Rangers Rumors: Reds nearly swiped Texas coach before Terry Francona hire

The Texas Rangers almost lost a valued member of their coaching staff earlier this month and the offseason isn't even close to being in full force. Keep your head on a swivel, everybody. Moves can happen a lot sooner than we anticipated.

The Cincinnati Reds made headlines this past Friday when they hired Terry Francona to be their next manager. The two sides agreed to a three-year contract in hopes of a turnaround coming for baseball in Cincy. The veteran skipper’s two World Series rings and wealth of experience gave the Reds confidence to hire the sage manager, but not before considering younger options.

Rangers' associate manager Will Venable was reportedly on a list of candidates being considered for the job. Other names included former Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker and former Chicago Cubs manager David Ross, so he was mentioned in pretty good company.

Rangers Rumors: Reds nearly swiped Texas coach before Terry Francona hire

This is not the first time that the 41-year-old Venable has been around the managerial carousel. He has coached in different capacities with multiple organizations since 2018, and just last offseason he was rumored to be a leading candidate for the Cleveland Guardians job (and he also touched base with the New York Mets about a stop in Flushing).

Venable spent parts of nine seasons as a big league player with San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Rangers. A career .249 career hitter who also stole 135 bases, it is not a stretch to say that Venable would be an intriguing hire for a team looking to reset and allow a young voice to lead a developing clubhouse.

Additionally, some first-year managers have had great success in 2024. Three newly-ordained skippers made the postseason this fall, tying the largest count in MLB history. Given Venerable has been around a championship contender, it is possible that other clubs will see him as the sort of individual who could lead a culture shift.

It remains to be seen if Venable will interview for any managerial openings this offseason, but if the Reds already had their eye on him, it's likely that others do too.