Yankees to interview Carlos Beltran as managerial search continues
The New York Yankees have already interviewed five candidates for their open managerial position, but they’re not done. Yankees GM Brian Cashman is back from his Thanksgiving vacation and ready to interview more people to fill Joe Girardi’s cleats.
#Yankees plan to interview additional managerial candidates, sources confirm to The Athletic. Length of list beyond initial five is not known. @Jim_BowdenSXM was first to report on additional interviews. Team not in rush; only club still looking for a manager.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 28, 2017
Even though this news was just reported, there is a name emerging, and it’s a familiar one. It comes from former New York Mets GM and current MLB radio analyst Steve Phillips.
Sources indicate that Carlos Beltran next to be interviewed for Yankees’ managers job. Sixth candidate to be considered.
— Steve Phillips (@StevePhillipsGM) November 28, 2017
And once Phillips reported it, the news was confirmed by Ken Rosenthal.
Carlos Beltran will interview for #Yankees’ managerial position, as first reported by @StevePhillipsGM.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 28, 2017
Carlos Beltran, come on down! You’re the next candidate to be interviewed for the position of Yankees manager! You’ll be joining Rob Thomson, Eric Wedge, Hensley Meulens, Aaron Boone and Chris Woodward, who have all been interviewed so far.
Beltran played for the Houston Astros in 2017, and announced his retirement just a few weeks after the Astros won the World Series. He played 20 years in the majors, won Rookie of the Year in 1999, and was a nine-time All-Star. He also played for the Yankees from 2014-16. While he was a great player with great instincts, it’s the small details that make him an interesting candidate for the job.
Over the last few years, many young Yankees credited Carlos Beltran’s influence as having helped their careers. He requested a locker next to Aaron Judge in spring ‘16. Has a good relationship w/ Cashman. Very intriguing managerial candidate.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) November 28, 2017
Beltran retired just a hot second ago, but he told Yahoo Sports after the World Series that he has managerial aspirations. And Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said that having Beltran on board “was like having an extra player-coach this year.” While that’s no assurance that Beltran will be a good manager, it’s a pretty nice endorsement.
But if any team is going to find out if Beltran would work as a manager, it’s going to be the Yankees. They’re not screwing around with their managerial interviews. (Not that anyone expected they would — how else does a franchise win eight zillion rings?) They’ve interviewed five candidates so far, and according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, each one has gone through a five-to-six hour interview that includes a one-hour conference call with Yankees beat reporters. That sounds pretty intense.
More than anything, the Yankees are taking their time. There’s no rush for them to fill this vacancy, especially since they’re the only team looking. They’re interviewing so many candidates because they can, and at this stage, why not? The relative peace and quiet of the offseason gives them a chance to really get to know their candidates, and to interview a few that might not have gotten long looks at other times.
The Yankees obviously want to get this right, because there’s a lot riding on their decision. They have such a dynamic, talented team, and the right guy at the helm could take them even farther into the playoffs in the future.
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Liz Roscher is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher
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