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The breaking news this afternoon is that Raul Ibanez has left his meeting with the Rays, and opted to remove himself from contention for the manager position.
BREAKING: Raul Ibanez has withdrawn from #Rays managerial field due to family considerations. So it's down to Cash and Wakamatsu
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) December 4, 2014
It's unclear exactly what the family concerns might have been, but that's really not our business. Ibanez is a father of five, and like Gabe Kapler before him, might prefer to have a front office role that keeps him closer to his kids before diving into managing.
As we noted in our write up of Ibanez this morning, as many as 14 teams have expressed interest in hiring the not-yet-retired outfielder. Among those teams is the Yankees, who are in need of a hitting coach, though it would not be a surprise to see him land in a front office where a manager could be soon departed.
For more on the man, and what his case was for the manager position, read our profile here.