TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays may have moved another step closer toward naming a new manager, with reports out of Boston indicating they were down to three candidates.
Bench coach DeMarlo Hale and pitching coach John Farrell, both of the Red Sox, and Cleveland first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., are the remaining finalists to replace Cito Gaston according to Comcast SportsNet New England. Other Boston-area outlets later reported the same thing.
But multiple sources with knowledge of the process could not confirm that, with conflicting views of whether Blue Jays third base coach Brian Butterfield has been eliminated or not.
The status of Los Angeles Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke, San Diego Padres bench coach Rick Renteria and Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin could also not be confirmed.
One person definitely out of the running is Blue Jays bench coach Nick Leyva, who said Wednesday he was recently "eliminated" by general manager Alex Anthopoulos.
Leyva added that he's hoping whoever ends up the new manager will consider him for his staff.
"I've been a manager, I've been an infield guy, I've been a bench guy, I can do a lot of things," Leyva said in a brief interview. "With my versatility and knowledge of the organization I can help whoever the new guy is.
"But I understand that any new guy will want to surround himself with his own people."
One source suggested a new manager could be chosen by week's end in order to give him time to assemble a coaching staff in time for a possible announcement next week.
But all that is speculative as Anthopoulos continues to operate in total radio silence, unwilling to issue any specific information on where his process is at.
If Hale, Farrell and Alomar are indeed the final three, they each bring something different to the table.
Hale has the most managing experience of the trio, having led teams at several different levels of the Red Sox organization for seven years, plus two more with Oklahoma, Texas' triple-A club.
He joined the Rangers' big-league staff in 2002 and after four seasons as their first base and outfield coach, joined the Red Sox in 2006 as their third base coach. The 49-year-old was named bench coach last year.
Farrell, 48, has been Boston's pitching coach since 2007, coming over from Cleveland after five years as the Indians' director of player of development. His time with the Tribe would have included a year of crossover in 2002 with Tony LaCava, now the Blue Jays' assistant GM.
Alomar, the older brother of former Blue Jays second baseman Roberto Alomar, is a former all-star catcher with Cleveland who just finished his first season as first base coach with the Indians. The 44-year-old spent the previous two years as the big-league catching instructor for the Mets after retiring at the end of the 2007 season.
Butterfield, 52, has been a coach with the Blue Jays since 2002, serving under managers Carlos Tosca, John Gibbons and Gaston. He'd be a popular pick with the team's players as manager, but will have some other job options if he is passed up, particularly in Baltimore, where close friend Buck Showalter is the manager.
Meanwhile, Dana Brown, a special assistant to Anthopoulos, interviewed with the Mets about their vacant GM position.
Brown came over to the Blue Jays from Washington last year.
