Texas Rangers lose two candidates in their search for a new manager

The Texas Rangers search for a new skipper has simplified. Their search began with eight candidates; it is now down to six.

And so the process of elimination begins. The Texas Rangers started with eight candidates to choose from as their new manager; they are now down to six. David Bell has accepted the offer to become the Cincinnati Reds’ manager and Joe Girardi intends to continue in his role as an analyst for the MLB Network.

With Bell definitely out of the running and Girardi likely out, the Rangers now have Don Wakamatsu, Rocco Baldelli, Dusty Wathan, Brandon Hyde, Joe Espada and Jayce Tingler to choose from. Of course, there’s always the possibility that another name or two emerge.

They lost two impressive candidates. Obviously, Bell was a sought after individual as it didn’t take Cincinnati long to corral him. He made his way through the ranks in little time, beginning as a Double-A manager in ’08 and taking the position as the St. Louis Cardinals’ bench coach in ’18. Now, he’ll takeover as the manager of a very young Reds’ squad.

Girardi’s track record is well-known. He held the most profound and most stressful managerial position in MLB as the skipper of the New York Yankees from 2008 to 2017. By all accounts, Girardi was very successful as the Yankees manager. Though, the organization seemed to have gotten tired of Girardi by the end of the 2017 season, firing him despite his leading the team to a surprising ALCS appearance.

Not surprisingly, Girardi was an immediate name to float around as manager positions opened toward the end of the 2018 season.

The losses of David Bell and Joe Girardi should not be too devastating to the Texas Rangers. Bell certainly has promise, but he’s spent little time co-managing on a major league bench. There are a few candidates still in the running that have similar credentials to Bell’s.

As for Girardi, the Rangers probably wouldn’t have been able to, or wanted to pay him enough anyway. Jeff Banister never made more than $1 million in a season with Texas. Girardi, on the other hand, earned an annual salary of $4 million in his final four seasons managing New York. Plus, Girardi was let go by the Yankees for similar reasons to Bannister being let go by the Rangers–poor communication and a lack of effort in relating to younger players.

The Texas Rangers still have a number of good options and plenty of time to make a decision. Expect the new manager to be named either during the World Series or a week after the World Series. That is when the stove will begin to heat and the offseason will truly get underway.