Could Kevin Cash be on his way out of Tampa Bay?
The Rays manager, who led the team to 99 wins this year and a wild card berth, could be a fit for the Cleveland Guardians according to longtime MLB Insider Peter Gammons.
Gammons made the comments on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland on Friday:
.@pgammo on @afternoon923FAN on the possibility of #Rays manager Kevin Cash leaving:
"It's something people there worry about. He loved Cleveland. He loved Tito. I know the Rays are a little concerned about it. It's an intriguing thought."
That doesn't imply that the Guardians have reached out or that Cash has interest, but the job is open since Terry Francona officially retired this week. The fact that Rays people are worried signifies there's likely some reason to be worried.
Now, Cash is from Tampa, so it likely would take a lot to get him to leave his hometown. But he has coached in Cleveland, spending time on Francona's staff as the bullpen coach. The American League Central is also immeasurably easier than the American League East and Cash might be swayed by the idea of winning a division title rather than running the Eastern Division gauntlet every year.
While the Guardians don't operate with huge resources, they do operate under a bigger budget than the Rays, which could be appealing as well.
Lifetime, Cash is 739-617 as a manager. He's managed the Rays since 2015 and has taken them to the playoffs five times, including the 2020 World Series, where they lost to the Dodgers.
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