Major League Baseball

Hurdle back on Mets' managerial radar

Published Nov. 9, 2010 11:05 p.m. ET

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Two decades ago, Clint Hurdle was considered the New York Mets manager of the future.

Gerry Hunsicker, the Mets farm director when Hurdle managed in the organization’s minor-league system, just didn’t realize how far into the future that opportunity could present itself.

Hunsicker left the Mets following the 1992 season to become the general manager of the Houston Astros. Steve Phillips took over the farm system leadership, and a year later, not only was Hurdle overlooked in favor of Dallas Green when the Mets fired Jeff Torborg during the 1993 season, but at season’s end Phillips fired Hurdle as a minor-league manager.

Hunsicker is now a special adviser in Tampa Bay.

Hurdle, after 18-plus seasons in the Colorado organization as a minor-league hitting instructor, big-league hitting coach and then the manager who took the franchise to its only World Series appearance in 2007, just finished his first year as hitting coach in Texas, where he enjoyed a return to the World Series this fall.

Now, Hurdle is heading to New York to interview for — that’s right — the Mets managerial job that he was ordained as the perfect candidate to fill two decades ago. Hurdle and recently hired general manager Sandy Alderson will get together Wednesday morning. Hurdle also flew to Pittsburgh last week and interviewed for the vacant Pirates managerial job.

Word out of Pittsburgh is that Hurdle and Pirates bench coach Jeff Bannister are the two remaining candidates for that job, but the Pirates have yet to offer either man the job, which opens the door for the Mets to approach Hurdle.

The Mets, meanwhile, are only in the initial stages in their managerial hunt. Alderson has met with internal candidates, including former Mets second baseman Wally Backman, who was actually hired to manage Arizona for four days in 2004 before an assortment of withheld personal issues surfaced and his job offer was withdrawn.

Backman managed the Mets' rookie-level team in Brooklyn to a 51-24 record last summer, but would seem more likely to wind up on the Mets’ coaching staff than as skipper. Other in-house candidates interviewed already include third base coach Chip Hale, bench coach Dave Jauss, former Astros/Angels manager Terry Collins (currently the Mets' minor-league coordinator) and former Mariners/Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin (currently a scout with the Mets).

All of them, however, are holdovers from the previous administration, which means Alderson has no particular bonds to them.

Hurdle, Don Wakamatsu (fired as Seattle manager in mid-2010) and Boston third base coach DeMarlo Hale are outsiders the Mets are considering for the job.

Hurdle stands out among the candidates in that he not only oversaw the building of the Rockies' current foundation, but also managed them into the World Series.

Hurdle played for the Mets in parts of the 1983, 1985 and 1987 seasons before retiring and taking the managerial job in the Mets farm system, and is a popular figure with the New York media from his playing days.

The biggest question is whether he would be too strong of a personality for the organization. Alderson has been very consistent over the years in his belief that managers should be considered at a mid-management level and have been given too much attention and too much authority by most big-league teams.

OVERHEARD

Japanese right-hander Hiroki Kuroda, granted free agency as a part of the three-year deal he signed with the Dodgers when he came over from Japan, is weighing the possibility of returning home, where the Hiroshima Carp have offered him a contract. In the last week, however, there have been indications from his representatives that Kuroda would prefer to sign with a major-league team.

After earning $15 million in 2010, Kuroda will have to take a sizeable cut, but even the Carp officials admit they can’t afford to match offers they expect Kuroda to receive from big-league teams. He did win 11 games, his first year in double figures, while compiling a 3.39 ERA in 196 innings with the Dodgers last year.

The Dodgers do have some challenges this offseason. They have six players signed for $49.617 million, and will pay $15.1 million to four players who won’t be with them this year — Manny Ramirez will pick up $8.3 million each of next three seasons thanks to deferred salary; Andruw Jones has $3.2 million coming annually through 2014; Scott Podsednik had a $100,000 buyout on his 2011 options, and Juan Pierre still has $3.5 million coming from the Dodgers for another year.

So that’s more than $65.5 million already committed by a franchise still reeling from ongoing divorce of owner Frank McCourt. And they still need two starting pitchers, a left fielder and third baseman and possibly a catcher. Russell Martin, who was paid $5.05 million in 2010, is arbitration eligible, which could push him past the Dodgers' comfort zone.

Minnesota faces a major rebuilding of its bullpen. Four of the seven Twins relievers who appeared in the postseason — Jesse Crain, Brian Fuentes, Matt Guerrier and Jon Rauch — are all free agents. Lefties Ron Mahay and Randy Flores also filed to test the open market.

ADD IT UP

THREE 20-game winners in 2010 — Phillies right-hander Roy Halladay and Yankees lefty CC Sabathia both won 21 apiece, while Cardinals righty Adam Wainwright won 20. That’s the second-most 20-game winners in a season in the majors over the past five seasons. In 2009, Cliff Lee and Brandon Webb won 22 apiece, and Mike Mussina and Halladay won 21 apiece. No pitcher won 20 games in 2009 or 2006. Josh Beckett of Boston, with 20 wins, was the only 20-game winner in 2007.

ONE free agent with the Chicago Cubs (outfielder Xavier Nady) and Pittsburgh Pirates (right-handed pitcher Chan Ho Park). First baseman Derrek Lee was in the last year of his Chicago contract in 2010, but the Cubs dealt him to Atlanta in August after failing to get Lee’s approval for a trade to the Angels. Cleveland does not have a player who filed.

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