monday

© St. Petersburg Times
published October 3, 2002

NEW YORK -- The Rays will take the first official step toward hiring a new manager Monday when general manager Chuck LaMar begins requesting permission to arrange interviews.

LaMar said he expects to consider five to 10 candidates "and there's a good chance we'll start the interview process next week."

Among those LaMar may seek to speak with are Seattle manager Lou Piniella (who is signed through 2003); former managers Buck Showalter and Bucky Dent; coaches Ken Macha (Oakland), Willie Randolph (Yankees), Mike Stanley (Boston) and Alan Trammell (Padres); and Detroit Triple-A manager Bruce Fields.

With five others teams also looking for managers, the competition could get interesting. Piniella and Showalter, for example, are being mentioned prominently for the Mets job.

The Mariners apparently don't appreciate the suggestion that Piniella could be leaving, though there has been nothing more than media speculation.

"We heard some of this, but we've had no calls," Seattle president Chuck Armstrong told the Seattle Times. "Lou Piniella and everyone at the Mariners have made it clear that Lou is under contract to the Mariners to manage our team in 2003. This speculation by the media and others in markets outside Seattle leads me to wonder if this is indirect tampering."

LaMar also said he has given the six members of Hal McRae's coaching staff permission to seek other jobs, as well as the opportunity to be considered for positions on the Rays staff under the new manager.

Bullpen coach Glenn Ezell, third-base coach Tom Foley, bench coach Billy Hatcher and first-base coach Lee May are at the end of their contracts. Pitching coach Jackie Brown and hitting coach Milt May are signed through next season.

"I felt, in most cases, they did a good job and should be considered by the new manager, but we want them to also understand that the new manager is going to want to bring in some of his own people," LaMar said by phone.

Foley, Hatcher and Triple-A manager Bill Evers may get the opportunity to interview with LaMar for the manager's job.

The Rays continued making changes Wednesday, telling equipment and home clubhouse manager Carlos Ledezma and his staff they would not be retained.

"(LaMar) told me they wanted to go in a new direction and were going to make some changes and that I was one of them," said Ledezma, who was with the Rays for all five seasons and has been in baseball for 31 years. "I hope that next year they're celebrating being in the playoffs and that I was bad luck."