Giants Reportedly Interested in Former Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny for Vacancy

The San Francisco Giants have kicked their search to find a replacement for the now-departed Bruce Bochy into high gear, and they have their eye trained on a former St. Louis Cardinal to fill the void.

Mike Matheny, who hasn't managed since being fired by St. Louis midway through the 2018 season, is considered one of the top candidates for the vacant Giants managerial position.

Matheny, a former journeyman catcher in his playing days, was named Cardinals manager in 2012, and helmed them until he was replaced by Mike Shildt in 2018.

Though his strategic limitations were evident, Matheny won 55% of his games, including an NL pennant in 2013. After being pushed aside by the Red Sox in that World Series, Matheny's Cardinals took a major dive. While he won the division twice, he won just five playoff games from 2014 onward, which included three straight years of missing the postseason. He was a 21-22 manager in postseason baseball.

It's a bit of a surprise that Matheny's name came up in San Francisco's search, as many consider him the frontrunner for the job with the Kansas City Royals.

Matheny may not be the sexiest hire in the world, but he makes sense if San Francisco is adamant on getting someone with prior managing experience, as well as avoiding internal promotions.