Last season the Los Angeles Dodgers went the entire year without manager Dave Roberts having a contract that extended beyond 2019. However, he and the club maintained it was merely a matter of finalizing details and negotiations were tabled in effort to keep the focus on the season.
Sure enough, Roberts inked a four-year contract last December. While it brought about job security, there were questions over whether the Dodgers would dismiss Roberts after a disappointing exit in the postseason.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman put any speculation to rest by announcing Roberts would return next season, but he couldn’t speak with such certainty about the Dodgers coaching staff.
Namely bench coach Bob Geren, who had emerged as a potential candidate for the numerous manager openings. According to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, Geren interviewed with the San Francisco Giants:
A little news on #sfgiants manager search front: the club did in fact interview Dodgers bench coach and former A’s manager Bob Geren. It’s unclear whether he or anyone else has advanced to the final stage along with Joe Espada and Gabe Kapler.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) October 29, 2019
Rumblings that Geren was a point of interest for the Giants initially surfaced in late September. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi previously worked with Geren when both were with the Oakland Athletics and Dodgers.
Geren was with the A’s organization for 13 years, including four seasons as a Minor League manager. He joined Oakland’s Major League staff as a bullpen coach in 2003, then was promoted to bench coach three years later.
The Athletics named Geren manager in 2007, and guided the team to a 334-376 record (.470 winning percentage) over parts of four seasons. Oakland’s best showing under Geren was an 81-81 record and second place finish in the American League West in 2010.
He was fired 63 games into the 2011 campaign. Geren’s tenure in Oakland was said to have come undone due to poor relationships with players. However, that’s not been an issue in L.A., as Roberts, front office personnel and players have raved about his input and knowledge.
Prior to joining L.A., Geren spent four seasons as bench coach for the New York Mets. He reportedly was a candidate for the Mets’ managerial position after the 2017 season.
In addition to Geren, Zaidi has turned to a familiar face in Gabe Kapler, who was fired by the Philadelphia Phillies after two seasons at the helm.
