Wedge intervieWs for yankee manager:
Brian Cashman wants to interview a variety of candidates for the Yankees’ managerial vacancy.
Rob Thomson, who has been with the organization for nearly three decades in a variety of capacities — most recently as bench coach — became the first candidate to interview for the vacancy on Wednesday. Two days later, Eric Wedge got his shot. Wedge is a candidate who has had prior managerial experience, having spent a combined 10 years between Cleveland and Seattle, where he posted a 774-846 record.
During that span (2003-09, 2011-13) Wedge made the postseason just once, in 2007, when he was named AL Manager of the Year in Cleveland. The Indians advanced past the Yankees in the ALDS before blowing a 3-1 lead to the eventual World Series champion Red Sox in the ALCS.
Wedge, 49, spent the past two seasons as the field coordinator for the Blue Jays, but wants to get back into managing again after spending time in other roles. In 2014-15, he worked as an analyst for ESPN on Baseball Tonight.
“I think you have to be firm, fair and consistent as a manager,” Wedge said. “I think that’s imperative.”
Joe Girardi lost his job for being too rigid, not connecting or communicating well enough with his young players despite leading the Bombers within a win of the World Series. “When you’re a big-league manager you’ve got to handle the good, the bad and the ugly,” said Wedge, who averaged 91 losses in his three seasons with the Mariners. He suffered a stroke during his final campaign with Seattle in 2013, missing 28 games as a result. He was offered a one-year extension, but declined, citing dysfunction in the front office. “I’m very comfortable with young ballplayers who have a lot of ability at the big-league level,” Wedge said. “I’m very passionate about baseball. I’m humble and resilient, and I think you have to have a certain level of toughness to be a bigleague manager.” Despite his past stumbles, Wedge comes highly recommended by Blue Jays executive Mark Shapiro, who was with Wedge in Cleveland and then Toronto. Shapiro has a close relationship with Cashman.
Cashman is also intrigued with ESPN analyst and ex-Yankee Aaron Boone, who is expected to get an interview despite not having any previous managerial experience.
Boone, of course, is best known for sending the Yankees to the 2003 Fall Classic with his walk-off homer against the Red Sox in Game 7 of the ALCS.
It is believed that before it’s all said and done, Cashman could wind up interviewing between 18-20 candidates in what is likely to be a long and drawn out process that could extend almost to the Winter Meetings in December.
The Bombers currently have the only managerial vacancy in baseball.
Cashman has acknowledged that there may not be a candidate who checks all the boxes he’s looking for in Girardi’s replacement.