Among recently retired players Brad Ausmus has been a popular manager candidate. In the past year along he interviewed to replace Terry Francona with the Red Sox and balked at the chance to interview for the Marlins and Astros openings.
And now he’s in the mix to replace Davey Johnson with the Nationals.
Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports that Ausmus will interview for the job and the Nationals had to reach out to the Padres to get permission first, because he’s currently a front office assistant in San Diego.
During his 18-year playing career Ausmus was always mentioned as a future manager and at age 44 he’s 26 years younger than Johnson. Obviously the Nationals disappointed this season, but given the talent on their roster it would be a helluva opportunity for a first-time manager.