Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti sidestepped the Joe Torre question Tuesday, but on Wednesday he admitted to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that there is "mutual interest" between the team and the former Yankees manager.
Experience on Resume
Grady Little has his share of wins in the regular season for his short managerial career, but Joe Torre (right) knows the playoffs.
| Seasons | 4 | 26 |
| Reg. season Win Pct. | .552 | .539 |
| Playoff Seasons | 2 | 13 |
| Playoff Win Pct. | .400 | .603 |
Colletti told Stark that the Dodgers and Torre are "in the early stages of getting to know each other."
Grady Little resigned Tuesday as Dodgers manager after two seasons.
Little's resignation comes amid multiple media reports that Torre will be named the Dodgers' next manager. The Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday that the Dodgers and the former Yankees manager had agreed to terms of a contract but were resolving issues related to the coaching staff and player personnel moves.
The New York Post reported on its Web site Tuesday night that Torre had agreed in principle to a $14.5 million, three-year contract with the Dodgers, but a baseball official with knowledge of the search said no deal was imminent. Torre's reported average annual salary would be worth slightly less than the $5 million, one-year deal that the Yankees offered Torre to manage in 2008.
On Tuesday, Colletti said: "We haven't hired anybody. We're talking to some people, that's all I'm going to tell you. We'll talk about where we go from here at a later date."
He also refused to put a timetable on picking Little's successor. The GM stressed that Little would have kept his job for next season had he decided to come back.
Colletti said he sensed Little was leaning toward stepping down, so he began discussing the job recently with potential replacements. One of those candidates, the GM acknowledged, was Joe Girardi, hired by the Yankees as Torre's successor earlier Tuesday.
When asked if rumors of Torre taking over had an influence on his decision, Little replied, "None whatsoever."
"I have my personal reasons," he said.
He added: "It's nothing in particular. It's just a decision we've come to. This is all personal. There's a lot of belief I've been dealt an injustice here. That couldn't be further from the truth. My plans? To play with my grandkids."
Little had one year remaining on his contract with a club option for a second year.
The Dodgers entered this season as the clear-cut favorite to win the NL West and had the league's best record in mid-July. But they dropped 11 of their last 14 games to fade out of contention, finishing at 82-80.
Clubhouse unrest surfaced between veterans and young players during the season's final two weeks, when the Dodgers lost seven straight games to the NL champion Colorado Rockies.
The Dodgers went 88-74 to win the NL wild card in Little's first season as manager before they were swept by the New York Mets in the first round of the playoffs. The Dodgers have won only one postseason game since winning the 1988 World Series.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Source: ESPN.com
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