Twins manager candidates now include Oakland's Hale, Boston's Lovullo

The list of candidates to become the next Twins manager is growing by the day.

The Twins have received permission to interview Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo, the Boston Globe's Nick Carfardo reported Tuesday morning via Twitter.

The Twins have also been granted permission to interview Oakland coach Chip Hale, who spent six major league seasons with the Twins as a player, and reportedly will interview Orioles bench coach John Russell, former manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Twins have already interviewed internal candidates Paul Molitor, a member of the team's coaching staff last season, Doug Mientkiewicz, manager of the team's Class A team at Ft. Myers, and Gene Glynn, AAA manager at Rochester.

The Star Tribune reported Tuesday that Hale is set to interview for the Twins managerial position, according to a source with direct knowledge of their search. The Twins on Monday asked the thletics for permission to speak with Hale, and that permission was granted.

Hale, 49, is a hot commodity and has an interview scheduled for Tuesday with the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team he coached for from 2007 to '09. But indications are that he would love to lead the Twins, the team he was drafted by and played 319 games with from 1989 to 1996.

Hale has been the bench coach for the A's for the past three seasons. Before that, he was the third base coach for the New York Mets.

Lovullo, an infielder during his playing career, interviewed for the Texas Rangers job on Tuesday and was interviewed for the Houston job that went to A.J. Hinch. Orioles bench coach Russell is expected to interview, but the Twins have not officially requested permission to approach him, and his team still is playing in the postseason.

In a recent interview with the Boston Globe, Lovullo said: "My confidence has grown being the bench coach in Boston and understanding what happens in a pretty tough environment, anything from a pretty challenging competitive environment, the AL East, the expectations of the fan base, and a competitive and large media contingent."

So far, Paul Molitor, Doug Mientkiewicz and Gene Glynn are the in-house candidates to be known to have interviewed for the position. Baltimore Orioles bench coach John Russell is expected to interview, but the Twins have not officially requested permission to approach him, and his team still is playing in the postseason.

Hale has been credited for his tremendous attitude and ability to energize players. That could click in the Twins clubhouse, where outgoing manager Ron Gardenhire admitted last week at his exit news conference that a new message might be needed.

Twins General Manager Terry Ryan would not confirm that he will interview Hale. But Ryan indicated that his search will include outside candidates — and it might last for a while.

While the Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers have issued statements about the candidates they are interviewing for their managerial openings, the Twins prefer to keep that information private. However, Ryan said, "There are some people I might have interest in who are still in the playoffs."

How long will the Twins' search take? Possibly through the end the World Series. The Twins have presented a list to Major League Baseball, compliant with the league's directive on minority hiring, and that list includes minority candidates.

"We did this the last time we looked for a manager," Ryan said. "It's not anything out of the ordinary. This is the right thing to do."

That could mean that potential managers such as Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo and Rays bench coach Dave Martinez could be on their list. Before the Twins named Gardenhire manager in 2002, one of the candidates they interviewed was Fredi Gonzalez, who is now manager of the Atlanta Braves.

If the Twins are waiting for candidates who are coaching in the World Series, their search could last until November.