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Dodgers Rumors: Ownership Asked Andrew Friedman To Look Beyond Gabe Kapler

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday brought more news of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ list of interviews for their managerial vacancy growing. A process that began with Dodgers director of player development Gabe Kapler viewed as the favorite, now has San Diego Padres bench coach Dave Roberts reportedly in the lead.

Believed to be included in the mix are former Padres manager Bud Black, Dodgers coaches Ron Roenicke and Tim Wallach, former Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson, New York Mets bench coach Bob Geren and University of Nebraska head coach Darin Erstad.

The vast group of candidates supports Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman’s assertion the organization would cast a wide net in their search for Don Mattingly’s replacement.

However, according to Bill Plaschke of the LA Times, it was at the urging of Dodgers ownership that Friedman didn’t tab Kapler as the club’s next manager:

Apparently Friedman’s group was initially ready to anoint minor league boss Gabe Kapler as their dugout conduit. He is someone they know, someone they trust, and someone who thinks enough like them to transfer their ideas directly to the field. But then Dodgers ownership, while supportive of Kapler, asked them to consider other candidates who might be a better mix of numbers and human nature. The owners are smartly concerned about their dugout being run by a Friedman clone. They are, instead, hoping to find somebody who could complement the boss, taking Friedman’s smart ideas and turning them into the sort of scrapping baseball wins that the Dodgers couldn’t find under Mattingly.

Kapler, 40, played outfield for parts of 12 Major League seasons before retiring in 2011. He was a baseball analyst for FOX Sports prior to being hired by the Dodgers in November 2014.

Kapler’s previous experience includes managing the Boston Red Sox’ Single-A affiliate in 2007 and coaching Israeli national team at the World Baseball Classic in 2012. He’s never managed in the Majors.

With the Dodgers’ search continuing to add layers by the day, Friedman previously remarked he hopes to have a manger in place prior to the Winter Meetings beginning Dec. 7 in Nashville, Tenn.

Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com