Last week the Tampa Bay Rays announced the three finalists for the team's manager vacancy. Bench coach Dave Martinez was not one of them. On a better note, Billy Butler thanked Kansas City Royals fans with an ad in the paper.
Martinez served as the bench coach for the Rays under Joe Maddon and was considered the front-runner before the interviewing process. It made sense because he spent seven seasons with the team and had gotten along with Maddon as well as the players he developed relationships with. But president of baseball operations Matt Silverman named Raul Ibanez, Kevin Cash and Don Wakamatsu as the finalists.
As a result, Martinez announced he would be leaving the Rays' organization and he's likely to explore other coaching options. In fact, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports that Chicago Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer will speak with manager Joe Maddon about having Martinez join the coaching staff. Interestingly enough, Martinez interviewed for the Cubs' manager vacancy last season, but was passed up for Rick Renteria who was fired this offseason to make way for Maddon.
The 50-year-old Martinez could potentially join the Cubs' coaching staff and be involved in a similar situation as he was the past seven years with Tampa Bay.
Designated hitter/first baseman Billy Butler also recently left the organization he spent many years with. After his $12.5 million team option was declined by the Kansas City Royals this offseason, Butler signed on with the Oakland Athletics for three years and $30 million. He spent eight seasons in Kansas City and slashed .295/.359/.449 with 127 home runs and 628 RBIs.
The longtime Royal took out a full-page ad in the Thanksgiving edition of the Kansas City Star to thank the fans. Kansas City drafted Butler with the 14th overall pick in the 2004 draft and he helped the team reach the playoffs (and World Series) for the first time since 1985. He wrote:
"When this journey began in 2004, I had no idea how lucky I was to be a part of the Kansas City Royals family. From the very beginning, the Kansas City community and the entire Royals organization treated me and my family with respect, love and class. Thank you to the Glass family, the front office and the entire staff - without each of you I would not have had this fantastic experience and opportunity. Thank you to all my Royals teammates - without you I would not be the person I am today. Most importantly, thank you to all the fans that provided unwavering support for 10 years. The great community of Kansas City also allowed us to be successful off of the field through our Hit-It-A-Ton foundation. For all of these reasons and many more, we are very proud to say we were Kansas City Royals and there will always be a part of us that will #BEROYAL."
Both Martinez and Butler will start new chapters of their career in 2015 after being passed up by their former organizations.
