The Pirates have received permission to talk to Rangers hitting coach Clint Hurdle, Jen Langosch reports. Hurdle was the manager of the Rockies throughout most of the last decade until he was replaced by the worst manager ever (Jim Tracy), who promptly outperformed him (for whatever that’s worth). The Pirates were unable to speak to Hurdle before now, obviously, because his team was in the World Series.
Meanwhile, Bo Porter, who the Pirates have already interviewed for the job, has accepted a job as the third base coach of the Washington Nationals. Of the many candidates the Pirates have interviewed, the only ones who appear to still be in the running are Carlos Tosca and Jeff Banister.