Eight possible candidates to manage the Tigers

Here are some possible candidates to manage the Detroit Tigers in 2018:

1. Alex Cora, Astros bench coach: Hasn’t managed, but is considered a sure bet to head a big-league team. He was a long-time big-league infielder, he played at the University of Miami, he has been an ESPN analyst, and he has been working as A.J. Hinch’s co-pilot with the Astros.

2. Dave Martinez, Cubs bench coach: Regularly mentioned as a next-in-line hire when a manager’s job opens, Martinez, who next week turns 53, is a bright guy with a long big-league dossier, and the cachet that comes with being Joe Maddon’s bench coach.

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3. Bo Porter, Braves special assistant: Porter managed the Astros at the wrong time — as they were rebuilding — and was fired in 2014, soon to be replaced by A.J. Hinch. Porter had earlier been bench coach under Kirk Gibson with the Diamondbacks after Gibson replaced Hinch, who’d been fired. Porter is fiery and only 45.

4. Eddie Perez, Braves first-base coach: Perez has played in the big leagues, coached in the minors and in the big leagues, and managed in winter baseball. A one-time personal catcher for Greg Maddux, Perez is highly respected and could steal an interview if the Tigers bring him in.

5. Ozzie Guillen, former Marlins and White Sox skipper: This would be your wild-card pick, emphasis on wild. Guillen’s a handful. He talks, he rants, he thunders. He also knows managing. It’s doubtful the Tigers will want his style or flammability in Detroit, and fans for sure are polarized. But he’s available. And he’d give a low-key rebuilding program some pure fury.

6. DeMarlo Hale, Blue Jays bench coach: He has managed in the minors, was a Red Sox bench coach, and has worked at Toronto next to John Gibbons. Hale’s been interviewed plenty and has come close.

7. Jose Oquendo, Cardinals special assistant: He has coached with the Cardinals and managed the Puerto Rican team in a pair of World Baseball Classics.

8. Brandon Hyde: Cubs first base coach: Another of the Maddon gang, Hyde’s advantage is he has minor-league managerial experience. He was a coach in the Marlins system and has also worked as the Cubs’ director of player development.

lynn.henning@detroitnews.com

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