SF Giants have interviewed another internal candidate for managerial opening

The list of candidates for the SF Giants managerial opening is beginning to take shape. According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the Giants have interviewed bench coach and interim manager Kai Correa for the vacancy.

SF Giants have interviewed another internal candidate for managerial opening

This is the second confirmed person to have interviewed for the position. The other being third base coach Mark Hallberg. Hallberg is considered a favorite among the internal candidates, but that could change depending on how the remaining interviews go.

The Giants' farm director, Kyle Haines, was thought to be a candidate for the position as well, but it is not yet known if that interview is scheduled. For the time being, Correa and Hallberg are the first two people to interview and the expectation is that a familiar name will receive serious consideration, too.

Gabe Kapler hired Correa to be the team's bench coach and infield instructor prior to the 2020 season. It was an interesting hire at the time given that Correa had limited coaching experience prior to joining San Francisco. He had previously worked with the Cleveland Guardians as an infield coach and defensive coordinator in the lower minors.

Though, many of Kapler's hires were light on coaching experience, so the addition of Correa was not out of the norm. It is hard to know where a coach's influence begins and ends, but it was notable that players like Thairo Estrada and J.D. Davis showed considerable improvement at second base and third base, respectively, in 2023. Was that a result of Correa's work behind the scenes? It is hard to know exactly, but infield defense was an area he oversaw.

Of course, Giants fans became a little more familiar with Correa once Kapler was dismissed in the final week of the season. Correa was named the interim manager and went 1-2 against the Los Angeles Dodgers to finish out the season.

The front office has stated its desire to have a new manager in place by the start of free agency, which occurs after the end of the World Series. Though, they may need to wait a bit longer if any of their prospective candidates are still in the playoffs.