Former Indians manager Eric Wedge, who was the Pirates’ first interview for their manager job, is also in the running for the job with the Chicago Cubs. Former Indians and Cubs reliever Joe Borowski has come out in favor of Wedge for the managerial position in Chicago:
“He had a unique way of going about it,” Borowski, who played under Wedge in Cleveland in 2007 and 2008, said Thursday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “He expected the players to police themselves in the clubhouse which I loved. He wasn’t in your face and expecting you to do this, that and the other thing. He expected you to take care of yourself and if you didn’t then he would get involved. He wasn’t a big meeting guy. He picked and choosed his spots at the right time.”
The Pirates have interviewed lots of candidates, but I suspect – and this is completely unsubstantiated on my part, so feel free to take it with a grain of salt – that he’s the Bucs’ first choice. He interviewed first and has very recent big-league managerial experience, and Pirates general manager Neal Huntington used to work for the Indians. The Pirates are taking their time and being deliberative about hiring a new manager, but I’m sure they have an eye on what’s going on in Chicago.