After conducting end-of-season exit interviews with coaches on Tuesday, the Cubs confirmed that bench coach Mark Loretta will interview for the club’s manager vacancy, along with first base coach Will Venable.
A third in-house candidate, front office special assistant David Ross, was confirmed Monday and widely believed to be a favorite for the job.
If there is an early co-favorite, it would seem to be Loretta, who was hired to the staff in January after nine years as a special assistant in the Padres front office – and about eight weeks after team president Theo Epstein tabled talk of an extension for Joe Maddon until the end of the season.