Add Don Wakamatsu To The List Of Candidates

It appears that as we advance closer towards the end of the season the list of candidates for the Cubs managerial vacancy increases instead of decreases. Already the list of candidates include Eric Wedge, Bob Melvin, Pat Listach, Bob Brenly, Mike Quade, Ryne Sandberg, Chris Spier, and the outside chance of Joe Girardi. Time to make room for another candidate as ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweeted last night that former Mariners skipper Don Wakamatsu is on the very long list of candidates for the Chicago Cubs position.

Don Wakamatsu took over the Mariners job in 2009 and lead the Mariners to a 85-77 record but finished third in the division. The Mariners were heavy favorites going into the season to be World Series contenders, however, after a disappointing first half and the struggles remained going into the second half of the season, the Mariners fired Wakamatsu on August 10 after he lead the Mariners to a poor 42-70 mark.

To be honest though, Wakamatsu does not sound like a manager who is capable of handling a clubhouse on a daily basis. The biggest cause for his departure was because he could not keep control of the Mariners dugout. Throughout the season, the Mariners have had several “in-team” fights with one another. In the weeks leading up to his firing, Wakamatsu got in a heated exchange with free agent bust Chone Figgins, and Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik did not support his manager in that situation. Also, Wakamatsu lost the ability to communicate properly with the Mariners dugout after their was questions over his relationship with now retired Ken Griffey Jr.  For whatever reasons, the Mariners also lost trust in the capabilities of Wakamatsu.

"“The truth of the matter is that I lost confidence in Don, Ty and Rick,” Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said Monday.“New leadership is needed, and it is needed now.”A year ago, Wakamatsu helped lead the Mariners to a stunning 24-win improvement in his first season, but now the team is facing its second 100-loss season in three years.“He told me, ‘There are things going on here that don’t look very good,’ ” said Toronto Blue Jays scout Mel Didier, who talked with Wakamatsu two weeks ago. “Sometimes when things get to a certain point, teams don’t respond to the manager.”USA TODAY"

As you should be able to interpret from the way Wakamatsu was fired from Seattle, he is clearly not qualified to be the manager of the Chicago Cubs. Wakamatsu could not handle a clubhouse with a star player like Ken Griffey Jr on the team, so how would he be able to manage the ego’s of Carlos Zambrano, Alfonso Soriano, and Aramis Ramirez. I would be very, very surprised if Don Wakamatsu is the Cubs manager next season. It just is not a good fit for Wakamatsu, or the Chicago Cubs and what they looking for in their next manager.