Kevin Cash no longer an option for Guardians

One rumored name can be taken off the list of potential successors to Terry Francona in Cleveland. Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash.

When Cash was asked about the speculation involving the open manager position in Cleveland, he would say that he is happy in Tampa and that he looks forward to next year. Cash was caught off guard by the level of speculation involving him and the Guardians' job, stating that he was not aware of the post by Peter Gammons. Gammons had also made an appearance on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland that day, which only fueled the rumor further.

It was always going to be a bit of a long shot to get Cash away from Tampa. There is a very likely possibility that Cash will remain with the Rays through 2025, with that final year being a team option. It is also noted that the Rays could look to extend Cash after the year, bypassing the 2025 option entirely. Cash has been very successful since taking over as the Rays' manager, winning 61.1% of games managed, winning the American League East twice, in addition to making one World Series appearance.

Cash returning to Cleveland would have been a nice story, but it was not to be. At least not at the present moment. Unless contract talks die completely or the Rays' front office reverses course about how they want to continue with him as manager, Cleveland will have to look elsewhere for their next manager.

The Guardians will now have to turn to other options. These potentially include Yankees' Carlos Mendoza, Giants' Craig Albernaz, and Rangers' Will Venable. Expect those in charge of finding the next manager of the Guardians to explore every possible option available to them. Someone with previous managerial experience would be nice, but it appears very possible that they go down the route of someone yet to manage in the major leagues.