Major League Baseball

La Russa meets with Beinfest, lines up other GM candidates

Published Sep. 10, 2014 5:24 p.m. ET

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PHOENIX — The Diamondbacks are casting a wide net for the first general manager of the Tony La Russa era.

Several new candidates have emerged since La Russa began the interview process last weekend, including former major-league general managers Larry Beinfest, Allard Baird and Tim Purpura, and Texas assistant general manager Thad Levine, according to sources.

— Beinfest ran Miami's baseball operations from 2002-13, winning a World Series in 2003. He had the first interview for the vacant San Diego job after Josh Byrnes was fired in late June. The Padres hired J.D. Preller.

Beinfest met with La Russa in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday after La Russa called to arrange a meeting Friday, the day Towers was removed as GM and offered another job within the front office. The Marlins and Cardinals share a spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla., and La Russa and Beinfest are passing acquaintances from their time there.

Beinfest, who spent the previous 24 years in baseball, gained experience working on a tight budget in Miami. He looks forward to a return to the game, although the year off gave him a chance to make a cross-country summer trip with his family that included a stop at the College World Series and a visit to Alaska's Denali National Park.

— Baird was Kansas City's GM from 2000-06 and has worked in Boston's baseball operations department since leaving the Royals in May 2006. He is the Red Sox's vice president of player personnel.

— Purpura was Houston's GM from 2005-07. The Astros won their only NL pennant, advancing to their only World Series in his first season. He is the senior director of player development with the Texas Rangers. He also has served as the CEO of Minor League Baseball and was one of the founding directors of the hugely successful Arizona Fall League.

— Levine is in his ninth season as the Rangers' assistant GM. He also has worked with the Los Angeles Dodgers and with Colorado. Levine and former D-backs GM Byrnes were teammates on the Haverford College baseball team in 1992, and Byrnes hired Levine at Colorado after taking a job there in 1999.

— De Jon Watson, a candidate for the D-backs' job when Towers was hired in September 2010, also has been granted permission to speak to the D-backs this time around.

La Russa named player agent and longtime major leaguer Dave Stewart, St. Louis player personnel director Gary LaRocque, D-backs scouting director Ray Montgomery, New York Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler and Los Angeles Angles director of pro scouting Hal Morris as candidates Friday, when the organizational restructuring was announced.

The D-backs would like to fast-track the process if possible, with the new GM in place by the end of the regular season. The new GM will have a say in the future of manager Kirk Gibson, who is under contract for another season after signing an extension before spring training.

The D-backs are expected to be active in the trade and free-agent markets this offseason, and want their front-office team in place as soon as possible. La Russa said he would like to place more of an emphasis on analytics but also said that person could be in addition to the new GM.

La Russa is expected to identify a short list of two or three candidates before making recommendations to president/CEO Derrick Hall and managing partner Ken Kendrick.

The D-backs' season ends Sept. 28.

Follow Jack Magruder on Twitter

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