Alex Cora will reportedly join Torey Lovullo in interviewing for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ managerial opening.
Last winter, the Arizona Diamondbacks had a noisy offseason, bolstering their starting rotation by signing Zack Greinke and trading for Shelby Miller. The results, however, were not good.
After finishing in fourth place in the NL West with a record of 69-93, the Diamondbacks dismissed General Manager Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale. Earlier this month they hired Mike Hazen to be their new GM and executive vice president. They are still in the process of finding a new manager, but a couple of names have now emerged as candidates.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the D-Backs will be interviewing Alex Cora. Torey Lovullo, the current Red Sox bench coach who has been thought to be a fit for the job from the get-go, will reportedly be interviewed soon as well, per Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Sources: Torey Lovullo will interview with @Dbacks for their managerial job soon. Alex Cora about to interview for same job, per @JonHeyman.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 29, 2016
Cora, a 14-year MLB veteran, currently works as an analyst for ESPN. He is the brother of another former major leaguer in Joey Cora. While he has never managed before, Cora has interviewed for several other managerial openings in the recent past. Moreover, hiring a manager without previous experience is hardly without precedent either. Call to the Pen’s Tim Haberin reported on Cora’s rising popularity as a managerial candidate last year as well.
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Heyman also points out that both Cora and Lovullo have ties to Hazen. Reports suggest that the 51-year-old Lovullo is still thought to be the front-runner in Arizona’s search for a new manager.
Lovollo has managed in the minor leagues, serving as a skipper with Red Sox and Cleveland Indians affiliates. He also managed the Red Sox when John Farrell underwent treatment for lymphoma near the end of the 2015 campaign.
As reported by Nick Piecoro of AZcentral.com, Hazen has said he expects to interview five-plus candidates before making a decision. Whoever ultimately becomes the D-Backs’ next skipper will be their third manager in the past four seasons. Hale replaced Kirk Gibson, the 2011 NL Manager of the Year, prior to the start of 2015.
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The D-Backs have now finished with a record of .500 or below in each of the past five seasons. Though they are a talented team, they have some work to do if they wish to once again contend in a tough NL West.