Raul Ibanez Among Finalists To Manage Tampa Bay Rays

Raul Ibanez, Kevin Cash and Don Wakamatsu are the three finalists for the Tampa Bay Rays’ managerial job.

The Tampa Bay Rays are down to three candidates for their open managerial position, with outfielder Raul Ibanez among them.

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Kevin Cash and Don Wakamatsu are the other two finalists.

The Rays announced on Friday that seven of their previous 10 candidates were dropped from contention. That list comprised of Dave Martinez, Barry Larkin, Doug Glanville, Manny Acta, Craig Counsell, Charlie Montoyo and Ron Wotus.

From ESPN:

"“We were very impressed by the 10 finalists we interviewed, and could have envisioned any of them managing our club,” president of baseball operations Matt Silverman said in a statement. “The decision on Dave Martinez was especially difficult. He’s played a key role in our organization’s evolution, and he’s done all he can to put himself in position to be a manager. In the end, we determined that our clubhouse would best benefit from a new voice that will add to our already strong and cohesive culture. We’re excited to get to know our three remaining finalists better as we look to name our next manager in the coming weeks.”"

Ibanez has played 18 MLB seasons and is a career .272 hitter with 305 home runs and 1,207 RBI.

Ibanez, who spent this past season with the Kansas City Royals, had his best season in 2006 with the Seattle Mariners in which he hit .289 with 33 home runs and 123 RBI.

Cash is currently the bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians while Wakamatsu is the Royals’ bench coach.

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