Raul Ibanez One Of Three Candidates Left For Rays Job

Raul Ibanez is one of three people remaining in the hunt for the Rays managing position. Raul is a very personable player who is said to have been a great influence in the locker room. He has 19 years playing experience including this year with the Kansas City Royals but, Ibanez has never coached at any level.

The other two candidates for the position are Kevin Cash and Don Wakamatsu. Cash played in the big leagues as a catcher for 8 years and was the bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians in 2103 and 2014.

Don Wakamatsu has the most experience among the 3. He managed the Seattle Mariners from 2009-2010 and although he wound up with a losing record (127-147) the payroll was small and there were no star players. He was the Bench coach for the Rangers from 03-06, Athletics in 08, the Blue Jays from 2011-12 and the Kansas City Royals in 2014.

The Rays are no longer considering Dave Martinez, bench coach under Joe Maddon for the past seven years. for the job.

"The decision on Dave Martinez was especially difficult," Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman said in a statement. "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."

If Ibanez is chosen to replace Maddon, it will be for monatery reasons only in my opinion. There are many, more experienced options available to the Rays. They need experience as they compete in the toughest division in the league

Raul Ibanez to Manage the Rays?

The Tampa Bay Rays have 8 potential managerial candidates, so far, to take over for Joe Maddon in 2015. Raul Ibanez is one of them.

Other possible managers include Dave Martinez, Rays bench coach for the last eight years, Manny Acta, former Indians and Nationals manager, Craig Counsell, Charlie Montoyo, currently a minor league manager, Ron Wotus, former Seattle Mariner manager Don Wakamatsu and Kevin Cash.

Rays President of Baseball Operations, Matt Silverman, has said the list will grow as the process continues.

When one looks at the experience possessed by most of the candidates, it is hard to imagine Raul Ibanez being picked to lead a major league team when he has no prior managerial experience and has only been out of baseball for a little over a month.

But as the saying goes, stranger things have happened!

Post World Series Teams Free Agent Market

As the 2014 World Series comes to a conclusion, what would baseball be if we didn't start looking at who might change teams after it's over. MLB hasn't even handed out the award let alone given the shine time to fade.

The Giants seem to have the most to lose with Pablo Sandoval, Jake Peavy, Ryan Vogelsong, Sergio Romo and Michael Morse all eligible for free agency. Without knowing the intent of management it can be assumed that the Giants would most like to have Sandoval and Romo back along with Vogelsong...at the right price.

The Royals, on the other hand, have James Shields, Josh Willingham, Norichika Aoki, Raul Ibanez and possibly Billy Butler, who may be too rich for the Royals to pick up his option for 2015. Willingham and Ibanez were in season pickups that haven't contributed much to the postseason and with the play of Jarrod Dyson in center and Lorenzo Cain's outstanding play in right, Aoki may very well not be offered a contract.

That leaves James Shields. Shields is a very valuable piece of the Royals team that made the playoffs this season, but there are a number of teams that need pitching and have deep pockets. The Royals may not be able to afford Shields either.

Dave Skretta of the AP, writing for Yahoo Sports has an interesting take on both team's free agency woes with this article.