The first round of managerial interviews has been wrapped up, and Kat O'Brien says the Rangers could have a decision made by early next week.
Evan Grant also has a piece on the status of the interviews, but really, there's not much new ground to be covered here...Daniels is being pretty tight-lipped, and Hillman and Wakamatsu still appear to be the frontrunners.
Lots of teams apparently very interested in Gary Matthews, Jr. The Chicago Tribune talks about Matthews being a target of both the ChiSox and the Cubs, while the L.A. Times touches on the Angels strong interest in GMJ.
And the Denver Post is reporting that the Rockies have contacted GMJ's agent to get a feeling for contract parameters.
Ken Rosenthal's latest notes column has this comment on the Rangers' free agents:
The Rangers, who finished 80-82 last season, could spend the off-season scrambling to put together a comparable club. Their nine free agents include left fielder Carlos Lee, center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. and infielder/outfielder Mark DeRosa, along with right-handed starters Vicente Padilla and Adam Eaton. Matthews and DeRosa, coming off breakout seasons, are the types of free agents who typically get overpaid ...
Something to keep in mind...
Rosenthal's column also has several paragraphs on Trey Hillman, with an anonymous executive praising Hillman's communication skills, saying that players will find it hard to dislike Hillman, and his willingness to cooperate and be part of a team, rather than taking a "my way or the highway" approach...