With all of the changes to the Arizona Diamondbacks over the past two years, several good resources that have been made available to pursue other opportunities. Now it seems other teams are in a position to make changes themselves and are reaching out to these former Diamondbacks employees. I thought it might be interesting to see who is interviewing where.
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Thursday that they are interviewing former Diamondbacks bench coach Bo Porter for their vacant manager position. Porter began the 2010 season as the Diamondbacks’ third base coach under manager A.J. Hinch.
When Hinch was fired on July 1, Porter moved from third base to the dugout, becoming interim manager Kirk Gibson’s bench coach. After the season, the Diamondbacks dismissed Porter along with hitting coach Jack Howell.
Prior to the 2010 season, Porter worked on the Florida Marlins’ coaching staff for five seasons. Porter becomes the first minority candidate to be interviewed for the Pirates’ job.
Speaking of Hinch, the former Diamondbacks skipper was hired by the San Diego Padres before the season ended. He will be working in the Padres front office in the capacity of professional scouting, a natural fit considering his background with the Diamondbacks prior to becoming manager during the 2009 season.
Former general manager Josh Byrnes has been identified as a strong candidate to become the New York Mets’ new GM. Byrnes was dismissed on July 1 of this year along with Hinch. Byrnes had been with the Diamondbacks for five years.
Others rumored to be on the Mets’ interview list include Rick Hahn, Allard Baird, and Sandy Alderson. Hahn is currently an assistant GM for the Chicago White Sox, while Baird has a similar job with the Boston Red Sox. Alderson is currently working for Major League Baseball in the Dominican Republic .
Bob Brenly, who managed the Diamondbacks during their championship run in 2001, is rumored to be interested in the vacant Milwaukee Brewers’ manager’s job. Bob Melvin, who was Brenly’s bench coach and later managed the Diamondbacks in 2007, is rumored to be a candidate for the Chicago Cubs manager’s position.
As the changes continue within the Diamondbacks’ front office and coaching staff, each press release describes the outgoing individual as “well respected in the baseball community”. Given how many of these people are garnering interest, that is not merely an empty compliment.
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