Dodgers News: Dodgers Reportedly To Insert Tim Wallach As Bench Coach

It’s been a slow start to free agency for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but it’s looking like they’re about to name a new bench coach. Third base coach Tim Wallach interviewed for both the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners job, but came away empty-handed.

However, yesterday evening, it was reported that Wallach was emerging as the leading candidate to replace Trey Hillman as Don Mattingly’s bench coach. Today, Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports took things a step further by suggesting the hiring was imminent:

On the subject of coaching staffs, it appears Tim Wallach will become Don Mattingly’s bench coach. Wallach will be a manager somewhere soon.

— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) November 7, 2013

Hillman was the first casualty of the Dodgers off-season as his firing seemed to signal that Mattingly wasn’t long for LA after he took a stand at his season-ending press conference.

Mattingly said that he wouldn’t come back if he just had one year left on his contract, but days later he and his agent backtracked by saying he’d honor the contract in hopes of securing a long-term deal.

A list of candidates for the bench coach job never materialized, but there were rumors about Dusty Baker, Manny Acta and Kevin Long possibly coming aboard Mattingly’s staff. If Wallach does in fact become the bench coach, Triple A Albuquerque manager Lorenzo Bundy seems like a leading choice to replace him as the Dodgers third base coach.

Wallach does have managerial experience at the minor league level and if for some reason Mattingly falters at the start of the season without a multi-year deal, he’d be in a position to possibly take over. The Dodgers are likely to make a decision in the coming days as it’s looking like Wallach will be the choice as bench coach.

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