CHICAGO -- With Joe Girardi now off the market, San Diego Padres bench coach Rick Renteria likely will meet with the Chicago Cubs next week to discuss the team's open managerial position, league sources confirmed.
Girardi agreed to a four-year contract Wednesday to remain the Yankees' skipper. His contract had been set to expire at the end of October.
The Cubs spent seven hours with ESPN analyst and former Washington Nationals and Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta on Monday. They also talked with San Diego Padres executive A.J. Hinch recently. Sources say the list of potential candidates could grow now that Girardi is out of the mix. Some reports have indicated Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. could be on that list, as well.
The Cubs fired Dale Sveum the day after the season ended and said they would look first to candidates with managerial experience but stressed that first-time managers would be included as possibilities if they had "great leadership" skills with an emphasis on being able to teach and develop young players.
Renteria, 51, played in the majors from 1986 to 1994 while coaching in the minors and then majors since he retired. He managed the Mexican national team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. The Cubs haven't put a timetable on hiring a new manager but said it would get done before the general manager meetings in November.