Tigers manager search: Brad Ausmus, Rick Renteria set to interview

A pair of San Diego Padres, Brad Ausmus and Rick Renteria, are set to interview for the Tigers' manager position, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reported on Sunday night. Current Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon and current Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach have already interviewed.

MLive reported on Sunday night that Ausmus had arrived in Detroit for his interview.

Ausmus has been a popular pick among fans and has interviewed for several managers positions in recent years, most recently with the Nationals this month. A former Tigers player, Ausmus' drawback is a lack of managerial experience. He managed the Israeli team in the World Baseball Classic but has little experience otherwise. He is currently serving as a special assistant in the Padres' front office. In an interview last week, Dombrowski didn't disqualify candidates without managerial experience, but he did note it would be helpful.

Renteria -- whose nickname would have to be "Not Edgar" -- serves as the bench coach for the Padres. He has also interviewed with the Cubs and has been tabbed the frontrunner for the job. Renteria managed Mexico at the WBC and has four years of minor-league manager experience in the Padres organization and four more with the Marlins.

Wallach interviewed with the Tigers on Friday, telling the Detroit News afterward it's "as good an opportunity as you could possibly ask for" and speaking of his philosophy:

"I am who I am," he said. "I handle things the way I think they need to be handled. I would say I communicate well. I'm honest. One thing I know, if you're not honest with your players, it's not gonna work out very well. First and foremost, communicate with them and tell them the truth.

"Guys may not like the truth at the time, but they certainly appreciate that."

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