Why Bruce Bochy likely will manage games next spring after retirement

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SAN FRANCISCO -- The odds are good that you'll see Bruce Bochy back in the dugout next March, just not for an MLB team, or the Giants. Bochy is expected to manage Team France in next spring's WBC qualifier, although he said that he has not fully committed to the job yet. 

"I'm talking to them," Bochy said. "I told them we would talk again at the end of the season."

Bochy is the only French-born manager in MLB history, but that's not the only reason this job, which people close to him expect him to formally accept soon, will be special.

The tentative plan is for his son, Brett, to pitch for the team and his brother Joe, a scout for the Giants, to be part of the coaching staff. Brett Bochy pitched for his father once already, making seven memorable appearances in 2014 and 2015. He retired after the 2015 season. Longtime coach Ron Wotus might also be on staff, depending on his status with the Giants. 

[RELATED: How MadBum grew close with Bochy]

Bochy, born in Landes de Bussac, met with the French delegation earlier this summer. If he does take the job, qualifying would begin next spring for a tournament that will take place in 2021. The French team is scheduled to play March 22-27 in Tucson in a bracket that includes Germany, Spain and other countries not known as traditional powers. 

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