Paul Molitor on Tuesday will meet again with Twins General Manager Terry Ryan about their managerial opening, according to a person with knowledge of the Twins' search.
It will mark the third time that a Twins-Molitor meeting has been known to have taken place since the club fired Ron Gardenhire on Sept. 29. Ryan and Molitor spoke that day, then met again two days later.
It's not clear if Molitor will be offered the job Tuesday, or if the Twins have narrowed their search that far. But the fact that Molitor — a Hall of Fame player from St. Paul who has worked for the Twins since 2005, including as a coach this past season — is getting multiple interviews reflects that he's a serious contender to be Gardenhire's successor.
Ryan, when reached Monday, would not confirm his meeting with Molitor. But he said the search is ongoing.
"I didn't think we would hire anybody before the World Series," Ryan said.
With the World Series starting Tuesday, Major League Baseball frowns on clubs making important announcements while games are played. Ryan would have to receive special permission from MLB to present his new manager, and that likely would be only for a World Series off day.
The first off day is Thursday, so if the Twins don't land a manager by then, the search could go on into next week.
The Twins have spoken with several candidates from around baseball, including Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo, White Sox third base coach Joe McEwing, Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. and Blue Jays bench coach DeMarlo Hale. They also interviewed former Athletics bench coach Chip Hale, but the former Twins infielder was named Diamondbacks manager last week.
The known in-house candidates they have spoken to are Molitor, Class AAA Rochester manager Gene Glynn and Class A Fort Myers manager Doug Mientkiewicz.
With job openings filled in Arizona (Chip Hale) and Texas (Jeff Bannister) last week, the Twins opening is the only major league managerial job available.
"I've always thought we were in a good spot," Ryan said. "I'm not bragging, but I've always felt that this was an attractive job, regardless of what happened with the Diamondbacks and Rangers.''
