Cubs bench coach emerges as finalist for Twins' managerial opening

Chicago Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty has been connected to numerous managerial openings since the team's postseason exit in the NLDS. A hot commodity, Flaherty has, to some degree, been connected to the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles and, now, Minnesota Twins jobs.

The sheer volume of rumors surrounding the 39-year-old sure makes it feel like a matter of 'when', not 'if' the Cubs will lose him this winter - which would leave Craig Counsell looking for a new right-hand man heading into the offseason.

Ryan Flaherty drawing widespread interest as a managerial candidate

According to The Athletic (subscription required), Minnesota has narrowed its list down to former Pirates skipper and Twins bench coach Derek Shelton, former Twins and current Yankees hitting coach James Rowson, former Mariners manager Scott Servais and - you guessed it - Flaherty.

That report suggests the Twins are looking for someone they're familiar with, which would give Shelton and Rowson the inside track - but there hasn't been anything concrete to suggest Flaherty is on the outside looking in. In fact, Flaherty reportedly 'interviewed well' - hardly a surprise given his reputation in baseball circles as a clear-cut future manager, despite not yet having turned 40.

With San Francisco making a splash with the hiring of University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello as its next manager and the Angels naming Kurt Suzuki as their next skipper, the Twins join the likes of the Padres, Braves, Rockies, Nationals and Orioles still looking for their next shot-caller in the dugout.

He finished runner-up to Mike Shildt in the last Padres' managerial search - and recent reports paint him as a front-runner to take the top job in San Diego, so it's far from Minnesota-or-bust for Flaherty. Last week, Jon Heyman had this to say about Flaherty's prospects:

"San Diego, I think, I mean, AJ Preller wanted Ryan Flaherty last time, right? He has been a bench coach for the Padres, he's a bench coach this year with the Cubs. [Flaherty] seems to be ready at this point, I think he should get [a managerial] job somewhere."

Flaherty has spent the last two years as Counsell's bench coach in Chicago. Prior to that, he served as the Padres' bench coach in 2023 after spending several years as a coach in the organization.