SEATTLE — General manager Jack Zduriencik’s gut may already have told him who the Seattle Mariners’ next manager should be, but he continued working Monday to make sure his instincts are correct.
No announcement is expected today and Zduriencik said Monday night that it could be the end of the week before he’ll be ready to release his choice.
“The sooner the better, but I can’t do it until I have all my questions answered,” he said.
Zduriencik interviewed seven candidates last week — White Sox bench coach Joey Cora, Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills, A’s bench coach Don Wakamatsu, Diamondbacks third-base coach Chip Hale, Red Sox third-base coach DeMarlo Hale, Cardinals third-base coach Jose Oquendo and Class AAA Portland Beavers manager Randy Ready.
Zduriencik won’t say who has risen to the top of his list, although many around baseball consider Mills, Wakamatsu and Chip Hale as the best of the group.
“I am in the home stretch,” Zduriencik said. “I’ve done the interviews and followup conversations. What I did (Monday) and what I plan to do (today) is continue dotting my i’s and crossing my t’s in terms of these guys’ backgrounds and histories so there are no surprises with our final selections.”
Zduriencik said he hasn’t uncovered anything unpleasant.
“My thoughts have been solidified more than anything else in terms of a couple of the candidates,” he said. “All of these guys are real good. When you get down to 1 and 1-A and B-double-plus, you want to make sure there isn’t anything that comes up that creates a dilemma you weren’t counting on. I have not received anything that’s Once Zduriencik believes he has all the information available, he’ll finalize his decision.
“These guys got here, quite frankly, because of my gut instinct,” he said. “You follow up with people you trust and know will give answers to your questions. But it’s not only their background and not only their body of work, but also my instincts. When all is said and done, it’s going to be my gut feeling that tells me the direction to go.”
Ex-AquaSox manager promoted: The Mariners named Pedro Grifol, who managed the Everett AquaSox from 2003-2005, as their minor league director.
Grifol, the coordinator of instruction the past three years, replaces Greg Hunter, who has been offered a re-assignment as a pro scout after directing the minor leagues the past two years. Zduriencik said he expects Hunter to accept the scouting job.
Grifol, 38, was a minor-league catcher with the Mets in the mid-1990s when Zduriencik was the organization’s minor league director. After Zduriencik moved to the Brewers, he tried to hire Grifol in 2000.
“I was about three days late because the Mariners had hired him,” Zduriencik said.
The Mariners also hired Tim Tolman, 52, to fill Grifol’s job as minor league instruction coordinator. Tolman was the Washington Nationals’ third-base coach the past two seasons and, before that, worked 18 years in the player development departments of the Indians and Astros. Tolman was an outfielder for parts of eight seasons with the Astros and Tigers.
Free agency on hold: The Mariners are getting calls from agents of free-agent players, but Zduriencik won’t talk in detail with them until a manager is hired.
“I would like to have my manager in place before we get into any serious talks because I would like to have his opinion,” Zduriencik said.
He said most agents have called “to see if the Seattle Mariners are on their radar.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
