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Ibanez pulls out of Rays' managerial race; two finalists left

 
Raul Ibanez
Raul Ibanez
Published Dec. 5, 2014

ST. PETERSBURG — And now there are two, the choice for the next Rays manager down to Kevin Cash and Don Wakamatsu, with a decision possible today.

Raul Ibanez, seeking to make an outside-the-box leap from player to manager, instead withdrew from the field for family considerations, the Rays confirmed after the Tampa Bay Times reported it earlier Thursday.

Ibanez said in a statement he was "very appreciative of the opportunity" to be considered, but "at the heart of my decision is my desire to spend more time with my family." Baseball operations president Matt Silverman said the Rays "fully understand and respect" Ibanez's decision and "continue to hold him in high regard."

Ibanez, 42, married with five kids and living in Seattle, notified the Rays last weekend of his intentions; he had been expected to interview Thursday, following Wakamatsu, who was in Tuesday, and Cash.

"We delayed announcing my decision because I did not want it to be a disruption in the Rays' selection process," Ibanez said in the statement. "I have the utmost respect for the organization and am confident they will hire the best-suited person for the position."

That now will be either Cash, the Tampa native who has been the Indians' bullpen coach, or Wakamatsu, the former Mariners manager working most recently as the Royals bench coach. That may well have been the decision anyway.

There are some similarities between the two finalists: both catchers who didn't have much success playing in the majors, both getting strong marks for personal skills, sharp baseball minds and understanding of analytics, both with the perspective of a year as a scout.

But their resumes are vastly different, which makes the decision even more intriguing, framed in a big-picture sense as potential versus experience.

Cash is young, turning 37 Saturday, has never managed and has only two years experience as a coach, but he is considered likely to be a successful manager in the future. The Rays, who did well hiring Joe Maddon in 2006, might be willing to take another chance, knowing Cash may need a season or two to grow into the job.

The Gaither High product played parts of eight seasons in the majors (including a 2005 stint with the Devil Rays) during a 12-year career that ended in 2011, then spent one season as the Blue Jays' advance scout and the past two years a key member of Terry Francona's Cleveland staff.

Wakamatsu, 51, managed two seasons in Seattle, plus four in the minors, and has spent nine seasons as a big-league coach, and is positioned, as Francona and others have, to do better in his second managing job. Given upheaval with the departures of Maddon, executive vice president Andrew Friedman and bench coach Dave Martinez, the Rays might prefer to have an experienced hand help smooth the transition.

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Wakamatsu took over a 101-loss Seattle team and went 85-77 in 2009, but, dealing with the uncomfortable end of Ken Griffey Jr.'s career, had a big drop-off in 2010 and was fired in August with a 42-70 record. He has been a bench coach with the Rangers, A's, Blue Jays and Royals, and spent 2013 as a special assignment scout for the Yankees.

A decision is expected before team officials leave Sunday for the winter meetings in San Diego.

Around the majors

M'S GET POWER-HITTING CRUZ: Seattle signed slugger Nelson Cruz to a four-year deal, reportedly worth $58 million, adding a needed right-handed power hitter. Cruz, 34, led the majors with 40 home runs last season and had 108 RBIs for the Orioles, who signed him to an $8 million, one-year deal. Cruz served a 50-game suspension in 2013 for violations of the major-league drug agreement in relation to the sport's Biogenesis investigation. "I am excited to join the Mariners," Cruz said in a statement. "Watching Seattle play from the other side of the field, I know how close this team is to the postseason." Seattle missed the playoffs by one game last season.

Cubs: The Commission on Chicago Landmarks has approved changes the team made to its Wrigley Field renovation plan in an effort to obtain a possible federal tax credit. Team officials went before the panel to get approval for a plan to move some of the outfield ad signage for which it won city approval in July. The changes could mean the Cubs could receive up to $75 million in tax credits. Wrigley is undergoing a privately funded $575 million renovation.

Rangers: Right-hander Colby Lewis signed a $4 million, one-year deal to stay with the team. The 35-year-old finished strong last season after an unprecedented hip surgery for a pitcher.

Royals: The team completed a $10 million, two-year contract for pitcher Luke Hochevar that includes a mutual option for 2017. It decided to sign the 31-year-old right-hander to a multiyear deal in part because he is coming off Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss last season, and it is unclear just how quickly he will be back to full strength.

Information from Times wires was used in this report. Contact Marc Topkin at mtopkin@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Rays.