The field of managerial candidates for the Yankees continues to narrow, as MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reports that Carlos Beltran is out of the running. The club has not confirmed.
Beltran, 40, was one of six finalists for the Yankees' manager spot, which is open after the club opted to not bring back Joe Girardi. The nine-time All-Star was the sixth and final candidate to interview Wednesday, just one month after hoisting his first World Series trophy as a player with the Astros. Beltran had viewed himself as an auxiliary coach of sorts during his 2 1/2 years with the Yankees from 2014-16, and he was hopeful that experience would raise his profile as someone who could communicate well with players.
"I'm extremely happy with the opportunity," Beltran told MLB.com. "I feel blessed to be considered as a manager for one of the most iconic franchises in sports, and just a couple of weeks after I retired as a baseball player. I appreciate the opportunity and enjoyed the experience of sharing my vision and passion for the game."
As for whether he would consider taking on a different role with the Yankees next season, Beltran indicated he planned to take the 2018 season off.
"As I've mentioned before, the manager opportunity is something that I would love to do at some point and never thought that opportunity would come that fast," Beltran said. "With that said, I'm looking forward to spending time with my wife and kids and enjoy my first summer vacation in more than 23 years."
Yankees bench coach Rob Thomson is also out of the running for the team's manager position, and MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reported that he will become the Phillies' new bench coach under first-year manager Gabe Kapler. That leaves Aaron Boone, Eric Wedge, Hensley Meulens and Chris Woodward as the remaining four finalists who have interviewed with the club. General manager Brian Cashman told reporters Thursday that the team's interview process was complete, meaning New York's next manager will likely be one of those four names.
A source told Feinsand that there is a clear front-runner for the position in Cashman's mind, though that source added that there is no set timetable for an announcement. Multiple reports Friday said the two favorites are Boone and Meulens.