The Giants will have a vacancy in the dugout at the end of the season, and they reportedly already have name in mind as part of an extensive interview process.
San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy will retire when the 2019 campaign ends, and the Giants then will begin in earnest searching for just their fourth manager this century. The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly told KNBR's Larry Krueger on Wednesday that the Giants "are going to bring in a lot of different candidates," and one of them could be 19-year MLB veteran Raúl Ibañez.
"[Ibañez] is somebody who is really positive, connects with players very well, he's special assistant in the Dodgers system right now." Baggarly told Krueger on Wednesday (H/T KNBR.com). "[Ibañez] is somebody who is really positive, connects with players very well, he's special assistant in the Dodgers system right now. He is another name that I've heard that will probably be part of an interview process when it gets to that stage."
Ibañez has been in the Dodgers' front office since Feb. 2016 and worked as a special assistant to current Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. Jon Heyman reported last October that Ibañez turned down interviews for managerial opportunities last offseason, and the New York Yankees reportedly wanted to interview Ibañez before hiring Aaron Boone in 2017.
No matter who the Giants hire to replace Bochy, Baggarly said that chemistry with Zaidi will be important. But connecting with players will be an even bigger qualification, he said.
"Because we know that's important when you do things a little bit differently and maybe you have guys going up and down from the minor leagues or being used in different roles than they're accustomed to," Baggarly said. "That is so important, and Bruce Bochy has done a good job in that this year and I think that whoever replaces him that is probably going to be the most important thing that he brings to the table."
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Whether it's Ibañez or another candidate, Bochy's eventual successor will follow what is the most successful managerial stint since the franchise moved to San Francisco. Bochy has won more games than any other in the team's Bay Area era and more World Series than all but five managers in MLB history.
