Here's where the 4 managerial vacancies stand now

October 24th, 2019

The list of managerial vacancies, which stood at eight not too long ago, is now down to four.

Joe Maddon is the new manager of the Angels, and the Cubs officially named David Ross as Maddon's replacement Thursday. According to sources, the Phillies are set to make Joe Girardi their next skipper, while the Padres are on the verge of hiring Jayce Tingler.

Here's where the remaining races stand:

Giants
Known candidates: Joe Espada, Pedro Grifol, Gabe Kapler, Mark Kotsay, Hensley Meulens, Mark Quatraro, Ron Wotus, Will Venable

Venable is believed to be one of the leading candidates to succeed Bruce Bochy, along with Kotsay and Kapler, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The team doesn't appear to be done with its first round of interviews, however. Meulens and Wotus are the only two known internal candidates, and Grifol and Quatraro have been connected to the job as well. With a World Series off-day on Thursday, Espada, the Astros bench coach, was scheduled to be in San Francisco for an interview, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. Espada, who was a finalist to be the Cubs manager, previously interviewed with the Giants over the phone. Of the aforementioned candidates, only Kapler has previously managed in the Majors, spending the past two seasons as the Phillies skipper.

Mets
Known candidates: Carlos Beltrán, Tim Bogar, Eduardo Pérez, Luis Rojas, Derek Shelton

The Mets have progressed to the second round of interviews for their managerial vacancy, with at least Beltrán, Bogar, Pérez, Rojas and Shelton still in the mix to replace Mickey Callaway. But if a clear favorite doesn't emerge from that group, New York could turn to a mystery "bombshell candidate," a person connected to the team told SNY's Andy Martino. Mike Bell, the D-backs vice president of player development and the younger brother of Reds manager David Bell, was part of the first round of interviews, as was Padres first-base coach Skip Schumaker. Girardi was among the candidates to receive a second interview, but he's off to Philadelphia.

Pirates
Known candidates: Banister, Bell, Stubby Clapp, Ryan Christenson, Espada, Kotsay, Shelton

The Pirates announced Wednesday that they were parting ways with team president Frank Coonelly. Coonelly's successor has been chosen and will be introduced on Monday. Alongside general manager Neal Huntington, the new president will be tasked with naming Pittsburgh's next skipper. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the team has moved onto the second round of interviews to find Clint Hurdle's replacement, though it's unclear if the list has been narrowed. Banister is the only known internal candidate as well as the only one with previous MLB managerial experience. The 55-year-old, who was the Pirates bench coach under Hurdle from 2011-14 and the Rangers manager from 2015-18, spent this past season as a special assistant with Pittsburgh.

Royals
Known candidates: Grifol, Mike Matheny, Vance Wilson

Following the retirement of Ned Yost, the Royals' choice for their next manager could come from within. It is believed that Matheny, who previously managed the Cardinals and is currently a special adviser for player development with Kansas City, Grifol (Royals quality control/catching coach) and Wilson (Royals bullpen coach) have been interviewed in person. A source told MLB.com that multiple unnamed external candidates interviewed remotely. Bench coach Dale Sveum is no longer believed to be a candidate, as he has expressed a desire to move to a different role in the organization.