UPDATE (Nov. 4, 11:05 a.m. PT): According to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times, former Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson interviewed last week for the Los Angeles Dodgers managerial vacancy:
Kirk Gibson interviewed last week for the #Dodgers' vacant managerial position. Gibson's candidacy was first reported by @JimBowden_ESPN.
— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) November 4, 2015
Aside from players officially becoming free agents this week either by way of expiring contracts or player or club options exercised, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ managerial search has been among the more intriguing storylines during the first week of the Major League Baseball offseason.
Dodgers director of player development Gabe Kapler jumped out to an early lead as the perceived favorite to replace Don Mattingly, but that now may be San Diego Padres bench coach Dave Roberts.
With that, the Dodgers nonetheless continue to push forward in their managerial search. According to ESPN’s Jim Bowden, that includes interviewing 1988 World Series hero Kirk Gibson:
Dodgers are going to interview Kirk Gibson for the Manager opening according to club sources. Gibson was NL MGR… https://t.co/YPATGUFzsz
— Jim Bowden (@JimBowden_ESPN) November 4, 2015
Gibson, 58, was given his first opportunity to manage in 2010, when he was named the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The tenure had its ups and downs, with Gibson ultimately being let go at the end of the 2014 season after a 64-98 year.
During his time with the Diamondbacks, Gibson won the National League Manager of the Year Award in 2011 after leading the franchise to 94 wins. The Diamondbacks made the playoffs in 2011, though were eliminated in Game 5 of the NL Division Series by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Gibson’s tenure with the Diamondbacks has also included tense moments with the Dodgers. There was the benches-clearing brawl in June 2013, then the Dodgers’ celebration of their NL West division title that spilled into the pool at Chase Field.
On a more serious note, it was announced in April that Gibson had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and took a leave of absence from the Fox Sports Detroit booth. The 1988 NL MVP returned to as an analyst for Detroit Tigers games in July.
Gibson joins a long list of candidates and faces the uphill battle of not necessarily appearing to be the best fit with the Dodgers’ front office.
