The Cleveland Indians have announced the hiring of Manny Acta as their next manager.
Acta is alleged to have been a finalist for the Manager's job with the Houston Astros as well as the Indians.
Acta signed a three year contract with The Tribe.
Manny Acta inherits a club that is in transition after trading many of their marquee players this past season including former Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee and talented catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez. Both Lee and Martinez had outstanding second halves with Philadelphia and Boston respectively.
Acta has experience managing young players, as he served as the Manager of the Washington Nationals until he was replaced by Jim Riggleman. Some felt Acta was rather passive in his approach to his club in Washington. To be fair, he had a mixture of veterans and young players that probably didn't all respond to his leadership. In my encounter with Acta while his Nationals were in Phoenix to play the Diamondbacks, he seemed like a very intelligent, affable man who had gained the respect of his players. Sometimes changes are made to perk up fan interest or generate a change in environment. That may have been the case in Washington.
Houston had expressed interest in Acta and it may have come down to the length of contract that separated the two clubs at the 11th hour.
Former Manager Bobby Valentine and Indians Columbus Clippers AAA Manager Torey Lovullo had also completed second interviews in Cleveland for the job. Los Angeles Dodgers coach Don Mattingly may have also been scheduled for an interview, but the Indians made the decision last night before Mattingly had the opportunity to meet with the club. It's possible the Houston interest in Acta nudged the Tribe to a quicker decision then they would have preferred.
Acta will take over a club that will be auditioning pitchers during spring training. They made a number of moves last season to add pitching depth for both the starting rotation and the bullpen. The jury remains "out" on the wisdom or total yield on their multiple deals. Pitcher Jake Westbrook is set to return to the rotation after a year in rehab for arm surgery. Fausto Carmona, seen by many as a great arm that could help the rotation has to recover from a season of further decline. Compounding Acta's issues will be transition in the outfield with rookie prospect Michael Brantley and at first base with top prospect Matt LaPorta. Catching may be another challenge with Martinez now smacking the ball around at Fenway Park.
Acta may have the perfect combination of experience, temperament and personality to lead the Indians in the transition. Fans will have to be patient once again as the front office tries to rebuild with a limited budget in a division that really doesn't have the type of juggernaut team that is prominent in the American League East.