The Opener: Mariners’ Managerial Search, Astros’ GM Search, Trade Candidates

The offseason continues. Expect to see a host of option and 40-man roster decisions as teams try to duck under the limit before this coming Monday, November 2nd. At that point, all option decisions will need to be made, and all players on the 60-day injured list will need to be reinstated or otherwise removed from the roster. Free agency will begin at 4:00pm CT that day. 1. Mariners finalizing their managerial search Former Astros skipper Joe Espada and current Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler are the finalists for the Mariners’ managerial opening. Espada and Kanzler have now completed their in-person interviews. According to MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer, the team plans to choose a skipper this weekend (perhaps as early as today) before having an introductory press conference early next week. Once that’s done and the new manager finalizes their coaching staff, Seattle will look to upgrade their bullpen among other areas while potentially dealing from their rotation depth. Interested readers can check out our Offseason Outlook entry on the Mariners here (Front Office subscription required). 2. Astros’ GM search continues The Astros got a pair of option decisions yesterday, with Tatsuya Imai declining to opt out and the club declining their option on righty Ryan Weiss. Larger moves will come once Houston chooses a new baseball operations leader. It was reported yesterday that Brewers assistant general manager Matt Kleine is Houston’s top choice for the GM vacancy. Kleine, who has 19 years of experience in Milwaukee’s front office, would fit Astros owner Jim Crane’s apparent preference for an executive from a successful low-payroll club. Although a deal hasn’t been finalized, Houston will ideally have a GM in place by Monday so they are ready for the start of free agency. 3. MLBTR’s Top 40 Trade Candidates MLBTR has published our list of the offseason’s Top 40 Trade Candidates. Reid Detmers and Drew Rasmussen are the headliners, while six infielders, including Zach Neto and Ketel Marte, are included in the top 10. While free agency doesn’t start until Monday, trades are fair game right now. With a weak free agent class and a lockout looming over the offseason, teams may be more incentivized to seek upgrades early on the trade market. Interested readers are encouraged to check out the full list of trade candidates here. Photo courtesy of Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images View Comments (1)