Clint

Hurdle

The Rockies have played terrible baseball so far and own a league-worst 7-33 record, so the move is definitely justified, though it would have made much more sense after Saturday night’s shellacking at the hand of the Padres. Third base coach Warren Schaeffer will take over as the team’s interim manager for the duration of the 2025 season while Clint Hurdle will function as the team’s interim bench coach.

Nightengale adds that Washington’s staff in Los Angeles is also expected to include Chili Davis as hitting coach, Torii Hunter as first base coach, Eric Young Sr. as third base coach and a recently-retired Ryan Goins as infield coach. There could wind up being some changes in the near future, but it’s a pretty impressive list for the Angels.

The search was thought to be down to Shelton and Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro. Mark Kotsay was in the running at one point too. Shelton served as the Twins’ bench coach in 2018 and 2019 after spending the 2017 season as the quality control coach of the Blue Jays. He was the hitting coach of the Indians from 2005 until 2009 and operated in that same capacity with the Rays from 2010 to 2016. The 49-year-old Shelton is replacing Clint Hurdle, who was let go on September 29 after nine years on the job.

Heyman adds that a decision could come this week. Both Shelton and Quatraro were candidates for the job before Ben Cherington was hired as the team’s new general manager. For what it’s worth, Shelton was with the Blue Jays while Cherington worked in the team’s front office in 2017.

It sounds like rather than conducting a new search, he’ll simply re-interview the candidates that the Pirates already liked. Two of the top candidates - Mark Kotsay and Derek Shelton - already have ties to Cherington as Kotsay was a player with the Red Sox in 2008 and 2009 while Cherington was there and Shelton served as a coach for the Blue Jays in 2017 during Cherington’s tenure in Toronto.

Mackey reported previously that Cherington was the Pirates’ top choice and the former Red Sox GM has apparently accepted the position. Cherington -- who is replacing friend Neal Huntington -- had been the Blue Jays’ VP of baseball operations. The Pirates also announced the firing of assistant GM Kyle Stark.

Three sources told Mackey that Cherington has been offered the job and the team is just awaiting his decision. Jon Heyman of MLB Network was told by friends of Cherington that they expect him to take the job. Cherington is currently the Blue Jays’ VP of baseball operations.

Hurdle was fired by the Pirates at the end of the 2019 regular season after nine years as the team’s manager. He went on to interview for the Padres’ hitting coach vacancy but ultimately turned down that job and will now apparently step away from the game for good, per beat writer Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Cherington used to be the Red Sox’ general manager and is currently the Blue Jays’ VP of baseball operations. He’s also a New Hampshire native and Amherst College alum, much like former Pirates GM Neal Huntington.

Of course, that was when former general manager Neal Huntington was doing the interviews and he has since been fired. The Pirates are interviewing new GM candidates this week and then will pivot back to finding a manager. Whether Banister, Shelton and Kotsay are still among the favorites by that point remains to be seen.