Brian Cashman says Joe Girardi's successor either Aaron Boone or Hensley Meulens

ByANDREW MARCHAND
December 1, 2017, 7:45 PM

— -- NEW YORK -- The next manager of the New York Yankees is expected to be either ESPN analyst Aaron Boone or San Francisco Giants bench coach Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens, according to sources.

Neither Boone nor Meulens have ever managed in the big leagues. Boone has been a broadcaster since retiring, while Meulens has been a hitting coach and was named the Giants' bench coach this winter. He managed the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman said earlier Friday that he will make his recommendation to owner Hal Steinbrenner soon. Steinbrenner had previously said he was reluctant to have a manager with no experience in the job.

Cashman indicated that there would be no further interviews, but it would seem likely that Steinbrenner would want to meet with the final choice or both candidates before giving his approval.

The Yankees interviewed six candidates for the job. Sources said Carlos Beltran was informed he would not be the manager, but the just retired Beltran could be considered for another role in the organization. Rob Thomson, who had been with the Yankees for nearly three decades and most recently was Joe Girardi's bench coach, is expected to move to the Philadelphia Phillies to be Gabe Kapler's bench coach, sources said. Eric Wedge and Chris Woodward were also considered.

Both Boone and Meulens have Yankee backgrounds. Boone, 44, is best known for his American League Championship Series Game 7-winning home run to extend the Red Sox curse in 2003. Meulens was a top prospect with the Yankees, but never amounted into a star in five seasons.

What stands out about Meulens' candidacy is his ability to speak five languages, including some Japanese. Meulens, 50, is from Curacao and is credited with helping fellow countryman Didi Gregorius become a strong major league hitter.

Each candidate interviewed with the Yankees for about five or six hours. During the interviews, the candidates took a break to speak with the media via conference call, allowing Cashman and his lieutenants to gauge how they would fare during press conferences.

During the process, Cashman consulted with former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, but A-Rod was not a candidate.

"I reached out to Alex a number of times, 'Hey, what do you got?' I looked for a lot of guidance from a lot of people that I have a lot of respect for, and Alex knows baseball as well as anybody'' Cashman said. "He never expressed interest in any way, shape or form in it. I engaged him, but -- I don't want to speak for him -- but I don't think he has any interest in that position.''