Columbus, Ohio — Terry Francona informed general manager Mike Chernoff and team president Chris Antonetti that he would be leaving the position at the end of the season after 11 years in charge, which sparked the Guardians’ search for a new manager in late August.
Since Francona was brought in to take Manny Acta’s place at the end of the 2012 season, the Guardians have not had to go through this exercise.
How did the search begin, and how did they come across candidates like Clayton McCullough of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Stephen Vogt of Seattle, Carlos Mendoza of the Yankees, anda Craig Albernz of San Francisco, who coaches the bullpen and catching?
It’s likely that they discussed their organizational position prior to compiling a list of potential replacements. Once a manager takes the dugout, managing a big league team is pretty much always the same.
There are 30 teams in the big leagues. They all have different wants and needs from their manager
Here are some of the priorities that the Guardians certainly considered before they started texting and making phone calls to find Francona’s replacement.
Is the roster young or old? In the Guards’ case, they’ve fielded the youngest team in the big leagues for two years running.
Is the team ready to win now? Or is management looking two or three years down the road before they seriously consider themselves a contender?
Flip a coin if you’re Cleveland. In 2022, they won 92 games and advanced to Game 5 of the ALDS. This year they went 76-86, falling to third place in the AL Central.
What is the size of the market? Handling the media for a team like the Mets is a big part of the job for any manager. Experience would help in that instance.
In Cleveland, a manager isn’t going to be facing a room full of reporters for 162 games a season. It is a good place for a first-year manager to learn when to speak and when to bite his tongu
Then there’s the relationship with the front office
Do they work collaboratively? If not, how much power does the manager have when it comes to putting the best team on the field and trying to win games?
The Guardians’ baseball scientists and Francona butted heads now and then, but for the most part they found common ground. Every manager in the big leagues uses some form of analytics because it’s the smart thing to do
If there is any doubt about the working relationship between the Guardians’ new manager and the front office, there shouldn’t be. It will be a joint venture.
Antonetti and Chernoff said they enjoyed being challenged by Francona when he pushed back against some of their suggestions. They said they learned from it and it made them a better organization. They are looking for a similar relationship with the next manager.
A younger manager, embedded in the Statcast era, could make for an easier transition. Perhaps that is one of the reasons veteran managers such as Buck Showalter and Joe Maddon have not been connected to Cleveland’s job search.
Is managerial experience a must? Or can a team do without that if it feels like they’ve found the right person who can grow into the job?
The Guardians have interviewed candidates from varied backgrounds. Some have managed in the minors. Some have not. It’s unclear if they’ve interviewed anyone who has managed in the big leagues.
Antonetti said the key is finding someone they can partner with and build upon what they’ve already accomplished.
The Guardians not only have had time to determine specifically what they want in a manager, they’ve also had time to assemble a list of candidates. Antonetti, a few days after the end of the regular season on Oct. 1, said they started with between 45 and 48 names.
The list has shrunk considerably. Some candidates, such as Vogt, went through his second interview — first in-person — when he visited Cleveland on Tuesday.
McCullough interviewed the week before.
Internal candidates John McDonald, Chris Valaika and Rob Cerfolio are believed to be among those who have interviewed as well.
With candidates coming to Cleveland for interviews, it’s believed the list could be down to three to five finalists. A quick conclusion, however, isn’t part of the Guardians’ DNA. Antonetti and Chernoff seldom leave a rock unturned when it comes to trades and personnel decisions.
Why would they change when it comes to hiring a new manager?
Still, time is important. The Giants hired Bob Melvin as their new manager on Wednesday. That leaves Cleveland, San Diego, the Angels and Mets looking for managers. If Craig Counsell leaves the Brewers and signs with the Mets, Milwaukee will need a manager as well.
The Athletic is reporting that the Guardians have asked Milwaukee for permission to interview Counsell. They would be competing with the Mets, and perhaps the Padres and Angels as well.
The sooner the Guardians hire a manager, the sooner they can start putting a coaching staff together. The longer they wait, the more the coaching pool is drained.
It’s also important for the new manager to form relationships with his players, front office and support staff. He needs time to do that. The new manager can call a first-year player on the phone, but he may have to hop a flight to meet face to face with José Ramírez or Shane Bieber.
Right now the World Series quiet period and Counsell’s interest in the Mets seem to have slowed Cleveland’s job search. The World Series starts Friday, and MLB prefers that teams hold off on making big announcements so the focus stays on the series. Of course, there are off days in the series.
