REPORT: Chicago Cubs to announce new manager Thursday

Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Cubs will announce a new manager this Thursday, according to MLB Network’s Peter Gammons.

"Sometime Thursday the Cubs will announce their new manager. Jed Hoyer, Theo Epstein and the baseball staff will meet for the final time Wednesday, finalize the decision and make their decision public tomorrow. In the final hours, it seems that Padres bench coach Rich Renteria is the favorite, with his experience in development and managing in Mexico, an advantage for a team that in the next two years will be bringing a number of highly-touted players—many of them from Latin America—up to Wrigley Field."

Renteria, 51, who also interviewed with the Mariners and Tigers, is the Padres’ bench coach. Renteria has not managed in the majors, but he has worked in the Minor Leagues, beginning in 1998, as manager in the Marlins organization with the Class A Brevard County team. He left the Marlins after managing in Double-A in 2001, and he served as the hitting coach for the Padres’ Class A Lake Elsinore Minor League team in ’03.

In 2004, Renteria took over as Lake Elsinore’s manager. After three seasons he moved up to manage Triple-A Portland. He joined the Padres’ Major League staff in 2008 and has been the bench coach since 2011. Most recently he managed Team Mexico in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

The Cubs were denied an opportunity to interview Boston Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo due to an agreement the two teams made when Epstein left Boston, to not hire each others employees. Although Lovullo was with the Toronto Blue Jays organization at the time of Epstein’s departure the Boston ownership is holding firm.

The Cubs also interviewed former Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge, Tampa Rays bench coach Dave Martinez, former Washington Nationals and Indians manager Manny Acta, and former Arizona Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch.

Martinez, 49, is the only candidate who played for the Cubs.

Epstein stated he wants a new manager in place by the General Managers Meetings, which start Monday in Orland, Fla. The Cubs’ began their search on Sept. 30 after firing Dale Sveum following two seasons as manager.

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